Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-28
DRY AS WELL SCAM.
SAVE EVERYTHING
Such Is Advice of Governments
to Have Food for
Winter. AZ
PRINCIPLES ARE EXPLAINED,
How to Condition and Store
Products in Containers So III
They Will Keep. y
ARE EXPLAINED.

WASHINGTON. July 27.-Every8
family in America must learn to dry
fruits and vegetables IL we are to 1
meet our obligation to waste no per-
ishables in 1918. Canning will save
large part of the surplus fruits and
vegetables this summer. but 1t can.tSe
save them all. and the shortage ana NJ
increased cost Of canning supplies will
cause many home Gamers to look to ~
some additional means OF keeping tho Z
extra garden products from going to &
waste. f.S
Drying offers a simple and economi-
cal way OF preserving the surplus and v
carrying 1t over to time when fresh 81
fruits and vegetables are unobtainable -
The products arc reduced one-fourth
to one-ninth the weight of the fresh
materials. They undergo considerable
reduction in bulk. They are not sub y
jeet to Injury by freezing. They re-
quire no expensive containers, and they i
from ono season to the next when
properly stored. In addition the labor
OF preparing and drying most pro-
ducts is less than that required for
canning. sSe
can women. although 1t is a common
practice In many of the European
countries. In learning to dry we are
not really taking up new thing. but
improving upon the oldest method OF 8
food conservation-a method used
widely in this country two genera J;
tons ago by our thrifty Grandparents. &
PRINCIPLES OF DRYING 's .|sls25
TO INSURE KEEPING
Simple as tho method Is, there are
a few general principles which must :,
be followed carefully to insure sue s
cessful results. In drying fruits orr
vegetables the most important thing
OF all Is the necessity for a fresh
product suitable for table use. NJ
amount of work can improve the quail
ity OF the material; frst-class dried
products can be made only from MAJ
terials which would be readily accented
il offered the particular housekeeperS
for use fresh upon her table. TheEeS
is nothing In the process of drying
which can be left to chance, hit-and-
miss methods and the trying out OF 4
experiments have no place In success;
full home work. 1879
In order to secure satisfactory prod.S
ucts. the whole process OF preparation
must be carried out rapidly, so that a n
very short time elapses between the
peeling and slicing of the material and
its insertion into the drier. Fruits and 4
vegetables are living things; when their
flesh is opened up to the air very
considerable number OF chemical
changes in the tissues begin. These
changes are Identical with those which
occur when a leaf or fruit Is removed
from the plant and allowed to lie un-ss
disturbed in the air. All this is greatly.
fastened when the fruit or vegetable Ia !
cut open and freely exposed to the
air. :sf.
If the material Is to retain Its char
acteristic color, flavor. cooking quality
and food value any changes must be
prevented or checked. They ore stopped
by MISUNDERSTANDING the material
to the action OF boiling water or steam
for a few minutes. Prior to blanching,8
the prepared material may be kept
beneath the surface OF cold water
Slice the material only as rapidly as
ii can be blanched: keep any portions
which cannot be 1T once placed in the
blanching vessel in a quantity OF cold
water; blanch for the full period rec
commended for the particular material
being handled, and place the product
in the evaporation as quickly as pos
sible after it comes from the blanche
ing vessel To permit material to
stand in the open air for an hour or
two after 1t is cut up before blanching
it, is to permit changes in color and
flavor. possibly also in food value,
which will detract greatly from the
quality OF the food product. Never
more than Ave minutes from the par
ing knife to the blanchinG vessel is
good rule 20 adopt when preparing
material for drying.
AND AIR
CIRCULATION NECESSARY
Best results are obtained when tho
drying process is carried on uniE-
terruptedly from start to finish at as
high temperatures as the materials
can endure without injury. The vari- g
Gus fruits and vegetables differ very
widely in the temperatures which they
can stand. and such temperatures must
be separately stated for each product;
for the more delicate berries a tern
perature higher than 1870 degrees Fab III
renheit at the beginning OF drying
will cause bursting and loss OF juice
by dripping. while potatoes may be =
subjected to $50 or $50 degrees Fah-la
renheit at the outset OF drying with Il
out receiving injury.
For any given material the tenn
perature employed at the beginning
Of drying should DO the minimum rco-lf
for that material and should
be gradually increased as the material Z
loses water. finishing at the highest
temperature stated safe for uss 2
with that product Flavor. cooking
quality and appearance are much bet
ter preserved when this method Is em-3t
ployed than when the material Is all
ternately heated and cooled so that a..
long period elapses between the be-
ginning and the end of the process
II materials are allowed to cool ,sR y
when partially dried, as happens I'm q
the cook stove drier when tho Gre IS I