Typed as
spelled and written
- Lena Stone Criswell
THE DAILY
DEMOCRAT
Forty-Second Year - Number 100
Marlin, Texas, Tuesday, June 9, 1942
THERE'RE SEVERAL WAYS
TO PRESERVE FOODS
Storing, Canning, Drying and a Few Brined
Are Ways to Save Foods Worth
Considering By The
Thrifty Person.
The greater number of
methods used to preserve foods, the more interesting the daily meals will be, so
why not plan to have a few vegetables stored, some canned, some dried, and few
brined, says Miss Cora Kirkman, county demonstration agent.
Drying is an economical and satisfactory
method preserving many fruits and vegetables to give variety. Successful
drying depends not only on the removal of water from the production which you
are drying, but the checking of the enzymes, if the product is to have a good
appearance and flavor.
Good quality in dried products depends on
the use of fresh, ripe, firm, and perfectly clean foods; since one decayed fruit
or vegetable may give the entire lot an undesirable flavor. Care should be
taken in the handling of the fruits and vegetables to prevent bruising.
Fruits are easier to dry than most vegetables, since they give up water more
easily, and the sugar content is higher. Fruits suitable for drying are
apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums, figs and dates. Vegetables best
for drying are sweet corn, mature peas, and beans, and sweet potatoes.
Others which are more difficult to dry are rapidly growing young vegetables as
green peas and beans, okra and carrots.
Successful drying depends upon:
1. Dryness of the air. 2. Temperature of the air. 3.
Circulation of air. Warm circulating air absorbs moisture more rapidly than does
cool still air; therefore, you can assure uniform and rapid drying by building
wire or slat trays so that the air will circulate under as well as over the
product. The desirable temperature for drying is 100 degrees F. to 150
degrees F. The more rapid the drying takes place the more desirable the
finished product will be.
Sources of heat for drying are:
1. Sun drying--there is little control of temperature by the sun drying
method. When following this method use slated or wire trays covered top
and bottom with a thin cloth to keep out dust and insects, or a ventilated
glassed-in box which acts as a hot bed in intensifying the sun rays, this gives
a higher temperature which results in quicker drying than the open sun drying
method. 2. Controlled heat can be had by using the inside of the
oven, providing trays for drying above the stove, and by the use of a light
bulb.
Fruits and vegetables are living things and
as soon as the surface is cut, chemical changes take place which are evidenced
by discoloration and loss of flavor. To aid in controlling undesirable
changes cut or pare all foods with stainless steel knife. For apples, soak
in 2 T. vinegar, 2 T. salt, l gallon of cold water, and allow to soak for thirty
minutes; for apricots and peaches treat with sulphur for three hours. (To
sulphur fruits, place one tsp. of sulphur per pound of prepared fruit in a small
piece of paper, roll it loosely and twist the ends. Then place it in a
pan. Place the pan below the tray or trays of cut fruit so they will not
come into direct contact with burning sulphur. Light the paper. Then
quickly place a tight box or barrel over the trays and the pan. The
covering should be tight enough to prevent loss of the fumes.) For pears,
treat with sulphur for three hours or soak in salt and vinegar solution for
thirty minutes. The timetable for drying vegetables is as follows:
For green snap beans, steam 15 to 20 minutes lima beans, steam 10 minutes,
carrots, turnips and parsnips, steam 6 to 10 minutes; corn, steam or (sic)
boiling water 15 to 20 minutes on the cob; okra, steam 4 to 8 minutes, peas,
steam 3 to 10 minutes. Drain each product before putting it into the
dryer.
The length of time for drying depends upon
temperature. To test dried fruits press fingers if not sticky and has
tendency to spring back when pressure is released are indications that fruit is
dry. Vegetables must be dry and brittle. Condition the food by
putting it in deep container and keep stirred for 8 to 10 days. Heat at
temperature of 150 to 130 degrees F. for 30 minutes to protect them from beetles
and moths.
Containers for dried foods should be sealed
or closed tightly. Practical containers are 1/2 gallon jars, cellphone
bags, tin containers with tight fitting lids or sacks coated with wax.
Fruit or vegetables should be examined
frequently to see that moisture does not form in the container. If this
happens, the container should be opened and the product reheated and put into a
fresh container.
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Permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing by
The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas.