STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. IO3 



FRUIT AS FOOD. 

 By Anna Barrows, Boston. 



Miss Barrows began by saying that she had appeared before 

 so many meetings of the Pomological Society that while she had 

 little new to say constant repetition may serve in increasing the 

 use of fruit as food. People are apt to look upon fruits as 

 luxuries rather than necessities. They forget that the date and 

 the cocoanut and the banana supply the main food of people in 

 tropical countries. Even in our colder climate we should do 

 well to depend upon fruits more than we do. 



Fruit is valuable because it furnishes us with water in a very 

 palatable form. Physicians tell us that one of our greatest 

 dietetic errors is a failure to use sufficient water or watery foods. 

 Because fruits are mainly water their actual food value is under- 

 estimated. The sugar that comes to us through fruits is 

 worthy of consideration. Too often we lose the best flavor of 

 a fruit by burying it in cane sugar. 



The acid juices of fruits are especially desirable to counteract 

 the effect of foods which are gross and heavy. Thus we serve 

 apple sauce with roast goose and roast pork. We might pre- 

 pare apples with fats more than we have been accustomed to do 

 in the past, apple salads have been popular of late. The apples 

 are pared and cored and served with a French dressing, that is 

 oil and vinegar with a little salt and pepper or with a mayonnaise 

 dressing. Again the apples are combined with celery or onion 

 or nuts and served with either a cooked or a mayonnaise 

 dressing. 



The fried apples which were a standard dish with our grand- 

 mothers might often take the place of potatoes with sausages or 

 chops to good advantage. 



We have yet to learn about combining different varieties of 

 fruits just as tea merchants give us dififerent blends of tea. By 

 putting two kinds together we may get something far superior 

 to either. It is an indication of progress that we are learning to 

 make such beautiful jellies as are displayed here, with their 

 wide range of color and flavor. By and by instead of allowing 



