DRY ALL FOOD THAT CAN BE DRIED 
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paper or lengths of muslin spread in the sun 
and protected from insects and dust. 
Apparatus for home Drying on a larger 
scale may be made at home or bought at 
small cost. Still larger equipment may be 
bought for community drying operations in 
which a group of families combine for co- 
operative work, at a school or other con- 
Fig. 2. Potatoes prepared by use of meat chopper. 
venient center. This latter is especially rec- 
ommended as giving the use of the most im- 
proved outfits at slight cost to the individual 
family. See “Community Work,” page 3. 
Best results are obtained by rapid drying, 
but care must be taken not to let the tem- 
perature rise above the limit specified in the 
directions and table. 
One of the chief essentials in Drying is free 
circulation of air, in order that the moist air 
may escape and dry air take its place. 
METHODS OF DRYING 
For home Drying satisfactory results are 
obtained by any one of three principal 
methods. These are : 
1. Sun Drying. 
2. Drying by Artificial Heat. 
3. Drying by Air-blast. (With an electric 
or other motor fan.) 
These methods may be combined to good 
advantage. 
Fig. 3. Apples peeled and sliced for drying. 
SUN DRYING 
Sun Drying has the double advantage of 
requiring no expense for fuel and of freedom 
from danger of overheating. For sun Dry- 
ing of vegetables and fruits the simplest form 
is to spread the slices or pieces on sheets of 
plain paper or lengths of muslin nailed to 
strips of wood and expose them to the sun. 
Muslin is to be preferred if there is danger of 
sticking. Trays should be used for large 
quantities. Sun Drying requires bright, 
hot days and a breeze. Once or twice a day 
the product should be turned or stirred and 
the dry pieces taken out. The drying prod- 
uct should be covered with cheesecloth 
tacked to a frame for protection from dust 
and flying insects. Care must be taken to 
provide protection from rain, dew and moths. 
During rains and just before sunset the prod- 
ucts should be taken indoors for protection. 
TRAYS FOR SUN DRYING 
To make a tray cheaply for use in sun 
drying, take strips of lumber three-quarters 
of an inch thick and 2 inches wide for the 
sides and ends. To form the bottom, laths 
should be nailed to these strips, with spaces 
of one-eighth of an inch between laths to 
permit air circulation. A length of 4 feet, 
corresponding to the standard lengths of 
laths, is economical. Nail 3 strips across 
the bottom in the opposite direction from 
the laths to prevent warping and to allow 
space when the trays are stacked. The 
Fig. 4. Small outdoor drier, easily made at home. 
It has glass top, sloping for exposure to sun. Tray 
is shown partly projecting, to indicate construction. 
trays should be of uniform size in order that 
they may be stacked together for conve- 
nience in handling. Never put trays directly 
on the ground. They should rest on supports 
a few feet above the ground and should face 
the south or southwest so as to receive the 
sun’s rays the longest possible time. 
A small homemade Sun Drier, easily 
constructed (Fig. 4), is made of light strips 
of wood, a sheet of glass, a small amount of 
galvanized wire screen and some cheese- 
cloth. A convenient size for the glass top 
is 18 by 24 inches. To hold the glass make 
a light wooden frame of strips of wood x /i 
inch thick and 1 inch wide. This frame should 
have legs of material 1 by inches, with a 
length of 12 inches for the front legs and 18 
inches for those in the rear. This will cause 
the top to slope, which aids in circulation of 
air and gives direct exposure to the rays of the 
sun. As a tray support, nail a strip of wood 
to the legs on each of the four sides, about 
