i 3 6 THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 
The problem thus arose as to how this disadvantage 
could be overcome. 
Cooking was tried. Complete cooking, parboiling, 
and even partial cooking were employed with various 
vegetables, until it was found that a certain minimum 
period of boiling water treatment was favorable to both 
the wholesomeness and the flavor of dried products. 
This treatment, which varies in time for different 
products, has been accepted as an essential part of the 
proper drying of vegetables. It is called “blanching. ” 
By it the protoplasm is killed and enzymic action stop- 
ped. There is a thorough cleansing and a destruction 
of many bacteria. Furthermore the flow of coloring 
matter is started, and the color of the product thus 
accentuated. The fibers are loosened and softened and 
a condition created which facilitates the giving-off of 
moisture in the drying process. 
In “cooking” food, heat is usually applied long 
enough to alter the nature of certain materials, such as 
starch, rendering them digestible. Blanching should 
not be confused with cooking as it differs both in pur- 
pose and effect. It is a preparatory process by which 
the wholesomeness and flavor of a sound product are 
retained through the temporary stoppage of chemical 
changes due to agencies present and to bacterial ac- 
tion when raw flesh is exposed to the air. The drying 
process should follow at once, and be done as rapidly as 
possible, with due attention to the proper tempera- 
tures, which range from 115 0 to 175 0 F. according to the 
products handled. 
