224 Miracles Ahead! 



processors of dehydrated foods were urged to try a little 

 harder. They did, and with happy results. Dehydrated pota- 

 toes today, when "reconstituted" and served to the soldiers, 

 are a far cry from the sorry spuds of the first World 

 War. 



One of the most interesting packets of dehydrated food 

 prepared for our soldiers today is the U ration, a packet to 

 provide balanced meals for a group of men out on maneuvers 

 which take them far from the mess hall. The list of foods 

 available in the U-ration packet give us some idea of the 

 striking range of foods now available in dehydrated form: 

 tomato juice, whole- wheat cereal, sliced bacon, biscuits, lem- 

 onade, coffee, bean soup, roast beef, quick-cooking rice, hard 

 candy, meat and vegetable stew, dried prunes, apricot spread, 

 root beer, gum drops, and canned butter. 



The canned butter provided in the U ration is the combina- 

 tion of butter and hydrogenated vegetable fat which has been 

 developed by Kraft. The mixture will not melt at 120 degrees, 

 nor become rancid in tropic heat. 



Other foods now being successfully dehydrated are: car- 

 rots, beets, corn, potatoes, spinach, celery, asparagus, bananas, 

 pears, cranberries, peaches, grapes, and raspberries. 



For the duration most of the supply of commercially de- 

 hydrated foods will be used by the Army. But already dehy- 

 drators are on the market for home use. 



The Public Service Company of Chicago has given us the 

 data on a simple method of home dehydration without special 

 equipment: 



"The equipment needed is a wood frame with some ordi- 

 nary cotton curtain netting stretched over it. This is placed 

 on top the metal rack which is standard equipment in gas 

 ovens. 



"First, steam vegetables to be dehydrated, using a tightly 

 covered container and suspending vegetables above rapidly 



