8 MISC. PUBLICATION 1 52 4, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



meals of dehydrated foods without suspecting they were not fresh. 

 Soup mixtures containing dehydrated vegetables have been on the 

 market for some time, and many people use them regularly. 



It is fairer to compare dehydrated foods with other processed foods 

 than with fresh ones. No processed food is exactly like the fresh 

 article straight from the garden. Some so-called fresh vegetables, 

 however, have been in storage, in transit, or on shelves so long before 

 reaching the table that less of their food value is left than is contained 

 in canned, frozen, or dehydrated products the processing of which was 

 begun a few hours after they were harvested. People have learned 

 to like canned vegetables, though they seldom confuse them with fresh 

 ones. Quick-frozen vegetables, too, have won popular acceptance. 

 The same thing may be true of dehydrated foods. 



There are several advantages to the housewife in the use of de- 

 hydrated foods. When she has to carry home the groceries she will 

 appreciate the fact that a supply of dehydrated potatoes, carrots, cab- 

 bage, onions, string beans, peas, and apples weighs only a fraction 

 as much as the same amount of fresh food. She will also welcome 

 being freed from such work as peeling potatoes and onions and shelling 

 peas. She can shake some dehydrated potato into a pan of water, 

 boil it for 10 minutes, and serve a dish of fluffy mashed potatoes. The 

 carrots are already sliced or diced; the cabbage is shredded. Kitchen 

 preparation is reduced to a minimum. 



The price per pound of dehydrated foods may seem high as compared 

 with that of fresh or canned vegetables, but it should be remembered 

 that only a few ounces of the dried product produce a pound of edible 

 food when water has been added. No money is paid for waste ma- 

 terial such as skins, cores, shells, tops, or defective parts. The amounts, 

 in ounces, of some of the common vegetables dried to a 5-percent 

 moisture content that will make a pound are as follows : 



Ounces Ounces 



Carrots 2 Spinach W/- 2 -4 



B.eets 2% Sweetpotatoes 4-5 



Onions 2% White potatoes 5 



Cabbage 2y 2 -4 



To serve four persons, 3 ounces of dehydrated white potatoes, 2 ounces 

 of beets, carrots, onions, or sweetpotatoes, and only 1 ounce of cabbage 

 or spinach are sufficient. 



There are national economic benefits to be had from the use of de- 

 hydrated foods. This is a big country, and reducing the bulk and 

 weight of some food shipments would help to relieve the domestic 

 transportation load. 



Marketing also is an important consideration, but it is not taken 

 up in this publication, which deals chiefly with production and use of 

 commercially dehydrated vegetables and fruits. The information 

 given on use and preparation applies equally well to home-dried prod- 

 ucts, and to products dried in community food-preservation centers. 



The question of the vitamin values of dehydrated foods is discussed 

 under Retention of Nutritive Values, page 19. 



