Evening Star Newspaper, August 5, 1921, Page 9

DRYING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES | FOR USE DURING WINTER MONTHS| The Star’s . Household Expert Gives Some Valuable Hints on Preparing Materials. Temperatures and Drying Methods. Frults like apples, €herries, many berries and almost all vegetables ean be dried successfully at home with nothing more than the or- dinary kitchen equipment. Success de- pends largely upon the care with which you prepare the material. You must select only ripe fruits and vegetables that are sound and free from mold, rot and worms. Wash thoroughly and see that all utensils and equipment are washed and scalded with hot water. Thoroughly scrub all root vegetables be- fore you slice them, in order to remove all traces of earthy smell or flavor. It is often an even better plan to peel them. Most fruits and vegetables should be cut into slices about a quarter of an inch thick, although some may be shredded. If vou cut them too fine they will lose flavor, and if the picces are too large it will take too long to dry them. Drying Methods. Sun drying and drying by means of irtificial _heat are the usual methods. 1n sun drying the fruits or vegetables exposed to the rays of the sun, which| urnish the heat, and the natural air currents or breezes increase the rate £ § by removing the moist at- ;I,!rl drying requires more ess e Of course, sun drying re- ather and care must be taken to protect the foods from dust, ts and damnness. Spread the sliced cut material on trays or racks and ver the travs or racks with mosquito tting or coarse cheesecloth to keep ‘The netting must never ome nearer to the food n a quarter of an inch, otherwise it will afford little protection. You must also gelect a drving place as free from Bring in at night. s allowed to get wet there is danger of mold. To dry in the oven, spread the food on s and keep the trays there until the drying is complete. The oven must not be hot, but just warm enough to dry the food without scorching or baking it. Oven drying is rather slow because there is little | opportunity for air to circulate through. ~Keeping the oven door open during_the drying will hasten ' the work. The temperaturs for dry- ing in the oven or by other artificial heat shoulM be about 110 degrees Fahrenheit at the start. and should theit be raised graduaily to about 140 or 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It takes from three to four hours to dry most vegetables at that tem- perature. Apples and berries require five or six hours. The temperaturé during drying should never be allowed to rise above 160 degrees. Drying can also be done by means of an onlinary electric fan. Prepare the fruits or vegetables as you would for either sun drying or drying in the oven, spread them out in a thin laver on a shallow tray er a clean sheet and place the fan so that the current of air will blow directly across the material to be dried. Several trays can be stacked in front of the fan, and if the material s not packed too clogely the air will pene. Cfficient ousek a8) More Important Than Good House- keeping. “I always put my housekeeping before everything eise,” I heard a woman say virtuously, the other day. And I thought to myself, “Then you'll be sorry some day.” There are two things that should come before good housekeepihg: Our health, and the happiness of those we love. 1 have reently written upon putting health before house- Keeping, so I shall not repeat myself on that subject. But I do not think I_have ever before published my ideas about the mistake of putting mere things before people. Have you ever heard a busy house- keeper-moth say to her child: “Run along and play, dear; mother has no time for you now?” Of course you CASTORIA For Infants and Children InUse For Over 30 Years ' \ CONSCIENCE 4 \ BRAND This trade mark means a mattress honestly built inside and out! St Eo The elastic long fibre filling of a Conscience Brand M attress is springy and comfort-! 'able, years after the ordinary ghateress is packed into a hard Topy mat. * y*Conscience Brand” is a sensible buy—worth ing for.