394 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



should conduct drying on a liberal scale. In no other 

 way can there be assurance that America's food supply 

 will meet our own needs. In no other way, surely, can 

 we answer the enormous demands made upon us 



for furnishing food for 

 our European Allies. 



" The reckless ex- 

 travagance of living 

 from hand to mouth has 

 become a national trait. 

 Too frequently to-day's 

 order from the grocer is 

 for to-day's needs. The 

 WHAT EVERY HOME HAS nccds of to-morrow and 



This is an everyday family wash-boiler. . i r^ ^ 



By inserting a rack of light wooden strips, Uext wmtCr are Icit tO 



an inch from the bottom, its owner has made , r . i i 



it into a perfect hot-water bath for home take CarC Ot thcmselvCS. 



canning by the cold-pack method. The rj^. . i._ - i i 



jars are subjected to heat in this boiler and 1 hlS reSUltS IH heavy lOSS 



the contents require no cooking. r r j j ^ j 



of food products during 

 the growing season, when they are plentiful, and high 

 prices during the winter when production is stopped. 

 Winter buying of vegetables and fruits is costly. It 

 means that you pay transportation, cold- 

 storage and commission merchants' 

 charges and profits. Summer is the 

 time of lowest prices. Summer, there- 

 fore, is the time to buy for winter use. 

 " Every pound of food products 

 grown this year will be needed to com- 

 bat Food Famine. The loss that can 

 be prevented, the money saving that can 

 be effected and the transportation relief 

 that can be brought about make it essen- 

 tial that every American household 

 should make vegetable and fruit drying 

 a part of its program of Food Thrift. 

 The results can be gained in no other 

 way. Vegetable and fruit drying has 

 been little practiced for a generation 

 or more. Its revival on a general scale is the purpose of 

 this manual. There is no desire to detract from the im- 

 portance of canning operations. Drying must not be 

 regarded as taking the place of the 

 preservation of vegetables and fruits 

 in tins and glass jars. It must be 

 viewed as an important adjunct 

 thereto. Drying is important and 

 economical in every home, whether 

 on the farm, in the village, in the 

 town, or in the city. For city 

 dwellers it has the special advantage 

 that little storage space is required 

 for the dried food. One hundred 

 pounds of some fresh vegetables will 

 reduce to 10 pounds in drying with- 

 out loss of flavor or food value. 

 " This year's need for vegetable 

 and fruit drying is given added emphasis by the shortage 

 of tin for the manufacture of cans. This condition has 

 created an unusual demand for glass jars. For this year, 

 therefore, drying is of more than normal importance. 



CANNING MADE EASY 

 A simple type of canner for use in the cold- 

 pack method. This is known as a water- 

 seal outfit and consists of cover, with ther- 

 mometer, a holder for jars or cans and a 

 basket-crate for ease in handling the contain- 

 ers. It is used on the top of a kitchen stove. 



A CANNER FROM THE STORE 

 The canner here pictured is for use in 

 the cold-pack method of canning. It has 

 its own furnace, a vat for holding jars, a 

 smoke pipe and a cover. There are several 

 makes of this type of canner and they are 

 efficient and not expensive. 



Dried products can be stored in receptacles that could not 

 be used for canning." 



The storage of vegetables in their natural condition 

 is treated by the Commission as an important adjunct to 

 canning and drying. 

 Potatoes, beets, car- 

 rots, parsnips, sal- 

 sify, turnips, cab- 

 bage, celery, onions, 

 sweet potatoes, dry 

 beans, and dry lima 

 beans may be 

 so stored. 



In a house heated 

 by a cellar furnace, 

 partition off a small 

 room. It is best to have in it at least one outside 

 window for temperature regulation. An earth floor is 

 desirable. In this room may be stored potatoes, beets, 

 carrots, parsnips, turnips, and salsify. Put them in bins 

 or in boxes, baskets or barrels. The vegetables should 

 be harvested when the ground is dry 

 and should lie out-doors until any mois- 

 ture on them has evaporated. Remove 

 the tops from beets, turnips, carrots, and 

 salsify. 



For out-door storage make a pit 6 or 

 8 inches deep and as large as needed, in 

 a well-drained place. Line this with 

 straw, leaves, or similar material, and 

 place the vegetables on this lining in a 

 conical pile. Cover the vegetables with 

 straw, leaves or something similar and 

 cover this with enough earth to prevent 

 freezirg. It is well to make several 

 small pits rather than one large one, 

 for the reason that when a pit has been 

 once opened the entire contents should 

 This form 



FOR HOME DRYING 

 This is a type of drier 

 manufactured for home 

 use. It may be bought 

 either with or without 

 its furnace, and used on 

 top of the ordinary 

 kitchen stove. 



be removed 



of storage is used for pota- 

 toes, beets, carrots, tur- 

 nips, parsnips, cabbage, 

 and salsify. It is well to 

 store several varieties of 

 vegetable in one pit, for 

 convenience in winter use. 



For cabbage the pit 

 should be long and nar- 

 row. The cabbages are 

 placed in rows with heads 

 down and covered with 

 dirt. The removal of a 

 portion of this supply does 

 not disturb the remainder. 

 Cabbages may be stored 

 in the cellar in boxes or 

 barrels of earth or sand. 



Briefly summarized, America is now in the midst of 

 its year of greatest plenty in the production of garden 

 truck. Emergency food gardens have changed the entire 



USEFUL COOKSTOVE DRIER 



The type here pictured is made at 

 home or may be bought already 

 made. It has galvanized iron sides, 

 a series of trays and a swinging door. 

 It is used on top of the kitchen stove 

 and is highly efficient in drying vege- 

 tables and fruits. 



