Show FACTS REGARDING FRUIT DRYING j i A paper read by Guy P Hawley before be-fore the San Diego Cal Farmers Institute In-stitute The economic value of dried fruit is realized by but few people canning it takes two pounds of fresh fruit and onehalf a pound of sugsr and tin to make a two and onehalf pound can while with dried fruit it takes from three to eight pounds of fresh fruit to make one of dried Perhaps the economic econ-omic distinction between dried and canned fruit will be made more apparent I appar-ent by an Illustration viz We take 100 pounds of fresh fruit put it with 25 pounds of sugar and tin making 125 pounds of the finished article while In drying we take 100 pounds of fresh fruit and dry It down to 20 pounds The 20 pounds of dried fruit will represent the same food value as the 100 pounds I of canned fiOodsjjfciuWn tfc first asa > 7 r 1 we have to pay the cost of packing and freight on 20 pounds while in the second sec-ond we have to pay on 125 pounds which of itself will make a great difference differ-ence in the cost to the consumer in favor fa-vor of dried fruit The coat of drying fruit is also much less than that of canning It does not require as expensive ex-pensive a plant as canning nor as much capital to operate with Dried fruit is destined to become a snore popular article of diet than at present It will be better appreciated when people have learned how to prepare pre-pare it properly It should be soaked in cold water for from 15 to 30 hours before cooking so that it will absorb all of the water it lost in drying and regain its natural size If this is done it will take but a short ime to cook it Fruit prepared in this manner is superior su-perior to that which is placed in water on the stove and allowed to cook and soak at the same time In fact with a firstclass article of dried fruit properly proper-ly cooked it is difficult to tell it from the canned Many people are learning the superiority of our dried fruit people peo-ple who from their experience with the indigestible stringy dried fruit of their forefathers have not considered it desirable de-sirable have had to change their opinion opin-ion after trying our fine sundried fruit It will take time to introduce it especially in some sections but when people have once laid aside their prejudices pre-judices we need have no fears as to the future of our dried fruit market There are two methods of drying viz Sundrying and evaporating in this bright and sunny climate we do not have much use for the latter In fact our sundried fruit sells for evaporated in the east consequently I will confine I my remarks to sundrying In order to produce a fine article of dried fruit it I is necessary to grow only firstclass l fruit The trees should have been properly I prop-erly cultivated and pruned and inmost I in-most locations irrigated and the fruit thinned out It is a prevailing idea that any fruit is good enough for drying dry-ing there are altogether too many halfripe and halfgrown culls dried Fruit that is not lit for canning or eating eat-ing fresh is often dried and as a consequence con-sequence there is a good deal of poor fruit that finds its way to the market to the detriment of the trade I have heard people say what a pity to dry I such fine fruit on beholding fine fruit being dried The phrase should be reversed re-versed to read what a pity there is so much poor fruit dried Size is more important with dried fruit than canned or with fresh fruit for shipment You cannot produce a fancy article of dried fruit without large fruit to make it from and as a rule the largest specimens of any given variety are best in quality It also makes a great difference in cost of I picking and cutting while there is also relatively less waste in the pits of large fruit than small It is necessary to bleach fruit with fumes of burning sulphur in order to secure as bright an article as the trade demands some fruit really requires it The peach will burn if dried in the sun and retain a decided burnt taste unless it is sulphured However in most cases it is used only to improve the color and to reduce the risk of fruits becoming wormy Fruit should at first be graded into two or three grades as It comes in from the orchardin order that the fruit on a tray may dry evenly and all of It be ready to move at the same time After it is cut into halves and spread on trays it is then treated to sulphur fumes 1 allow about two or three pounds of sulphur to 300 pounds of fruit allowing it to remain in the sulphur sul-phur boxes about three hours It is very important to have bright fruit for no matter how good otherwise it will not bring a good price unless it is bright therefore do not be afraid to use plenty of sulphur A wooden frame covered with building paper makes avery a-very handy sulphur box make it large enough so it will fit over a stack of 18 or 20 trays If a person has a large amount of fruit it will pay to have a sulphur house with compartments in which to run truck loads of trays The burning sulphur should have some air in order to secure proper combustion in case of lack of air sulphur will melt and but a small proportion of it will l burn When the fruit has been sul phured the trays of fruit should be spread out on the ground to dry In sundrying there are two methods of finishing the product One is by partially par-tially drying in the sun and then to finish by dumping in piles from one to two feet deep to cure in a room with screens on the windows and doors to keep out the moththe rom should also be kept dark if possible The fruit should be stirred every two or three days and all specimens that are too dampto cure properly can be removed to trays In this way the fruit will cure gradually and as it gets dryer can be put in bins five or six feet deep Fruit cured in this way will not dry away as much as that cured entirely in the sun and will gain from 20 to 25 percent per-cent in weight over that dried in the sun sunn should be packed in paperlined sacks or boxes to prevent evaporation after it is boxed or sacked But great care should be exercised to see that fruit dried by this meahod is thoroughly thorough-ly cured When dried completely In the sun fruit should be taken off from trays and be put immediately in boxes ors or-s cks All fruit should be taken off from the trays during the heat of the day as the hot sun will kill the eggs that have been laid on the fruit by moths and as a consequence fruit so treated will have but few worms Rural Californian |