El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-06-28
Hints About Saving
! Home Garden Surplus
PLANS FOR coNsERvlHc VEGETABLE
!. FOOD NOT EATEN FREsH sHouLDHE
MADE NOW ~ HOME GARDENERS,
SAWS THE v. 9. DEPARTMENT. OF Ac-
RlcuLTURE

WashingtoB d. C.-Tlle crop Of vege-
tables from home gardens promises to be
unusually large In practically Ill sections OF
1.-The country this year. says the United states
department Of agriculture in a fstatement
lust issued, Home gardeners, therefore, ~
is pointed out, should begin now to plan
50 that the products raised by them will
be used to the best possible advantage, with:
out waste ah
There is likely to be an unusually large
production Of vegetables from small home
gardens IN most communities this year"
says the statement. Home gardeners, there.
fore, should lay their plans carefully SO that
they will be in a position at the appropriate
time to make efficient use of their garden
produce, both by immediate consumption
and by preservation by canning, drying, or
in other ways, SO that no good food win be
wasted.
"a very material saving can be effectef
lin the food bill in many instances BY hav.
ing the meals consist more largely Of the
fresh home! grown vegetables and less ex.
tensively of the non-perishable foods bought
from grocery stores. BY following this plan,
also, garden-growers will relieve somewhat
the demand for the non-perishable foods.
Even with liberal use in the family diet
in a. fresh state, however, there will be con.
siderable SURPRISES Of vegetables from many
Ehome gardens. These should be saved in
some way. Canning is the method most usu-
ally employed, but it is possible that cans
and jars cannot be obtained In sufficient
quantities this year to pack the surplus per-
Iishables. In such cases many products east
lily can be preserved by drying. gSa3&
"By this method surplus water is driven
off by placing sliced products on trays in
the sun, over a stove or before an electric
fan. 4 The dried foods can be Kept perfect
|ly in paper bags or boxes sufficiently tight
to- exclude insects. Soaking in water will
bring the products back practically to their
original texture and they may then be
cooked like fresh vegetables.
I'm putting up vegetables and fruits for
future use the home gardner may find the
following suggestions useful:
"If you can obtain cans and jars only In
limited numbers, can tomatoes and other
vegetables which cannot be dried easily,
and such fruits as you prefer in a juicy
form. Whenever possible concentrate sue
culent foods, such as tomatoes.
Preserve or jam the fruits and berries
which you prefer in that form, and put
them in glasses sealed with parafin or In
wide necked bottles.
"Put fruit juices in ordinary bottles.
DRY practically any common vegetable
except asparagus, eggplant, radfshes, let
|tuce and the like, and most fruits except
strawberries and native grapes. The more
important of theEvegetables that are usual
|lys dried are sweet-corn, sinai and string
beans, shelled beans, shelled peas, and the
root crops. Tomatoes though consisting In
large part of water are dried successfully
by many immigrants from southern Europe.
IF a considerable number of cans or jars
are at your disposal so that vegetables may
be canned be sure to include the more nu-
~.tritious such as green beans and peas"