DRY ALL FOOD THAT CAN BE DRIED 27 
set milk. Drain thoroughly, and with a 
sharp knife cut off in layers or cut off half 
the kernel and scrape off the remainder, 
taking care not to include the chaff. Start 
at temperature of 130° F. and raise gradually 
to 140°, stirring frequently. 
Corn is dry when it is hard and semi- 
transparent. 
DIRECTIONS FOR FRUIT DRYING 
Fruits may be dried in the sun until the 
surface begins to wrinkle, then finished in 
the drier. With stone fruits, such as peaches, 
plums, apricots and cherries, none but fruits 
that are fresh, ripe and in perfect condition 
should be used. With apples, pears and 
quinces, effective thrift calls for using the 
sound portions of fruit that may be partially 
wormy or imperfect. When properly dried, 
fruits should be entirely free from moisture 
when pressed between the fingers on removal 
from drier and should be leathery and pliable. 
Sulphuring Fruits 
Apples, pears, peaches and apricots are 
subject to chemical changes as soon as the skin 
is removed or the flesh exposed to the air. 
To stop these changes and so preserve the 
natural appearance, color and flavor, it is 
necessary, before drying, to sulphur these 
fruits, as they can not be blanched. Blanch- 
ing causes loss of sugars in the blanching 
process and dripping of the juice occurs when 
blanched fruits are subjected to the heat of 
the drier. Sulphuring does not affect the 
food value of the fruits and is not inj urious to 
persons using them. 
Provide a box large enough to enclose a 
stack of trays. This may be a packing box 
or a frame covered with canvas, building paper 
or wall-board. Stack the filled trays on 
bricks or blocks of wood which will hold the 
bottom tray several inches above the ground. 
The trays should be separated from each other 
by blocks of wood. Beneath this stack place 
one or two sticks of sulphur in an old sauce- 
pan, shovel or other holder. Set fire to this 
sulphur by using coals or lighted shavings and 
invert the box to cover trays and reach to the 
ground. Add sulphur as needed during the 
time specified in the directions. The time 
varies with various fruits and is given in 
special directions on pages 27 and 28. 
Apples and Pears 
Pare, core and slice, dropping slices into 
cold water containing eight level teaspoonfuls 
of salt to the gallon, if a light-colored product 
is desired. Leaving them for a short time in 
salt water will prevent discoloration. (If 
preferred, core the whole fruit, after peeling, 
and slice into rings, dipping these for a 
minute or two into cold salted water as 
described above.) 
To sulphur spread in trays of wire 1 to 1 yi 
inches deep. Put each tray as soon as filled 
into the sulphuring box for 20 to 30 minutes. 
When the product feels moist on the surface 
and shows a lightened color, the sulphuring is 
complete. 
Begin drying at 130° F. and raise this 
gradually to 175° F. Stir or rearrange fruit 
occasionally to insure even drying. The 
fruit is dry when a handful of slices is pressed 
and separate when released, leaving no 
moisture on the hand. 
Apricots 
Select ripe fruit before it drops from the 
tree. Remove pits by cutting fruit open with 
a sharp knife. Apricots are usually dried 
with the skins on. Arrange the halves on 
trays with pit cavity uppermost, and dry. 
If desired, they may be sulphured before dry- 
ing! — the time to 2 hours, or until liquid 
collects in the stone cavity. 
Start drying at a temperature of 130° to 
145° F. and raise it gradually to 165° F. 
Remove from the drier when pliable and 
leathery. 
Berries 
Dry as soon as possible after picking. 
Spread in thin layers and put each tray as 
soon as filled into the drier. It may be 
necessary to spread cheesecloth over wire 
mesh bottoms of trays to keep berries from 
falling through. 
It is not advisable to dry such fruits as red 
raspberries, currants and strawberries, unless 
no other conservative methods are con- 
venient. 
Start the drying at a temperature of 135° 
to 145° F. and raise it gradually toward the 
end of the drying process to 150° to 155° F. 
Properly dried berries rattle somewhat when 
stirred and show no moisture when pressed. 
Cherries 
Pick over well and wash. Remove surface 
moisture by draining. Spread unpitted in 
thin layers. 
Start drying at a temperature not above 
120° F. and raise gradually to 150° F. Prop- 
erly dried cherries are leathery. 
Figs 
Select ripe figs and pick over thoroughly. 
Wash, drain well and spread in single layers 
on drying trays. If dried in the sun, turn 
daily, protect from insects by glass or netting, 
and bring indoors at night. When applying 
artificial heat, start drying at a temperature 
of 120° F. and raise this gradually to 140° F. 
When nearly dry, immerse figs for 2 or 3 
minutes in boiling brine pound salt to 
every 3 quarts water, or 1 pound to 3 gallons.) 
Drain, and finish the drying. 
