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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



tion by merely drying may seem novel to 

 the housewife of today, it was not un- 

 known to the thrifty mistress of the 

 home two generations ago. Our grand- 

 mothers knew the secret of drying many 

 garden and farm products, and so suc- 

 cessful were they in putting aside for the 

 winter day those vegetables which could 

 not be consumed in season that they 

 came to prefer dried sweet corn over the 

 canned product, while the dried pumpkin 

 and squash were pie-plants par excel- 

 lence. 



In certain communities today snap- 

 beans are strung on threads and dried 

 above the stove, while festoons of red 

 and green peppers decorate the space be- 

 tween the kitchen rafters. Thrifty house- 

 wives dry cherries and raspberries on 

 bits of bark for winter use in place of 

 raisins. In fact, a survey of our fruit 

 products shows that drying is by no 

 means an unusual method of preserva- 

 tion. Prunes, figs, dates, raisins, apples, 

 and apricots are staples in the food mar- 

 kets of the world. 



Turning to the vegetables, we find that 

 ■dried beans of many varieties, peas, and 

 other legumes, tea, coffee, and cocoa are 

 familiar articles of food, while various 

 manufactured products, like starch, tapi- 

 oca, and macaroni, are dried either in the 

 sun or wind, or in specially constructed 

 driers. 



While the modern methods of canning 

 on a vast commercial scale caused the 

 drying processes of two generations ago 

 to become one of the "lost arts" of the 

 home, the present food situation seems 

 destined to revive it with splendid eco- 

 nomic results. The country is producing 

 at the present time larger quantities of 

 perishable foodstuffs than at any other 

 period in its history, owing to the ef- 

 fective educational campaign which has 

 stimulated the cultivation of individual 

 gardens in waste places. 



.Drying will help to conserve the sur- 

 plus yield of these gardens. But canning 

 and preserving should not under any cir- 

 cumstances be abandoned. All processes 

 have their place in the economy of food 

 conservation. 



One of the chief advantages of drying 

 vegetables and fruits lies in the practica- 

 bility of the process for the city house-' 

 wife. The farmer's wife has her root 

 cellars and other places for storing vege- 

 tables ; but in the city home, where space 

 is a primary consideration, the drying 

 method furnishes a practical solution of 

 an important problem. 



For the farmer's wife the new methods 

 of canning are commended in preference 

 to the longer process of sun-drying. But 

 new and shorter methods of drying are 

 now available, and the dried product has 

 several advantages over the canned prod- 

 uct, particularly in the saving of the ex- 

 pense of cans, glass jars, and other con- 

 tainers. Dried vegetables can be stored 

 in receptacles which cannot be used for 

 canning, and the bulk of the product is 

 usually less. 



Another consideration should be taken 

 into account : the canned fruits and veg- 

 etables are subject to freezing, a danger 

 entirely obviated in the drying process. 

 Dried foodstuffs can be shipped in the 

 most compact form, with a minimum of 

 weight and a minimum of risk. 



One of the most important considera- 

 tions commending the drying process is 

 that the city or town housewife can em- 

 ploy this method of preservation with 

 the simplest and most inexpensive facili- 

 ties, and the process can be employed 

 continuously, whether the food to be 

 saved is in large or small quantities. A 

 few sweet potatoes, peas, or beans can be 

 dried at a time. Even a single turnip or 

 an apple is worth drying. Bit by bit veg- 

 etables may be saved until a whole meal 

 is conserved. Small lots of dried car-^ 

 rots, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, and 

 onions are combined to advantage for 

 vegetable soup. 



As to the tastiness of such dried prod- 

 ucts as spinach, beet-tops, and kale there 

 is no question. In other cases, while the 

 flavor of the fresh vegetable is not pre- 

 served in its entirety, the use of these 

 ingredients in soups and stews meets suc- 

 cessfully the problem of any loss of 

 palatability, while the food value of the 

 dried product remains unimpaired. 



