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Show FRin and VEGETABLE DRYING CONCISELY TOLD 1 onomira Bxpefft Reviews CovcrnmeM Bulletin. A re- iew on the bulletin on drying recently published by the United States Department of Agriculture has recently been made by Miss llortense White of the Utah Agricultural College Col-lege Extension Division. This review-gives review-gives in concise form the many important im-portant processes outlined in the bulletin. bul-letin. It Is designed to serve as a handy guide for the housework in drying fruits or vegetables. The re view follows: Methods of Drying: There are three principal methods of drying: 1. sun drying; ''. by artificial ar-tificial heat; .'!. by air blast. The products should be shreded OT cut Into slices When they are dried by artificial I heat they should be exposed at first i to gentle beat and later to high 1 temperature. Watch material iu dryer very carefully, care-fully, using thermometer to avoid a . scorching temperature. Material should be stirred several times to serine uniform amount of moisture throughout the product. It should be dried until no moisture can j be pressed out of it, but not until brittle, only leathery and pliable. If I it is not sufficiently dried it will mold. Fruits dried In the sun are best spread on large trays of uniform size, so iii ease of rain they may be piled ion each other and easily covered. 'Preparation of I'ood for Drier: For shreding or slicing the follow ! ing things can be used. 1. Meat grinder. 2. Common kraut sliior. ". Rotary hand slice. 4. Large sharp kitchen knife. The vegetables or fruits should be sliced thin so they will quickly and thorougly dry through. One -eighth to one-fourth inch thick, but not too thin. Vegetables should be fresh, young, tender, end (dean. Boot vegetables must be peeled before being sliced. Blanching Is not essential to successful suc-cessful drying. Reasons for blanching: 1. Removes strong odor. '. Removes strong flavor. 8. Softens and loosens libers so j moisture will evaporate more uniformly uni-formly and quickly. I. Coagulates protein which holds in flavors. If blanching, do so for alloted time, drain, remove surface moisture by putting between two towels, spread in trays to dry. Sun drying has the advantage of j not being over-heated but the disad-i disad-i vantage of being contaminated with I dust, flies and insects. These latter laj eggs and hatch larva which rid die the fruit. Precautions against InSBCtS, Moths deposit eggs on fruit when it is on the drying rack, generally at dusk or after dark. Caterpillars hatched from these eggs feed v, Uie tood, doing a great deal of damage), especially if stored in a warm place, as in a warm room, warm dark bins !kS, It is b, t td mall amounts, so if the lar vac. i. t into one lot onlv one small portion will b.- Injured, To pn the danger of moths, srhreen fruit earl) ill the evening with cheese cloth Of fly screen pressed down, or put fruit and vegetables in tight paper -a. k. In a cool place. To further in sure the dried food against moths, when it is dry heat it in an oven 110 degrees F long enough for the beat to penetrate. In drying by artificial beat, store it at once as it is already sterilized. Directionn for Parking, Storing. Tin cans or glass jars are good re- eeptacles for dried fruit, also paste boarl boxes with tight covers, stout paper bags with their ends doubled over and tied. Dried food must be kept from outside moisture. It will keep lust in cool, dry, wellventilated places. In humid regions moi ture tight containers should be used. If it is not dried thoroughly it will sweat and mold. RxamiM after "I hours of packing. If it appears moist, dry further. Apparatus for Drying. For Sun Drying: 1. Trays made of galvanised wire net with frame of lath. They should be raised above the ground about three feet. 2. Trays like No. 1 fastened together to-gether in tiers and suspended over the kitchen stove and swung with a crane of laths over the stove to utilize the extra heat rising when cooking, or swung out of the way against the wall. II. A galvanized sheet iron boxe having a wire net bottom, a door at one end, and a Ventilating space at the top, also wire trays suspended in it are supported on a flaring perforated perfor-ated base of same materials as the box. The box is placed on the stove so the hot air can pass up through the (rays drying the fruit, and the moist air ps off through the ventilating ven-tilating space at the top. I. The cook stove oven may serve as a drier. . An electric- I'au may be used by placing tier's of trays with closed space ut sides between them. The fan is plated at the end of the first tiers and the air is forced over the trays. |