HOME ECONOMICS AND EDUCATION 559 



knife should always be used for paring apples, pears, and other 

 fruits, as if a steel knife is used the acid of the fruit acts on the iron 

 of the knife and frequently, causes a black discoloration, and there is 

 also very C9mmonly a noticeable metallic flavor. If pared or cut 

 .fruit is exposed to the air, it rapidly turns dark in color. 



In investigations carried on at the Oregon Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station with a view to preventing the discoloration of evapor- 

 ated fruits and vegetables it was found that treating sliced apples 

 with a weak solution of common salt (1 to 2 per cent) resulted in a 

 product which was very bright and white and of better appearance 

 than that obtained by the well-known domestic method of treatment 

 with cold water. It seems probable that the Oregon method may 

 find application in the household. (F. B. 293.) 



Overripe fruit is often injurious, very probably because it has 

 begun to ferment, and stale or partially decayed fruit is obviously 

 undesirable for food purposes and should be discarded. In addition 

 to a deterioration in flavor there is always the possibility of digestive 

 disturbance if such fruit is eaten. Some prefer fruits served cold 

 and others think they are sweeter and better flavored warmed by the 

 sun. Individual taste must determine at what temperature to serve 

 them. 



Salad plants such as lettuce endive, celery, cabbage, should 

 have all tough, coarse parts removed, should be searched leaf by 

 leaf for insects, be washed in several waters, dried with a clean cloth 

 and put in a cold place to become crisp. 



Shelled nuts are now common commercial products. They are 

 sometimes sold in tight packages, but more often are not thus pro- 

 tected from dust and insects, and should be washed/ Shelled nuts 

 purchased in market should always be washed and scalded before 

 they are used, as they are commonly exposed to dust, and perhaps 

 to flies. They can afterwards be dried on a clean cloth before using. 

 Many careful housewives wash nuts in the shell before cracking, as 

 this prevents accidental soiling of the kernels. In cracking nuts, if 

 one wishes to obtain the meats unbroken, it is necessary, as every- 

 one knows, to hold the nut in such a position that the shell will be 

 crushed along certain definite lines. Thus, hickory nuts must be 

 struck on the thin side and pecan nuts and native butternuts or 

 white walnuts on the end. With such nuts as the almond or filbert 

 less care is needed as the nut is loose in the shell. 



There is undisputed evidence to show that shellfish become con- 

 taminated when placed in sewage-polluted water. The results of 

 many investigators show that sewage-polluted shellfish have been 

 responsible for the production of typhoid fever and other intestinal 

 diseases. Oysters intended to be eaten on the half shell, above all 

 others, should be produced from beds of unquestionable purity, and 

 they should be consumed preferably while fresh from the beds; al- 

 though if properly kept at cool temperatures under sanitary sur- 

 roundings shell oysters may remain wholesome and in good condi- 

 tion for several weeks after dredging. 



