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88 BULLETIN 1335, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Hubbard. The gourds are stemmed, well washed to remove adhering 
dirt, and cut into large pieces by hand. The seeds, which contain 
oils that may become rancid during storage of the dehydrated prod- 
uct, as well as pith, must then be completely removed. For general 
purposes pumpkins are best cubed, although, if they are to be ulti- 
mately ground to flour, they may be sliced or shredded. To make 
the most attractive cubed product the skin should first be completely 
removed. This, of course, is unnecessary if the end product is to be 
flour. The steam processing should heat to the center and slightly 
* soften the pieces, but if continued too long it will make the product 
undesirably sticky. Flour is made by grinding the dehydrated 
product. | 
SPINACH 
Very young spinach does not dehydrate as well as that which is 
fairly well grown, but it should be harvested while still tender and 
crisp, not fibrous. The roots and coarse stems are cut from the 
leaves, and the inferior leaves are sorted out. Spinach requires 
thorough washing to entirely free it from dirt. The steam processing 
following traying should be stopped before the leaves begin to soften, 
collapse, and mat on the trays. 
SWEET POTATOES 
Although a very satisfactory product may be obtained, there is at 
present little active commercial production of dehydrated sweet pota- 
toes, if any. Their lack of commercial development may be due to 
the fact that fresh sweet potatoes are commonly served on the table 
in whole or halved form, whereas it has not been customary to 
dehydrate them in pieces larger than half-inch slices. For drying 
they are peeled and washed in a rotary peeler, trimmed, sliced, trayed, 
and steam processed. 
TOMATOES 
Although dehydrated tomatoes have great possibilities for use in 
ketchups, purées, and soups, as well as in the stewed form, their 
commercial preparation has not been extensive. Only firm, fully- 
colored tomatoes should be used. The Stone is a satisfactory variety. 
Tomatoes to be dried first receive a thorough washing with sprays 
of cold water. If they are to be used in the stewed form, they should 
be dipped in boiling water or subjected to jets of live steam for a few 
Serdudls to loosen the skin, chilled in cold water, and peeled-by hand, 
when the stem cores are removed. If they are to be ground later, 
only the stem cores need be removed after washing. To slice the 
trimmed tomatoes for dehydration without excessively bruising and 
breaking them requires the use of a slicing machine with sharp and 
rapidly rotating knives. The tomatoes are then carefully trayed, 
one slice deep, and they may or may not be lightly steamed. 
To insure satisfactory keeping qualities, the lack of which has been 
the principal reason for not producing them commercially, tomatoes 
must be dried to about 5 per cent moisture, when they will snap from 
the trays in whole slices if the trays are lightly tapped on the bottom. 
As the dried product is very hydroscopic, it must be packed imme- 
diately and stored in friction-top or sealed tin cans until wanted for 
immediate use. The slices must be brittle in order to be readily 
ground, and the ground product must be stored in tin to avoid caking. 
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