( Conscience Brand Mattresses’ INTERNATIONAL BEDDING CO” Batrivone anD Ricumono 5~ | S OISO OGN ANS NG\ NG ) NONEH N Winter clothing is safe from the attackofmoths - and other insects when sprayed with PREVENTOL before summer packing. R T PREVEANTOL) Annome «—— R | | pears, peaches, trate all of them. In a warm room most frults and vegetables can be tried by an electric fan running at moderate speed inn about twenty-four hours or less. The electric fan can also be used to hasten oven drying. oven it will serve as a ventilator and therefore quicken the process of drying. When drying all kinds of fruits and vegetables take care not to continue the drying process until they are bone dry, for if you remove all the moisture the food ‘will not soak up water readily when you come to prepare it and it will be tough. It , however, to get the food dry enough to prevent it from mold- When it is sufiiciently dry it should not be possible to squeez liquid out of it, yet it should be pl able and not so dry that it will snap when you bend {t. To obtaln a uni- form degree of dryness keep the| dried material in boxes for two orl 5~ | gooseberries. Fill the jars as full of three days and mix it frequently by | pouring it from one box to another | before you put it away for final: stg@age.” When storing dried fruits' or vegetables the things to guard| against are molsture, Insects and rats | and mice. Tin cans, such as those in which coffee and tea come, are ex- cellent containers. Pasteboard boxes with close-fitting covers and stout paper bags tightly sealed with glue, paste or paraffin are also good. Store in a cool, dry place. What to Dry. To Dry S#eet Corn—Use fresh, young sweet corn that Is full of milk. Clean it and cook it in bolling water for five or ten minutes, then cut the corn from the cob with a sharp knife or a slaw cutter. You can do it best in two cuts, removing half the thick- ness of the kernels at each cut. If you wish, clean the cob further by scraping it. Put the corn in layers half an inch thick on metal trays or wood, covered with clean cheesecloth, and dry it in an oven that is not quite_hot enough for baking. See that the kernels do not scorch or turn brown. During the early stages of the drying, or until the corn ceases to be sticky, stir it every twenty minutes. Usually it requires about six hours to dry corn in this way. The drylng must be finished in one operation. If you allow the corn to cool before it is thoroughly dry it is likely to sour. To Dry Peas—To one gallon of shelled peas add one-half a cup of white sugar. Place in a dripping pan in the oven and cook until done, then open the oven door and let dry with a slow fire. There will be a good deal of juice in them when they are cooked, but it will all dry into them. They will take about a day to dry. Shell the peas the day they are to be ‘dried, because standing impairs the flavor. Other Vegetables to Dry—String or wax beans that you select for drying should be young and tender. Remove the stem, tip end and strings. Cut the *beans in lengths of one or two inches and dry them In trays. Beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips and onlons should be washed, peeled and sliced one-eighth of an inch thick before they are dried. Greens like spinach, Swiss chard or beet tops Bhould be young and tender, and if the leaves are very large they should be cut into small pieces. When drying pumpkin and squash remove the peel, seeds and soft part, cut the flesh into strips about two inches long and an elghth of an Inch thick, and dry the strips on trays or on strings. To Dry Berries—Berries for drying should be perfectly ripe. They should not be dried beyond the point where they do not stain when you press them between thumb and finger. First boil the fruit. but not until mushy. Then spread out on pans or platters to dry in the sun or in a warm oven, not hot. Dried blackberries, raspberries have. “We all have. Sometimes the work she is doing is really of a nature that cannot be laid aside for & moment, but oftener it is the kind of work that might be dropped for a minute or two while mother takes her child into her lap and listens to its little troubles or answers its eager questions or does some little thing for it that will make it happy for hours. Although the mother is working to make a home for the child, yet she hasn’t time to make the child happy in that house! Then_ there's the wife question of being ame” to go somewhere on notice ~with her husband. on—let's go out in the woods pper” tonight!” suggests John vely, running into the kitchen Mary is canning. But Mary up with a forbidding frown and replies, “I can't. *I want to get these closed preserve jars all labeled and stored toight so that I can have a clear kitchen to work {n omorrow.” In other words, she “takes the joy out of life” 'She puts her mere housekeeping duties before the hap- piness of a loved one. And yet she is working primarily to make a happy home for him! And let us not forget mother and grandma In our campaign against our housekeeping selfishness—and it is just selfishness, and nohing else, that makes us put our