The Washington herald., 1921-07-07
DAMPNEss IMPORTANT IN
KEEPING DRIED VEGETABLES.

Dampness has a very important
effect on how well rsw-dried vege-
tables will keep. DR.. II. c. Gore and
c. z. Mangels Of the Bureau OF
Chemistry of the Department OF
Agriculture have found II the
dampness is permitted TO remain,
there is a loss of color which makes
such articles OF food Unsightly and
unpalatsble as well.
The simplest and one Of the best
ways OF drying many kinds OF vege-
tables is to wash. trim and cut them
finely and then dry them in a cur
rent Of warm air. Carrots, onions,
turnips, tomatoes, celery, parsnips.
and carrots yield excellent products
when prepared in this way. The
problem is 10 preserve the flavor and
color OF the tissues during storage
at the ordinary temperatures. In
the current number OF the journal
of Industrial and Engineering
Chemistry these chemists say that
unless SLICED carrots, for instance,
are dried thoroughly they soon lose
their brilliant hue and distinctive
taste.
''Turnips. csbbsges and onions
similarly dried" they state slowly
dsrken, IL left at room temperatures.
becoming finally as dark as tobacco
and at the same time suffer serious
losses in flavor. Spinach fades and
acquires a hay like flavor. unless
dried very thoroughly and kept in
sir-tight containers. II the products
have been cooked before drying, the
deterioration is less rapid but none
the less certain. Micro-organisms
l.
oration. because the moisture con-
tent is almost invariably well below
that at which yeasts. molds and bsc-
terra will grow"
The investigators find that the
less moisture dehydrsted vegetables
contain the better they will keep in
sir-tight containers at ordinary tenn
perstures.
Carrots OF iii per cent mois-
ture content faded distinctly during
sixty-eiEht days storage" they de-
clare, while carrots Of 7.ss per cent
moisture kept well for this period
Turnips of ll.5l per cent moisture
content Drowned distinctly and de-
veloped a peculiar turnip-like odor
in thirty three days. white turnips
dried TO 500 per cent moisture had
not changed in eighty days. The
same general facts were noted in
case OF the samples OF onions.
spinach and cabbage"
The moisture content OF dehyd-
rated raw vegetables was found TO
be a factor ~ considerable irnpor-
tance for successful storage IN air
tight containers in ordinary tenn
perstures.
Initial moisture contents az and
below which the distinctive color
and flavor are well retained for six
months or more are as follows: Car
rots. 4ss to 7.5s per cent: turnips
500 per cent: onions. 5.7i to s.sl per
cent: spinach. 3.Sl to 5.5S per cent:
cabbage, 800 to 5.34 per cent"
DIR. BROOKS LEAVES
WEATHER BUREAU TO TEACH.
Or Charles p Brooks. meteoro-
logist L. :. Weather Bureau. and
editor Of the Monthly weather Re-
view. has resigned to accept an as
sociate prnfessorship in meteoroloEy
and climstologv at Clark University,
Worcester. Mass. He is not lectur-
ing in the sumner school there.
Professor 4. J. Henry has been
appointed editor Of the Monthly
Weather Review TO succeed Dr
Prooks. Mr.. c. Leroy Meisinger
will continue as assistant editor
and Mr.. Herbert Lyman a. editorial
assistant.
The Monthly weather Review is
the Official publication of the L. 81
Weather Bureau.
W. ID.