- 4 - 



Tomato juice and catsup of excellent color and flavor can "bo pre- 

 pared from tomatoes of suitable Vcarieties prodvcod in this area. We 

 have also canned packs of fine quality lima "beans, peas, earworn-resis- 

 tant sweet corn and vegetable juice blends. We have dried Texa.s onions 

 and carrots to yield products of satisfactory flavor and color. Vegetables 

 and vegetable juices exo commercially conned, but best adapted varieties 

 and processing mctliods remain Largely to be determined under controlled • 

 tests. 



FBEEZING FRESERVATIOIJ ; 



Interest in the freezing preservation of fruits pnd vegetables 

 is spreading in the southwest. About 2,000 acres of peas, broccoli, 

 string beans, lima beans, svreet corn, spinach and other vegetables arc 

 grown for freezing in the Lov/er Rio Grande Valley and proposed investi- 

 gations of varieties and methods may reveal possibilities v;hich have 

 not been anticipated. 



The purpose of freezing storage is ordir-arily the preservo.tion 

 of selected foods with minimum change in flavor, appea-rancc, find food 

 value, frozen foods must compete in price v/ith other foods, but, al- 

 though freezing increases distribution and storage cost, the buyer of 

 desirable grades is assured of fancy, uniform quality without shrink- 

 age or waste. Among the reasons for the increa.se in the popula.rity 

 of frozen vegetables arc: 1, Varieties are selected for color, flavor 

 and texture, and not because of such consideration .as shipping quality. 

 2, Vegetables mary be grovm where conditions arc most favorable, harvest- 

 ed when at their best, and if adapted to freezing and properly blanched, 

 frozen and stored, they nay be delivered anj/^diere at any time in vir- 

 tually the same condition as when freshly harvested, 3. ^'.Taile the 

 necessity of maintaining the products at lovr temperatures increases dis- 

 tribution and stora.ge costs, prepa.ration for freezing includes such 

 operations as cleaning, sorting, grading, pooling, shelling, coring, 

 slicing, pulping, juicing, etc., so that bulk and weight are decreased 

 -and products are ready for immediate use. 4. Propor freezing methods 

 actually shorten cooking time, v;ith the result thot .after cooking the 

 vegetables have an cxcoptionLally fresh flavor and color, vrhich may cx- 

 cell that of the best rav; vegetables available in local markets. 



Some restaurants no\j use frozen vegetables the ye-ir roimd, even 

 when locally grovm vegetables are in season, because the frozen vegeta- 

 bles are uniform in quality and cost at all seasons of the ye^r, making 

 it easy to calculate the cost of each portion served. ITo labor or 

 shrinkage is involved in preparation, little storage space is required, 

 and orders may be served freshly cooked v/ithin a fev; minutes after being 

 received. 



If one considers the uniform fancy quality of good frozen veg- 

 etables, the convenience of use, and the avoidance of waste, the cost 

 of frozen products may be little, if any, higher than the average cost 

 of vegetables purchased at local markets. 