household duies_before the pleasure of others; it is hard for us to drop a thing in | which we have become Interested, and to fly off somewhere or take up some other work in which some ong elge, not we, are interested. Many home are blessed with sweet- faced old people whose hearts are as young as our own and who can still enjoy a good time when good times come_their way, But, unfortunately, the busy housekeeper of the family does not feel called upon to inter- Tupt her working schedule to go on little jaunts with these elderly dear ones or to fhake special trips here and there to get them something that will give them pleasure. Yet they, even more than the younger members of the family. are are the ones who should be made happy— for they will not be with us quite as long as the younger ones. I do nmot wani to make my reader friends saq by sre:.king like this, but I do want to impress them with the fact that it Is possible to carry the “good housekeeping” ideal too far; and that often good housekeep- ing is achieved at the expense of some one’s else happiness and com- fort. +To my mind it is better to be partly a bad housekeeper and take time to make other people happy than to be a perfect housekeeper and never have a minute to give to our dear ones. There! Now I hope every house- keeper . who has read this will go right ont and take her entire family to the circus! Bottled, Gooseberries. Put In glass jars some well washed cold water as they can hold, fastening on the covers under water; do not take the jars out until the rubber and cap are in place and fastened down tightly. They will keep a year by this ‘method. To Preserve String Beans. Snip the ends off, and string the beans if necesSary. Pack them in a stone jar and pour salt brine over them that is strong enough to hold up an egg. When you are ready to use the beans, wash them and pour cold water on them, and lét them come to a boll. Repeat patil fresh smougte If the fan is placed in' front of the!S and Dblueberries are for making pies. Stpecigliy sood Sun-dried . Peaches—Select some large peaches; cut in halves and free from stones. Place them upon a ;large platter and sprinkle them with sugar. Place the dish in the sun and protect the fruit from flies by placing a netting over the dish. The sun will melt the sugar and ft will -thicken around the fruit., The mext day turn | the peaches over, add more sugar and continue turning the fruit from day to ay until sugar and juice are absorbed, but the fruit mot too dry. Pack sin small glass jars and cover with white wax, then with the tin lids. Small yellow tomatoes can be prepared in the.same way and are called tomato figs. ‘To Dry Plums. Plums should be wiped with a 4 cloth and ‘placed on the racks with the stalks upward. The best time to dry them is when the bread comes out of the oven. As soon as the plums are thoroughly heated, take them out of the oven and put them away for twen- ty-four hours. The next day put them again in the oven and leave them for three hour or longer, until the skin looks dry and wrinkled, then let them grow cold, and before storing rub them between the hgnds to free them of the stalks. Put them In a roomy bag, and hang them up in a cool place. To Dry Cherries—The small black cherry is best for drylng purposes.| You will need a slow fire, but as they are small they need only go Into the oven once. When they are dry and cold, rub off the stalks with the hands and store them like the plums. To Dry Apricots—Apricots require & very cool oven, so that they will not lose thelr bright orange coloring. Aft- er halving them and taking out the stones, put them on the racks with the cut side up. Let them stay in the oven three hours the first time, let them cool and stand for eight hours, then heat them through again. The second time the heat of the oven may be more Intense, but not hot. When they are cold, pack the apricots close- Iy in a tin canister. To Dry Apples—Sweet apples are best for drying. After you have re- moved the skin, core and quarter them, place them on racks in a slow oven and allow them to remain until they are perfectly dry, a golden yel- low in color and firm to the touch Take them out of the oven and allow them to grow cold, then store them in @ dry place In a tin canister. Treat tart apples the same way, except that it IS necessary to subject them twice to the heaf of the oven on account of their great juiciness. Allow them to grow cold between the heatings. To Dry Pears—Peirs should be peeled and core: It is best to use such kinds as do not keep well for eating uncooked. The oven should be of medium heat. Put the pears to heat twice and flatten them With the hands while they are cooling for the second time. Store them away, closely packed in a tin canister. To Dry Quinces.