Evening star., 1921-08-05
DRYING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
FOR USE DURINGW WINTER MONTHS

, trate all Of them. In q warm room
! most fruits and vegetables can be
| tried by an electric fan running at
moderate speed In about twenty-four
| also be used to hasten oven drying.
If the fan is placed in front Of the
| oven it will serve as a ventilator and
therefore quicken the process of
drying.
When drying all kinds of fruits and
vegetables take care not to continue
| the drying process until they are hone
dry, for If you remove all the moisture
the food will not soak up water
readily when you come to prepare 1t
is necessary. however. to get the food
dry enough to prevent 1t from mold
ing When it is sufficiently dry it
should not be possible to squeeze
liquid out of it. yet it should be pill
able and not SO dry that it will snap
when you bend it. To obtain uni
form degree OF dryness keep the
dried material in boxes for two or
three days and mix it frequently by
pouring it from one box to another
stp&age. When storing dried fruits
or vegetables the things to guard
against are moisture, insects and rats
and mice. Tin cans, such as those In
cellent containers. Pasteboard boxes
with close-fitting covers and stout
paper bags tightly sealed with glue.
paste or paraffin are also good. Store
in a cool. dry place.
What to Dry.
To Dry Sweet Corn.-Use fresh.
young sweet corn that Is full OF milk.
for five or ten minutes, then cut the
corn from the cob with sharp knife
or a slaw cutter. You can do 1t best
in two cuts, removing half the thick.
ness of the kernels at each cut. II
you wish. clean the cob further by
scraping it. Put the corn in layers
half an inch thick on metal trays or
wood. covered with clean cheesecloth,
and dry 1t in an oven that Is not
quite hot enough for baking. See
brown. During the early stages OF
the drying. or until the corn ceases
to be sticky. stir it every twenty
minutes. Usually 1t requires about
The drying must be finished in one
operation. If you allow the corn to
cool before it is thoroughly dry it is
likely to sour.
To Dry Peas-To one gallon OF
shelled peas add one-half a cup of
in the oven and cook until done, then
open the oven door and let dry with
a slow fire. There will be a good deal
of juice in them when they are cooked,
but 1t will all dry into them. They
, will take about a day to dry. Shell
the peas the day they are to be dried.
because standing impairs the flavor.
Other Vegetables to Dry-String or
wax beans that you select for drying
should be young and tender. Remove
, the stem. tip end and strings. Cut
the beans In lengths Of one or two
inches and dry them In trays Beets
carrots, turnips, parsnips and onions
should be washed, peeled and sliced
one-eighth of an inch thick before
they are dried. Greens like spinach.
Swiss chard or beet tops should be
young and tender, and If the leaves
are very large they should be cut into
small pieces. When drying pumpkin
and squash remove the peel. seeds and
soft part, cut the flesh into strips
about two inches long and an eighth
of an inch thick. and dry the strips on
trays or on strings.
To Dry Berries-Berries for drying
should be perfectly ripe. They should
not be dried beyond the point where
they do not stain when you press them
between thumb and finger. First boil
the fruit. but not until mushy. Then
spread out on pans or platters to dry
in the sun or in a warm oven, not
hot. Dried blackberries. raspberries