60 BULLETIN 123, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Dried lavender, sweet grass, clover, and rose petals have from time 

 immemorial been used by housewives to perfume their linen chests. 



Dates, figs, and raisins long have been considered important foods 

 for the traveler and explorer, containing valuable food material in 

 concentrated and convenient form. 



Modern, evaporated fruits and vegetables differ from dried, simply 

 in that the process is shortened, and there is less opportunity for 

 fermentation, darkening, or the accumulation of dirt. 



Dried fruits and vegetables, as a general thing, are less expensive 

 than canned, mainly because they have required less labor in prepara- 

 tion and transportation. Their value is not generally appreciated, 

 partly because they are cheaper, partly because the older dried 

 products were often damaged by dust and insects, and partly because 

 sufficient attention is not given to freshening them and preparing 

 vhem for the table by good methods. The good modern methods of 

 drying and marketing are a great improvement on those of earlier 

 times, and yield a cleaner and more sanitary product. Dried fruits 

 and vegetables, properly soaked and cooked, are very palatable and 

 are wholesome, useful products, particularly when the fresh ones are 

 not available. 



A homemade drier is a desirable appliance for the possessor of a 

 good vegetable garden. A simple form consists of trays in a holder ; 

 four strong, upright, wooden supports, connected by horizontal bars, 

 will hold several trays at once. The trays are made like window- 

 screen frames and may be covered with wire netting for some things, 

 but cheesecloth is preferable. The supports should be tipped at the 

 base with a large nail or piece of metal that they may safely rest on 

 the back of the stove when sunlight is not available. Shelled beans 

 and green peas may be dried in this fashion. Some find it an advan- 

 tage to scald them in boiling water before drying. Sweet corn should 

 be slightly cooked, cut from the cob, and spread in very thin layers 

 on the cheescloth. Corn on the cob may be dried after scalding. 



Small quantities of vegetables may be evaporated on earthen plates 

 set over a kettle of boiling water or in an afternoon oven. While 

 drying, they may hang in cheesecloth bags at the top of a warm 

 closet. When very thoroughly dried, put away in tin boxes or glass 

 jars. 



Tomatoes may be cooked, strained, and evaporated to a thick paste, 

 resembling beef extracts in texture, which must be filled at once into 

 containers and tightly closed. In this form they are found in Italian 

 markets, and can also be prepared by the housekeeper herself. 



PRESERVING BY SALTING. 



Salt hastens the drying process by drawing out water from the 

 vegetable tissues, making them firmer; it also hinders the growth of 



