80 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



October, 1918 



A FTER the machine 



■**• is full the material 



should be stirred once 



or twice to effect even 



drying. The frequent 



opening of the door will 



reduce the temperature 



and interfere with the 



quality and flavor. 



Whenever leaf products 



are being dehydrated, 



the blower should be 



turned off, else the pro- 

 duct is apt to be blown 



from the trays. An 



operator will find at 



times that, even after 



a tray has been in 



the allotted period, 



parts of the material 



will not have dried 



evenly. Take the pro- 

 duce not quite dried 



and mix it with other 



of the same character 



and dry again. This 



is called reconstituting. 



When the vegetables 



are dry they are ap- 

 parently brittle and 



they must be "cured" 



or "conditioned." 



Some of the material 



will have too much 



moisture, some too 



little; and in order to 



secure uniformity 



throughout, the pro- 

 duct is placed in con- 

 tainers, either paste- 

 board or tin, and poured 



from one container into 



another occasionally 



during several days (3 or 4 usually) until 



the material is uniformly dry throughout. If 

 this "conditioning" process is not employed, 

 the spores of bacteria and fungi will begin their 

 growth on the damper portions, which would 

 spread disease or rot over the whole mass 

 and utter loss would ensue. 



For storing the products paper bags paraffined 

 on the outside should be used. But we also 

 use square cartons paraffined inside and out 

 which afford the best protection from dust, 

 moisture, and insects. When ordinary paper 

 bags only are available, the neck is twisted 

 around and turned over, and tied with cord. 

 1 he "blanching" process or dipping in hot 

 water, is unnecessary for fruits, although gen- 

 erally to be used for vegetables. I do not 

 advocate the sulphuring process for bleaching, 

 despite what others may say. It alters the 

 quality even though it makes the product more 

 attractive. To destroy all microorganisms, 

 fruit unskinned may be dipped in a weak 

 solution of lye — \ pound of concentrated 

 lye to about gallons of water. This perforates 

 the skin and helps to dry the fruit more quickly. 

 The product must be rinsed several times in 

 running water before being dried. If after 

 cutting an end no moisture appears the fruit 

 is properly dried. It should be pliable but not 

 snap. Berries after dehydration will be soft 

 but not stick to the hand, when pressed. Cheese 

 cloth is necessary for tomatoes and fruits so 

 that they will not stick to the trays. It must 

 be used where metal trays are employed so as 

 to prevent the action of acid. A light oil such 

 as nujol is better than paraffin to prevent 

 materials adhering to the trays. 



*T*HE accompanying tables hold in convenient 



•*■ form an amount of data that will furnish 



information for prospective workers, such as the 



number of hours necessary for soaking any given 



Conditioning or evening up of the dried product may be done in the open air. At the Dosoris Lane Dehydration Plant a building 

 is devoted entirely to the work. It was completely screened and eveiy modem improvement installed 



product so that it is ready to be cooked. The 

 principle holds good in general that vegetables 

 can be soaked from 7 to 8 hours — or over 

 night — but our experience is that the produce 

 mentioned requires the actual number of hours 

 given. If the material by chance should have 



Time Table for Blanching and Dehydration of Vegetables 

 and Fruits. 



A T o;<r: The dehydrating time and degrees of temperature of the 

 vegetables and fruits are to be closely observed. 



Product 



Beet Greens. 

 Beets 



Cabbage . . . 

 Cauliflower . 

 Carrors. . . . 



Celery 



Corn 



Leeks 



Lima Beans. 



Mint and orher Herbs. 



Okra 



Onions 



Parsley 



Parsnips 



Peas 



Potatoes (White) 



Potatoes (Sweet) 



Spinach 



String Beans (green 



wax) 



Swiss Chard 



Summer S'juash 



Pumpkin 



Tomatoes 



and 



Turnip 



Apples 



Bananas 



Black Raspberries. 

 i<< (I Raspberries. . . 



Dlackberrics 



Strawberries 



° Z r- D 



z _ < o 



5 g* x 



2 to 3 _ , 

 Till skin 



loosens 



3 to 4 

 6 



5 to 6 

 4 



K to IO 

 Not neces- 

 sary 

 3 to 4" 

 I to 2 

 3 to 4 

 Not neces- 



3 



2 to 4 

 6 to 8 

 2 steamed 



2 steamed 

 4 to 6 

 4 to 6 

 Till skin 



cracks 

 2 to 4 



approximate 

 dehydrating 



PERIOD 



2$ to 3 



2i to 3 



3 to 3! 



