FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRESERVING. 



291 



Tomatoes are dried at a lower temperature, as are 

 vegetables, herbs, &c. The process here for tomatoes is to 

 cut the fruit into sections, which are placed, cut side up, on 

 the ordinary drying trays, and put out in the sun, then 

 finished in the dryer. In Italy, where large quantities of 

 tomatoes are dried, they are put into coarse cloth bags 

 through which the pulp is squeezed, leaving the skins and 

 seeds in the bag. The pulp is spread on boards and dried 

 in the sun. When dried, it is packed in boxes for export. 

 It is largely used in soups. 



Prunes, Raisins, Figs, &c. The plum (the prune 

 d'agen is considered the best) when ripe, is shaken off the 



trees (p. 292). The prunes are 

 then dipped in a hot lye made of 

 potash lb. to gallon. The illus- 

 tration shows a contrivance 

 for dipping on a large scale. 

 The tank (A) contains the lye ; 

 by means of tackling the 

 dipper (B) is lowered into the 

 tank, and, when sufficiently 

 treated, is raised as at (c), and 

 discharged upon tables. The 

 fruit is then sorted and dried. 

 Prunes are among the very 

 nicest of dessert relishes and 

 food. To prepare the fruit for the table, it is soaked in 

 cold water over night. It swells to the size of the original 

 plums, and is then stewed. Raisins are dried partly in the 

 sun ; then finished in the dryer. In the French method of 

 curing prunes, each grower, as a rule, dries his produce in 

 an oven sufficiently to keep for about two weeks. The 

 prunes are then sold to factories, where they are fully 

 cured. After being graded by use of wire screens they 

 are packed in long hollow metal tubes ; after being tilled, 

 a cap is screwed on to make them airtight. The tubes are 

 put in an air drum, low temperature steam is turned on, and 

 the prunes are thus "cooked" for a longer or shorter time, 

 according to the sizeof the fruit, at a temperature of alxnit 210 

 deg. When cold, they are ready to pack for market. 



Dipping Prunes- 



