306 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



Sweet Corn. The corn should be at the right stage for table use. Clean 

 the ears thoroughly of silk and cut off bad spots. Then boil or steam for 

 five minutes. Use a slaw cutter and set so that it will require three or 

 four slices to get off all the corn, and be sure not to cut deep enough to take 

 any of the cob. Cover the trays with muslin cloths and spread the corn 

 evenly and not very thickly. Stir the corn occasionally while drying. Dry 

 thoroughly, and then cool it and box it at once, so as to prevent the moths 

 from getting at it. It must be thoroughly dry and cool before boxing, 

 however. 



Tomatoes. Scald the tomatoes, slice and spread on trays. Use high 

 heat on start and finish with a moderate temperature. A bushel of tomatoes 

 should give four or five pounds of product. 



Cabbage. Cabbages are trimmed, cut up on a slaw cutter, boiled for 

 six or eight minutes, and then evaporated. It takes about fourteen pounds 

 of fresh cabbage to make one of dry. 



Pumpkins and Squashes. These can be dried without a preliminary 

 boiling. They are simply peeled and sliced and then evaporated. In pre- 

 paring for market, it is the custom to grind the product into flour. 



If the demand for these products should continue and expand, 

 there is every reason to anticipate that local devices for labor-saving 

 and cheapening of the product would be devised by local inventors. 



