VEGETABLE AND FRUIT DEHYDRATION 191 



become nearly indistinguishable. Varieties with pronounced light 

 and dark zones in the roots are not considered desirable. 



Beets should be harvested before they begin to develop woodiness. 

 They should be topped before they are stored and should be sound 

 and free from injury. They should be stored in an atmosphere of high 

 humidity, 95 to 98 percent, and at a temperature of 32° F. Late beets 

 of high quality will keep from 1 to 3 months under these conditions. 

 Prior to storage the beets should be washed, and storage time should 

 be as short as possible. Ventilated containers, such as crates, are 

 preferable for storage. 



Grading to various sizes will effect considerable saving in waste 

 during the peeling operation. Peeling losses will run as high as 30 

 percent with field-run beets ; grading will reduce the loss to as low as 

 13 percent. 



Beets can be blanched either whole or after they have been cut into 

 slices, cubes, or strips. Blanching time will vary with size of beets 

 or pieces and with characteristics of the particular lot, and must be 

 continued, according to present Government specifications, until the 

 peroxidase system is inactivated (table 21). After whole beets have 

 been blanched they are peeled, trimmed, and then cut. There should 

 be no delay between blanching and dehydration, but if delay is 

 unavoidable the material should be cooled by a water spray. 



Information on the moisture content of beets and on the maximum 

 moisture content permitted by Government specifications for dehy- 

 drated beets can be found in table 22. The drying ratio and drying 

 yield are shown in table 23. Tables 24 and 25 contain information on 

 dehydration, and table 26 on packaging. 



In rehydrating diced beets, it is recommended that 15 parts of water 

 by weight be added to 1 part of beets and boiled gently for 30 minutes. 

 Longer boiling may cause deterioration in flavor and color. At the 

 end of this period the diced beets are drained by means of an 8-mesh 

 strainer and weighed. The weight of drained beets should be ap- 

 proximately 5 to 8 times the original weight of the vegetable. 



Dehydrated beet slices are treated in the same manner as diced beets ; 

 the drained weight will be four to five times the original weight. The 

 rehydrated product should be soft and tender in texture and mildly 

 sweet. The color should be a uniform deep red and the odor should 

 be that of cooked fresh beets. 



CABBAGE 



Cabbage is widely grown, with heavy concentrations in New York, 

 Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, California, and Pennsylvania, in the order 

 named. Of the 1.4 million tons of cabbage produced in 1942, these 

 six States grew approximately four-fifths. The northern States, 

 which produce the late crop, supply nearly all of the cabbage used 

 in sauerkraut. Approximately 15 percent of the yearly cabbage crop 

 is used for this purpose. The average yield in States that produce late 

 cabbage was 10 tons per acre in 1942, as compared with T.6 tons for 

 all cabbage-growing States. The harvest in the late States generally 

 starts about June and continues until November. The winter and 

 spring crops in the southern States are harvested from November to 

 May. 



