Evening star., 1942-05-28
Dried Fruits
Helping to
WinWar
Valuable to Workers
And to Fighters as
Source of Energy

In times of all emergencies there
Is an opportunity to become better
acquainted with your close neigh
Dor, animate or inanimate. Many
foods, for example, which have for
years been exported and have en-
Joyed top popularity as de!icacies
In Europe now are being eagerly
consumed in huge quantities in our
domestic markets. And so among
many other changing situations
Americans are having a real op-
portunity to familiarize themselves
with dried fruits-the finest, clean
est, best-tasting dried fruits pro-
duced in the world
Not only have dried fruits brought
greater and acceptable variety into
our menus but they have brought
other values, too, especially econom-
ical and concentrated values, of
which we hear so much these days.
Did you know that when you are
buying pound of dried prunes you
are buying the equivalent of 3
pounds of fresh fruit? And SINH
larly that:
Raisins require pounds fresh
fru4, to make l pound dried.
Figs require 3 pounds fresh fruit
to make pound dried.
Peaches require 5l2 pounds fresh
fruit to make l pound dried.
Apricots require 5la pounds fresh
fruit to make l pound dried.
Apples require 6-9 pounds fresh
fruit to make l pound dried.
Pears require 3 pounds fresh fruit
to make l pound dried.
This concentration offers concen-
trated food value by way of indis-
pensable vitamins and essential min
erals, and it also represents con-
centrated fuel value, not in the least
q minor consideration these days.
Every one knows that it takes guam
titles Of fuel to drive a machine, be it
human or otherwise. Every one
knows, too, that sugar does an eff
cient job In energizing the human
machine. Here Is something that
possibly every one does not know
fruits which are harvested for dry
ing contain as much as 80 per cent
more sugar than fruits which are
harvested for canning or are har-
vested to be shipped in the fresh
state. The reason for this is that
fruit which is to be dried is al
lowed to remain on the tree or vine
until it is thoroughly ripe, and with
this ripening process the natural
fruit sugars develop to this amaz-
ing extent. Vitamins and minerals,
too, have added opportunity to de-
velop. Not only do dried fruits con-
tain a generous amount OF sugar
but, unlike table sugar, it is read
ily digested and quickly converted
into food energy without any tax on
the digestive system.
OF course, homemakers are not
the only ones who are capitalizlng
on newer knowledge of dried fruits.
You can bet your last dollar on the
fact that Uncle Sam is. too. In the
hundreds of Army. Marine and
Navy bases located throughout the
country each quartermaster's de-
partment is busy buying and requl-
sitioning hundreds of tons of dried
fruits which are being steadily con-
sumed. The intense fruity flavor
appeals to men and often on ma
neuve.s and on the march it is one
of the likely foods carried along to
be eaten "as is for dried fruits are
so processed and sterilized that
they require no further cooking and
are thoroughly enjoyed in their
rather chevy native state. Not only
is the fruit being consumed in huge
quantities here, hundreds of tons
are being shipped out OF this coun-
try on lend-lease where every bit OF
space is at a premium and concen-
trated foods are given Al priority.
There is all kinds of speculation
et the present time as to how fruit
for drying is going to be harvested
this year, since the home OF the
dried fruit industry is in California
where much farm labor was Jap
anese. Californians aren't partlc-
ularly worried about this. however,
for as pioneers of the West they got
along without Japanese labor in
times gone by and, very definitely,
they can do it again. There is CO.
ordinated plan of no insignificant
proportion which may give boys and
girls of high school age real op-
portunitv to play an important role
in civilian defense by employing
their energy and vitality in gather
ing the huge fruit crop.
The dried fruit prognosis is good
and it appears that there Is every
reason for the homemaker to rest
assured that she will be able to get
her share of concentrated vitamln,
mineral, sugar and taste goodness
from dried fr1lits during the coming