Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-08-03
HOW TO DRY VEGETABLES.
Scarcity of Cans or Glass Jars Makes
Drying Desirable.

Drying OeSlrdDle,
Dry vegetables and fruit for winter Use
if tin cans and glass jars for canning
are scarce or expensive.
This is the advice of specialists of the
United States Department of Agriculture,
who recently have studied the possibilities
of conserving food to meet war needs in
spite of any difficulties that may be ex
perienced in obtaining canning containers.
Drying was a well-recognzed and success
full way of preserving certain foods before
canning came into general use, the special
lists point out, and modern methods make
it still more practicable than formerly, |
either in the home or by community |
groups.
Three methods of drying have been
found by the department specialists to
give satisfactory results. These are sun
drying, drying by artificial heat, and dry
ing with air blasts, as before an electric
fan. Trays for drying by any one Of these
methods az well as tray frames for use
over stoves or before fans, can be made
satisfactorily at home. Frames and trays
for use with artificial heat may be pur-
chased complete if desired.
| Homemade trays made be made of side
and end boards three-fourths of an inch
| thick and two inches wide and bottom
boards of athing spaced one-fourth of an
| inch. If desired, one-fOurth inch gava
nized wire mesh may be tackled to the
side and end boards to form the bottoms
of the trays. Frames for use before fans
may be made of wood of convenient size.
Frames for use with artificial heat should
be made of noninfammable material to-
as great an extent as possible. As many
rs six trays may be placed one above the
other when artificial heat is used. In dry
ing before fan the number of trays that
may be placed one above the other will
depend, to a large extent, upon the di-
ameter of the fan. In drying in the sun,
trays as ,desoribed may be used or the
products to be dried may be spread on
sheets of paper or muslin held in place by
weights.
Vegetables and fruits will dry better if
sliced They should be cut into slices one
eighth to one-fourth of an inch thick; if
thicker, they may not dry thoroughly
While drying, the products should be
turned or stirred from time to time. Dried
products should be packed temporarily Tor
three or four days and poured each day
from one box to another to bring about
thorough mixing and so that the whole
mass will have a uniform degree of mois-
tll1e. II during lIlS tOlhltibhlhB hhy
pieces of the products are found to be too
moist, they should be returned to the trays
, and dried further When in condition the
products may be packed permanently in
: tight paper bags, insect-proof paper boxes
or cartons, or glass or tin containers.
Spinach and parsley: Spinach that is in
r prime condition for green's should be pre-
| pared by careful washing and removing
the leaves from the roots. Spread the
; leaves on trays to dry thoroughly. They
will dry much more promptly II sliced or
l chopped.
Beets: Select young, quickly grown, ten
T der beets, which should be washed, peeled
} sliced about an eighth of an inch thick,
4 and dried.
Turnips should be treated in the same
way as beets.
Carrots should be well grown, but va
reties having a large woody core should
? be avoided Wash, peel, and slice cross
wise into pieces about an eighth OF an
1 inch thick.
' Parsnips should be treated in the same
way as carrots.
Onions: Remove the outside papery COW
ering; cut off tops and roots; slice into
one-eighth-inch pieces and dry.
Cabbage: Select well-developed heads OF
cabbage and remove all loose outslue
. leaves Split the cabbage, remove the
hard woody core, and slice the remainder
| of the head with kraut cutter or other
hand scing machine.
Beet tops: Tops of young beets in suit
l able condition for greens should be Sc
lected and washed carefully. Both the leaf
Y stalk and blade should be cut into sec
tons about one-fourth inch long and
r spread on screens and dried.
l Swiss chard and celery should be pre-
pared in the same way as beet tops.
Rhubarb: Choose young and succulent
growth Prepare as for stewing by skin
ming the stalks and cutting into pieces
about one-fourth inch one-half inch IN
length and dry on trays.
All these products should be "condl-
toned as described,
Raspberries: Sort out imperfect berries,
spread select berries on trays, and dry
Do not dry so long that they become hard
i enough to rattle Pho drying should be
stopped as soon as the berries fail to STAN
the hand when pressed. Pack and "condl-
ton"