—Quinces should be pared, cored and sliced, dipped into a solution of one cup of salt in three gallons of water, and dried on trays. Another way is to cut them into eighths, thread them on twine or coarse thread with a large needle and dry them on racks. To Cook Dried Fruits and Vegata- bles.—Before dried fruits and vege- tables are cooked the water that has been removed in drying must be re- stored by soaking them. The length of time that they should be soaked varies according to what they are and how fine they have been cut. About eight hours are enough for most dried products. Beets require only about two hours and if soaked too Iong they HOME ECONOMICS. BY MRS, ELIZABETH KENT. If you have different ages in your household to be fed you can save yourself time and worry and work by havfhg the needs of each in mind when you plan your meals. Dinner s the main meal of the day, and dleti- tians recommend with more and more agreement that it should come at tie end of the day’s work, even for chil- dren. It is better for them to have their dinner before the grown-ups, 8o that {t will not come too near their bedtime, than at noon. Meat, or meat substitutes is ‘always the central fact of dinner; let it be of a sort that all can share. That is, have mutton, beef, chicken, fish, rather than pork, veal, or beans. But if you have the meats that old folk and children cannot easlly digest, have some protein food that they can take in place of it. Have boans without pork, served with a little crisp bacon, for they can eat bacon, when pork and beans might give them o very uncomfortable time. Sometimes @ well made gravy can be served with indigestible meat, and will quite satisfy both the very old and the younger ones, without any meat. Be sure to serve plenty of vegetables alway but especially when some members of the family ought not to eat the meat. Soup should be served at dinner, if not every day, certainly several times a week, and the opportunity for provid- ing good nourishment in soups and of using up leftovers economically is very great. Indeed, the chief source of economy among the French is _probably their clever use of soups. Chu:'nn x;nd old people may eat any sort of good. soup, getting their protein from-the milk used in it, if neccssary. 8o with des- sprts, milk puddings, custard and cornstarch, plain cakes, ice creams and the like, in which eggs are used, fresh and canned and dried frults, are good for everybody, but rich pastry means special provision of somsthing else for those who may not eat it. (Copyright, 1921.) Way to Cook Green Corn. Pull back the husks, remove the silk and wash the corn thoroughly in salted water, then pull the husks into place again and drop the corn into_bolling water that contains two teaspoonfuls of sugar and _a little alt. Cook until tender. You will nd this a great improvement over corn cooked in any other way. A Good Molasses Cake. Into two-thirds of a cup of molas: ses stir a tablespoon of melted but- ter and two-thirds of a cup of strong boiled coffee. Add half a cup of sugar, one beaten egg, one and one- half_teaspoons of soda dissolved in a tablespoon of warm water, and one and one-half cups of flour. Mix weil and bake in a loaf. lose color and flavor. After the dried |. vegetables have been soaked, they can be cooked in almost any way in which fresh vegetables can be cooked. A feature much talked of for fall 1s the shoulder-to-hem panel at the back. ‘ For Torrid Days—__ A stimulating and enjoyable “Pick Me Up" easily made and at post card. Seotland, the most im; fat beeves. In those Largest sale of any Tea in America. Will You TRY Salada? ‘We will so gladly mail you a free sample on receipt of a Addresa: Salada Tea Co., Boston, Mass. 60 eevés for One Wedding When Princess Margaret wed too, the tasty beef fl-vmdmnd toda; " SWINDELL’S trifling cost, is— H208 Feast Alexander portant item of the feast was 60 therll-ovdndm;ht y CHIPPED BEEF The choicest. cuts of prime with All fat and waste discarded. Dried by a special akes.blended ripe peaches, N— JERSETS with Peachies & a delicacy that wi Wlbm:rppp- : 9he Original hick Corn akes. " . ke CaniTos Ca ‘which Foc0.ca Cream of JERSEY (orm with that of slices FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1921 Judging from the number of letters I have received lately there ifyan in- creasing interest among my \ aders on the subject of reducing. I af al- ways very glad to find this, for & me- how to me a fat woman is & pathetio objeot in these very hot summer day: There is never any reason why & ‘woman should be fat. It is 80 easy to :‘ulr:e if one will only put one’s mind 23 . There are a few simple principles ‘which, every one must learn, and after that the whole thing is only a matter of addition and subtraction. If you weigh more than you should you are eating too much. to admit it—few sorry to say the theless. : S ‘The easi thing in finding out what you should eat is to maks a study of what you are eating now. Whet you are eating now constitutes your maintenance dlet; it .is the thing that is keeping you too fat. Take & list of caloric values, lists which are published in this space eoplé do—but I am’ fact remains, never- from time to time, and by use of them. find out just what the caloric value of your present diet is. That it is too much you will know from the SUGAR BEST GRANULATED 10 LBS. 69° E; naighb'o:zood store and get daily grocery strong sticks, good tips, large size No. 2 Can Large Size Cans EVAPORATED MIL GOLD MEDAL FLOUR 12k, 186 e, 420 P&6—STAR 4 FELS-NAPTHA Be- ARGO NORTHWEST 5504 Wisconsin Ave. 4521 Wisconisin Ave. 1831 33d Street. 1833 Temperance Ave. 8505 14th Street. 4716 14th Street. 2802 14th Street. 2202 14th Street. You.may not want| D-G-S Store supplies -the stores are owned an | 2 NEW D-GS STORES Two more service stores added to the D-G-S MATCHES Splendid quality household matches—all long 6 for 25¢ Del Monte Yellow Cling PEACHES CRISCO 2., 19¢ Shredded Wheat. . ..14c KIRKMAR'S 25¢ ’ LUX ... 10c 3 Pkgs. Starch . . 25¢ GELFAND’S T Pt 7 fact that it is mailntaining you at XOIII' present overweight. You will ave to_eliminate about 1,000 calories & day. You ave or more. These eral, but they beginning. Another time I will talk again about the actuil caloric value of various foods. If you do not wish to make a study of ‘these values you can cut down on the amount of food that you xrob-bly eating 3,000 res ard very gen- 11 serve you as a Be Loyal to This Wasamgton sroduct Phone Franklin 835 to Chevy Cha Food grocer is not supplisd. 1STRICT D-G-S DAILY GROCERY SAVIN 3 m.un:id by lct?:‘D.-&eS Il.::ny:b:g.uwho buy together Doyowdlilymrlwfintny?wb-(i-s savings. 21¢ - 2 for 25¢| € | FOUNTAIN Brand--Whole neighb palatable; FRESH FROM THE CORBY ~ OVENS— 1609 T Street. 620 N Street. Cor. 10th and K Streets. 318 Q Strest. 702 Bth Street. 83 E Street. ‘North Capitol and L Street. 130 D Street. SOUTHWEST 1001 Gth Street. . 900 3d Sereet. Products Company if Yyous ROCERY YOCIETY 5th and Florida Ave. N.W. 1718- Fancy Sliced HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE 'ORIENTA ii%.. COFFEE 33¢ Genuine Imported S eronce 176 50c HANS====41 You haven’t got to bother with the ‘baking—not even think ahead. Justsend of our stores—there’s one in your orhood—for a GORBY They are “three-story” dainties—encased in tempting icing. Made of the best in- gredients—so they are taking. If you think you are eat- {ng more han 3,000 calories you will Fads and Fashions. not ‘have to do much Atudying to| Many of the mew evening gowns eliminate a third in the amount of food. graze the floor or allow their draper- les to do so. The Store for Things Electrical; Everything for the Motorist LAUN-DRY-ETTE mmm. Just press the pedal and~— up comes the tub, out drains the water, and the tub begins to whirl the clothes dry. In one minute they are ready for the line. This method of drying clothes saves buttons and asteners. It keeps the hands soft and white |—they never need touch the water. The Laun-Dry-Ette is the electric washing ma- chine that makes Monday fun day. We'll be glad to demontrate. Phone us. uct. Highest guality. Fresh daily at all our 1 Ib. print. 5 GS These family this week. 14th Street N.W. - ARMOUR’S 21c I No. 2 Can Extra Fine Star’” BACON Fine, streaked Break- fast Bacon; withe AMPBELL’S FINE SMOKED SHOULDERS Ib. 21¢ Pork CHALLENGE MILK ...... 14c| = . BEANS{()e _ ——————————————————————————————— Also Soups, Can.:ece.... ll' ROAST “ Uneeda Biscuit, 4 for 25¢ = = BEEF, . 35¢ R oo {0c| SALMON c. 10G{POT 2257 . 256 CHICKENS SPRING FRIERS AT ALL OUR STORES 40° 3 Cans Luscious Sugar Cured Hams from young stock; er; lean and juicy- Fine to bake or boil whole. Per pound - SPECIAL LAYER CAKE are not only pleasingly but healthful and nourishing MOTHER = MADE IT” Find The D-G-S. Store Nearest You—Go There and SAVE NORTHEAST SOUTHEAST 7th and C Str. : Ave. 1000 B Strect. T 1R e Read. 3d and Maryland Ave., 1301 S. Capitel Street. 5215 Blair Road. - p 1348 B Strest.” 301 12th Strwet. 1341 H Street. B3 D Street. 1012 1et Street. Good Hops, D. . 801 Massachusetts A e Park Lane, Va.