Catoctin clarion., 1918-06-06
HOW DRYING WILL Gut
HIGH COST OF LIVING


machine at the War Food Bureau
shows that Baltimore is as wide
awake as other great American cities
to the need for keeping up the food
supply by the prevention of waste.
For the next three years at least one.
half of our Allies food must cross
the ocean-whether peace comes be-
fore then or not. Production has
reached almost the highest point pos.
sible with the labor available. There
Is one alternative, to save, to prevent
waste. A nationwide educational
campaign is on to rescue millions of
pounds OF vegetables from rotting, and
upon it's success depends to a large
extent whether Or not the United
States shall feel the pinch of hunger
before the world RECEIVERS from its
debauch of bloodshed.
While the Sammy battles with the
myrmidons Of destruction the Ameri.
can housewife must combat the agents
OF decay, Dehydration is the weapon.
The word is Greek-but the process
is so simple that its meaning does
not need to be Greek to any inteli-
gent woman. "Dehydration" means
nothing more than drying" or get
ting out the water. 1t is not new
art; ancient Egyptians and African
savages practiced it. But 1t Is an
art which we have foOlishly allowed
to fall into disuse, and have had to
pay the penalty of eating tough. old
carrots in the winte:-tme when lit
tie foresight would have given us them
young and tender.
"All you need is common sense"
declares one Maryland woman who
won prizes two years running with
the same dried string beans. Put the
vegetables, properly sliced, few feet
above your stove on wire tray and
leave them there till they are thor
oughly dried. then keep mine in
muslin bag till want to use them
perhaps months afterward. The only
advice I offer Is to see that they are
really dried Otherwise, the boil wee
vii and such-like insects may get busy
and spoil them"
In Germany there are over two thou
sand community drier in use, most OF
them built during the war. They
saved the Hun from famine. Gradual
ly the United States is awakening
to the merits of an art which saves
storage, saves transportation, and,
above all, saves food The Baltimore
plant is one of many recently erected.
It can be help to all and Godsend
to people who live in flats.
The New York dehydrator cost ST.
500. including the preparatory machin-
cry for cutting and peeling. 1t will
dry one thousand pounds Of fresh ma.
teral day at a cost, including wages,
of one cent a pound. As a general
rule drying will shrink vegetables
fve.-sixths Of their volume without at
all altering the cellular structure. A
few hours soaking restores the orig
inal flavor, color, form and fragrance.
The most popular container Is dou-
ble-lined paper bag, waXed inside.
Canning the fresh produce would cost
about twenty-five times as much for
containers, while bottling would cost
fifty times as much. Cold storage,
another means Of keeping these foods,
will be increasingly costly, as military
needs are apt to cause shortage IN
the supply Of that commodity to
civilians.
Dehydratlon is not fad; It is war
need. Even in time of peace its use
Is the acme OF common sense, for 1t
will keep the produce of the farmer
from rotting away. Thus, 1t offers the
one visible solution to the high cost OF
living. 1t insures the producers
market for their crops. 1t keeps the
consumers from being saddled with
the cost of shipping and storing IL
lions of gallons OF water which they
can lust as well draw from the kitchen
tap few hours before the cook wishes
to use the vegetables. yes, and the
eggs and the milk which she had the
prudence to buy when they were plen-
tiful and, therefore, cheap.
Whoever can attend the daily dem.
onstrations in the Lexington Building,
Baltimore, will save many dollars 1y
the expenditure Of a few minutes OF
time AS a substitute. the literature
Is recommended which Is given cut
there or in Bulletins S41 and 916, IS
sued nv the Department Of Agricul.
ture, Washington.