ue to the fact
that the jar was not well packed and so may be too light in weight.

CHAPTER XII

GETTING READY TO DRY

For various reasons women have not taken so kindly to drying fruits
and vegetables as they have to canning these foods.

One woman said to me: "I like the canning because I can come to a
demonstration and see the whole process carried through from start to
finish. The drying of strawberries cannot be completed in sixteen
minutes as the canning is." And another woman said: "What I do not
like about drying is having the stuff standing round the house
somewhere for so many hours. I like to get things in the jars and out
of sight."

These two objections seem to be expressed more than any other. And in
addition there is a third objection to drying: "I want my prepared
food ready to use on a minute's notice. I can quickly open a can of my
fruit and vegetables and there it is ready. With my dried things I
have to allow time for soaking and cooking." This we will have to
admit is true. But what weight have these three arguments against the
many advantages of drying?

When we study the history of food preservation we find that drying was
practiced before canning, pickling or preserving. I know my
grandmother successfully dried quantities of things.

Vegetable and fruit drying have been little practiced for a
generation or more, though there have been some thrifty housekeepers
who have clung to their dried corn, peas, beans and apples. A friend
of mine says: "Why, dried corn has a much better, sweeter taste than
your canned stuff. I would rather have one little dish of my delicious
dried corn than two big dishes of your canned corn."

Drying, I think we will all admit, does not and cannot take the place
of canning fruits and vegetables in glass or tin. Drying and canning
are twin sisters, and always go hand in hand.

The ideal arrangement for all homes, whether on the farm, in the
village, in the town or in the city, is to have an ample supply of
canned food for emergencies and quick service, and an equally ample
supply of dried foods when meals are planned beforehand and there is
time enough for the soaking and cooking of the dried foods.

THE ADVANTAGES OF DRYING

When we come right down to facts, drying has many advantages over
canning.

The process is very simple, as you will see. The cost is slight. In
almost every home the necessary equipment, in its simplest form, is
already at h