3 to 3 ; 



2'. to 3 



3 to 4 



4 



2J to 3 



4 to 5 



2} to 3 



2 to 3 



z\ to 3 



-\ to 3 



2j to 3 



4 



3 to 3} 



3 to 4 



2; to 3 



2 to 3 



' 



3 to 3} 



3 to 35 



3 to 3 i 



3 to ;.; 

 S to 6 



2 to 3 



4 to 5 



4 to 5 



4 to 5 



3 to 4 



no to 140 

 120 to 150 



113 to 133-40 

 120 to 130 

 no to 150 

 no to 150 

 110 to 140 



no to 140 

 1 10 to 130 

 no to 145 

 115 to 1 40 



I p 10 160 

 no to 160 

 120 to 130 

 no to 140 

 no to 160 

 130 to 160-75 

 no to 130-35 



1 20 to 1 50-60 

 no to 150-60 

 no to 160 

 no to 160 



no to 150 



I I o to 1 60 

 130 to 160-5 

 150 to 160 



130 to 160 

 1 10 to 160 

 no to 160 



•Should be increased gradually from lowest point to highest. 



been unduly old when 

 dehydrated, then the 

 time of soaking should 

 be lengthened. Usually 

 whenever a vegetable 

 or fruit has taken up 

 enough water to be soft, 

 but not falling apart, 

 it is ready for cooking. 

 A sharp orange stick 

 or dull knife, preferably 

 the latter, will deter- 

 mine this. Further, all 

 foods should be cooked 

 gently, about as in a 

 fireless cooker. The lid 

 of the receptacle kept 

 tightly closed to pre- 

 vent steam escaping. 



One table gives the 

 amount per pound of 

 r a w vegetables and 

 fruits which will ordi- 

 narily be purchased to 

 feed four people with 

 the dried equivalents 

 for the same number. 

 The unpopularity of 

 dehydrated foods, veg- 

 etables especially, is 

 due to the lack of 

 knowledge as to the 

 length of time it takes 

 to prepare them for 

 cooking. It has been 

 called to my attention 

 that more than 75 per 

 cent of objectors to the 

 use of dried products — 

 vegetables especially — 

 are people generally 

 presiding over the 

 kitchen themselves, 

 who after soaking the material throw away the 

 water and add fresh when it comes to cooking. 

 Now the moment that water is added to a dried 

 product it begins to give off some of the food 

 content and flavor. // this water is discarded 

 and more added, and the food subjected to heat, 

 it becomes unpalatable — it has no flavor, 

 not to speak of the loss in food values! The 

 standard rule is that every product must be cooked 

 in the water in which it is soaked. It is safe 

 to add 1 part water to 3 of product if the 

 vegetables are of the leaf variety: 4 parts water 

 to 1 of root products. A little experience 

 with the periods of soaking will give the aver- 

 age individual dexterity in judging whether 

 the food is ready to be cooked. The eye is 

 trained, not the taste. 



When I hear persons declaiming against this 

 method I know inversely that the kitchen boss 

 has blundered. When Mrs. Charles T. Whit- 

 man, wife of the Governor of New York, after 

 attending a luncheon where dehydrated foods 

 were served, said quite frankly, "7 hey are vile,' 

 she should have remarked, "Your cook is 

 looking for higher wages, revenge, or is brain- 

 less." 



npHE cost of installation of a large de- 

 -*• hydrating plant will naturally vary according 

 to the amount of capital available. Our own 

 plant is equipped with the latest improved 

 type of dehydrating machine and all mechanical 

 devices for labor-saving in the preparation of 

 wet products are in use. But for communities 

 relying generally upon public subscriptions, the 

 information on the costs of installation are 

 thoroughly covered by Farmer's Bulletin No. 

 916 of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. Dehydrating machines range in price 

 from $250 to $1,000. Those who provide the 

 capital can secure the interest on their invest- 

 ment by having the produce of their own gardens 



