Cat Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 OLDIES BUT GOODIES!! The APPENDIX areas have specific directions for planting, tending, and storage. POTATOES - http://www.earthlypursuits.com/WarGarV/War...WarGardVE12.htm (And much more!) The second has diagrams and instructions for canning and drying. DO NOT FOLLOW THE CANNING INSTRUCTIONS!!! Follow only the most recent Ball Blue Book methods! But there are diagrams of the old extinct "steam canners", shows how to test your "rubber rings", and STRANGE-looking pressure canners. It's a wonderful history lesson and gives perspective for today's canning. http://www.earthlypursuits.com/WarGarV/WarGardTitle.htm **rough idea of shrinkage amount "...in drying, foods lose both bulk and weight. This reduction in weight of dried vegetables and fruits ranges from five-sixths to eleven-twelfths with even greater reduction in some cases. A California operator furnishes these figures for shrinkage: Potatoes, about six to one; cabbage, about twenty to one; tomatoes, about twenty to one; spinach, about eighteen to one; turnips, fourteen to one; carrots, about nine to one. Less than three pounds of dried tomatoes, for instance, are equivalent of sixty pounds of canned tomatoes. Not only are the products much shrunken, when taken from the drier, but they may be still more compressed in packing so that the bulk is further lessened..." http://www.earthlypursuits.com/WarGarV/WarGard17.htm **Why and how dehydration works... "Practically all fruits and vegetables, it was early found, can be dried successfully so far as the "keeping" quality is concerned. It was discovered, however, that many dried vegetables were unpalatable when eventually cooked and served. Enzymic action in the raw products, as well as bacterial action, caused chemical changes which not only affected the flavor of dried food but to some extent also affected its wholesomeness. The problem thus arose as to how this disadvantage could be overcome... ...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 stopped. 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. If products are not dried sufficiently, the moisture retained makes a medium for the development of bacteria and mold, and spoilage occurs. How much water to extract becomes therefore, an important consideration. The abundant sugar present in most fruits acts as a preservative and therefore it is not necessary that they be so dry as vegetables. A rational method of determining the right degree of drying for the finished state is by the texture of the products. Most vegetables should be rather brittle when taken from the drier, and fruits should be leathery and pliable. One method of determining whether fruit is dry enough is to squeeze a handful, and if the fruit separates when the hand is opened, it is dry enough. Another way is to squeeze a single piece; if no moisture comes to the surface the piece is sufficiently dry. Berries are dry enough if they stick to the hand but do not crush when pressed. **EIGHTEEN YEARS storage?? "Soldier rations" "After the Boer War, considerable surplus dried vegetable material, no longer needed for the English army, was put into barrels and stored away. The barrels were opened during the European war and the contents satisfactorily used for army rations. Products thus kept unchanged in quality and flavor for eighteen years might reasonably be supposed to keep well almost indefinitely." http://www.earthlypursuits.com/WarGarV/WarGard16.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is an online reprint. Here are the contents: CONTENTS Title I. How the National War Garden Commission Came into Being II. The Story of the War Garden III. How War Gardens Helped IV. Types of War Gardens V. Uncle Sam's First War Garden VI. How Big Business Helped VII. How the Railroads Helped VIII. The Army of School Gardeners IX. Community Gardening X. Cooperation in Gardening XI. War Gardens as City Assets XII. The Part Played by Daylight Saving XIII. The Future of War Gardening XIV. Conserving the Garden Surplus XV. Community Conservation XVI. Conservation by Drying XVII. Why We Should Use Dried Foods XVIII. The Future of Dehydration XIX. Cooperation of the Press Chapter 19 - Cartoon Illustrations APPENDIX "War Gardening," Victory Edition, 1919 INDEX Cover / Letters / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 More Letters / Back "Home Canning and Drying," Victory Edition, 1919 INDEX Cover / Letters / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 More Letters / Back Link to comment
Crazy4Canning Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Oh thanks, Cat! I love love LOVE stuff like this! Link to comment
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