THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



367 



preparation for this emergency should be 

 made this summer and autumn when 

 vegetables, especially the leafy ones, like 

 cabbage, spinach, celery, can be had by 

 the ton for what we have to pay for a 

 case of canned vegetables in the late win- 

 ter months. 



CAR^ required in the cooking of dried 

 VEGETABLES 



There is, no doubt, much to be learned 

 in the kitchen about the handling of dried 

 products. They are not to be handled as 

 though they were fresh vegetables, and 

 they require a different treatment from 

 the vegetables which have stood for 

 months in the water of a tin can. The 

 moisture has been almost entirely taken 

 out of them, and it requires time for this 

 moisture to be reabsorbed. This process 

 takes from six to twenty-four hours, and 

 cannot well be hurried. 



Then the cooking should be slowly 

 done, approximating in this respect the 

 process of the tireless cooker. In the 

 drying operation some of the flavor is 

 lost, but in many vegetables there is a 

 surplus of flavor anyway. The cabbage 

 and cauliflower, the turnip and Carrot, 

 the tomato and onion, are strong enough 

 to lose a little of their flavor without 

 detriment. But in cooking, the vessels in 

 which the dried vegetables are prepared 

 should be kept closed and as little steam 

 as possible allowed to escape. 



The tendency to be guarded against is 

 that of having the vegetable too concen- 

 trated — adding too little water or allow- 

 ing too much water to escape in the form 

 of steam. 



The most serious difficulty which at- 

 tends the introduction of the dried vege- 

 table is not different from that which 

 attends the introduction of any new 

 food. The danger is that the first at- 

 tempt at cooking may be unsuccessful, 

 and this failure be taken as a fair trial 

 and the product condemned as not fit to 

 eat, when in reality the fault lies in its 

 preparation. 



BUT DON'T SHIFT FROM CANNING 



The impression has been made, and 

 this is unfortunate, that the proposal to 

 use dried products means that we are 

 asked to shift immediately and wholly 



from the fresh and canned vegetable diet 

 which we now have to one composed 

 entirely of dried vegetables. This is im- 

 practicable. What is wanted is the co- 

 operation of the households of the coun- 

 try in a country-wide experiment in the 

 utilization of these foods. 



What the future holds for all of us no 

 one can tell. What economies we may 

 have to make are hidden by the impene- 

 trable veil. We must send our Allies the 

 concentrated foods. We are shifting to 

 corn in order to send them wheat. The 

 wholesale use of dried vegetables and of 

 potato flour will assist us to do this. The 

 production of thousands of tons of this 

 form of food cannot be other than a safe- 

 guard of the utmost importance. 



How is the production to be stimu- 

 lated? Only by a demand for it. Let 

 the women experiment at once with the 

 different brands of dried vegetables on 

 the market, and demand those that they 

 like from the retail dealers. The supply 

 will be forthcoming as quickly as the 

 vegetables can be grown. 



Should 100,000 intelligent women order, 

 to be delivered C. O. D., a few dollars' 

 worth of these vegetables from the -dif- 

 ferent reputable dealers, an immense 

 stimulus to the art would be given, and 

 a wide test would be made which would 

 open the way to the permanent introduc- 

 tion of the modern dehydrated vegetable, 

 which is essentially a new and most eco- 

 nomical form of food. 



The following firms are in a position 

 to furnish samples of considerable size 

 at cost, and will send them C. O. D. to 

 any one who writes for them. They can- 

 not afford to send them free, as the sam- 

 ples must be of considerable size to fur- 

 nish material for several tests: 



American Companies 



American Dehydrating Company, Waukesha, 

 Wis. 



Anhydrous Food Products Co., 326 W. Madi- 

 son St., Chicago, III. 



Harry Bentz Engineering Co., go West St., 

 New York. 



California Scientific Food Corp., I^os Angeles, 

 Cal. 



Casnovia Dehydrating Co., Casnovia, Mich. 



Dayton Evaporating and Packing Co., Dayton, 

 Oregon. 



The Everfresh Company, Ogden, Utah. 



Farm Products Company, The Dalles, Oregon. 



