The Sauk Centre herald., 1918-06-20

A HOMEMADE DRIER MADE OF LATH AND
WIRE NETTING.
two laths nailed together the frame
work can be stiT1ned and larger trays
made if desirable. This form or any of
the lighter makes Of driers can be sus-
pended from the ceiling over the kitch-
en- range or over the oil, gasoline or
gas stove, and it will utilize the hot air
which rises during the cooking hour. 1t
can be raised out Of the way or swung
to one side by a crane made of lath.
A good home drier is the cook stove
oven. Bits of food, leftovers, especially
sweet corn, can be dried on plates in
a very slow oven or on the back of the
cook stove and saved for winter use.
If the oven Is very warm the door
should be left ajar and the temperature
Of the oven often noted. Trays for use
In the oven can be made from con-
venient sized galvanized wire screen by
bending up the edges one or two inches.
Good use can also be. made of an elec-
tric fan.
Directions For Drying.
Many Of the products for which di-
rections are given here may be dried
either with or without preliminary
blanching. In such cases both methods
are described.
i ALTERNATIVE METHODS ARE
DESIGNATED BY LETTERS A, B,
G, ETC.
Sweet Corn.
Only very young and tender corn
should be used for drying, and it should
be prepared at once after gathering. =
(a) Cook in boiling water two to five
minutes, long enough to set the milk.
Cut the kernels from the cob with a
sharp knife, taking care not to cut OF
pieces Of the cob. Spread thinly on
trays and place in position to dry. Stir
occasionally until dry.
(b) Boil or steam on the cob eight to
ten minutes to set the milk. To improve
flavor a teaspoonful of salt to a gal
Ion Of water may be used. Drain well
and cut corn from cob, using a very
sharp and flexible knife. Cut grains
fine, only halfway down to the cob, and
scrape out the remainder of grain, be-
ing careful not to scrape off any of the
chaff next toSthe cob. Dry from three
to four hours at no to 145 degrees f.
(c) The corn may be dried in the sun.
Dry In oven ten to fifteen minutes and
finish drying in the sun. Sun drying,
Of course, is not satisfactory in moist
weather..
Pack in cartons or boxes for few
days to condition"
String or Snap Beans.
All varieties of string beans can be
dried, but only beans in ideal condi-
ton for table use should be selected
for this purpose.
(a) Wash, remove stem, tip and
strings" Cut or break the beansyinto
pieces one-half to one inch long and
place on trays and dry. They also can
be run through the slicer and then
dried quickly.
(b) Prepare as directed above, but
instead Of cutting the beans thread
them on coarse, strong thread 5maklng
long necklaces of them, and hang
them above the stove or out of doors
until dry An old fashioned recipe
calls foryboiling the pods until nearly
cooked through before drying.
(c) Wash and string beans carefully.
The Very young and tender beans can
be dried whole. Those that are full
grown should be cut in one-fourth to
one inch lengths with vegetable slicer
or sharp knife. They are then put
in a bag Of cheesecloth or in a. wire
basket and blanched in boiling water
for six to ten minutes depending on
the maturity of the bean. One-hdlf
teaspoonful OF soda may be added to
each gallon of boiling water to help
set the green color in the beans. Re,