The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-01-31
EXPLAINS PROPER
STORAGE OF MEAT

The question of the best method
for storing cured meat is not only
important to farm families in
North Carolina, but also to new
group of people who have raised
pork this year for the first time.
It is not necessary to stress,
says DR.. D. E. Brady, associate
in Animal Industry with the Elk
pertinent Station at State College,
that ina this state each year a
large amount of cured meat is
lost because of inadequate stor-
age, and even more is stored in
| such a way that the meat loses its
good flavor and appearance.
The largest loss other than i'm
proper curing is caused by the
skipper fly and beetle, with the
fly the more important, says DR..
Brady. Most people have seen how
the skipper will lay its eggs on a
ham particularly where the sur
face is rough. and moist Later,
small jumping larvae from these
eggs burrow down through the lean
meat and ruin it.
Skippe Control
There are a number of good
methods to counterfeit the skipper
fly that will also serve to control
the beetle. First is thorough clean
ing of the meat house, including
the removal of all grease and
crumbs and the scrubbing of the
floors and walls. The building
should be tight throughout and if
the windows or ventilators are not
screened, they should be fitted
with 30 mesh screen or finer, and
all doors and windows made tight.
This cleanliness will materially re-
duce the possibility of insect in
festation.
It is important, of course, that
the meat be cured and put in the
house before spring when the In
sects start to work. Then there
are additional precautions that 1t
is we'll to take. The thorough dust
ing of borax around the outside
of the ham is one. An even better
method perhaps consists of wrap
ping the meat tightly in moisture
and grease-proof paper (Waxed
paper) and then sewing it tightly
in a cloth bag for hanging in the
meat house.
AS mentioned before, the house
should be clean, well ventilated
and fly proof. However, OCCASION
ally a bagged ham becomes in
tested with shippers. These are
two possible explanations for this
occurrence: First, the eggs were
laid before he ham was bagged
and second, the bag was not tight.
Should the meat become infest-
ed, that portion should be care
fully removed, DR.. Brady says,
taking particular care to go deep
enough to remove all the larvae.
The best advice as what to do
with the remaining portion would
be to store it at a temperature
under 40 degrees F. or cook it
soon, for after the insects have
been trimmed it is safe for eat
ing. A little salad oil rubbed over
the newly exposed surfaces Will
help in preventing the meat from
drying out.
Rancidity
The second problem in stored
meat is ransidity or the develop
ment of "off flavor" in the fat.
Bacon is particularly susceptible
to this and therefore should be
used up by early summer.
Wrapping the meat in dark pa
per will materially retard rancidi-
ty, and busting the meat with oat
flour will also help although this
Injuries the appearance somewhat.
Spraying or dipping the ham or
bacon in unrerlned soybean and
cottonseed oil will also slow down
rancility development. At the
present, DR.. Brady says, the North
Carolina Agricultural Experiment
Station is testing several materials
in the control of rancidity.
Molds
The third problem is molds.
Most people do not consider a
small amount of mold growth to
be Objectionable, but where excess
sive growth is encountered, a
musty flavor may develop and the
meat will have to be trimmed.
But when only a small amount Of
old is present, it may be easily
brushed off.
The best safeguard against mold
development is to store the meat
in dry, cool, well ventilated
room. Certain anti mold COM
pounds have been developed. At
the present, however, the Army
is using the total supply and none
will be available until fater the
war.
Summary
In summing up, DR.. Brady points
out that the best insurance against
meat loss consists of four steps
l. Have all the meat cured early
SO that the surface will dry and
the insects will not have a chance
to hit it before storing.
2. Dip the meat into or spray it
with un-efined cottonseed or soy
bean oil.
3. Wrap the meat in dark, mois-
ture-proof and grease-proof paper
and sew it up in a cloth bag.
4. Hang the meat in a clean,
dark, well ventilated house..
-V-- a
Victory gardeners grew enough
food last year to fill 300 Liberty
shinc with 10 0QQ tons of fnnd "a al,