Freezing Fruits, Vegetables

With victory gardens to provide vegetables and small fruits, and a shortage of supplies and equipment for home canning, frozen food lockers may see greatly increased use in the home food preservation program. Frozen foods retain more of their natural flavor and color and as much of their original food value as products preserved by other methods

The Effect of Sodium Nitrate and Water Applications to Apple Trees Suffering from Drouth on Some Chemical Constituents of the Fruit

Storage tests on apples indicated that orchard applications of nitrate of soda had an unfavorable influence on storage capacity. As this effect appeared to be greatly restrained by drouth in 1930, experiments were carried on in 1931 to determine specifically the effect of differential treatments of nitrate of soda and water to trees suffering from dry weather

Frozen Vegetables

My beans that I put in the cold storage locker are tough. Can you tell me what\u27s the trouble with them? More than any other complaint about the storage of vegetables in locker plants is this one about beans. We are a little puzzled here at the Iowa Station when that question is thrown at us, because in 3 years of work in storing vegetables in two different commercial locker plants, we never have had tough snap beans

Acidity changes associated with the keeping quality of apples under various storage conditions

This investigation reports a study of. certain acidity changes occuring in Grimes and Jonathan under various storage conditions. Measurements were made of the total titratable acid, the H-ion concentration and, in some instances, the specific gravity of the juice. Altho total acidity values declined rapidly in the Grimes variety during two weeks of delay at the orchard, its H-ion concentration remained quite uniform. Prolonging the delayed storage period to three weeks, however, resulted in a rather abrupt lowering of the active acidity of the fruit in cold storage. The appearance of soggy breakdown in the stored fruit occurred almost coincidently with a rather marked diminution in the H-ion concentration. This relationship suggests the possibility of an intimate balance between the active acidity and the carbohydrate reserves of the Grimes apple at low temperatures. The H-ion concentration during delayed storage at the orchard, was decidedly more constant in Jonathan. This fact suggests a difference in buffer stability between the two varieties of fruit. The data for the active acidity changes in Jonathan were not of a similar nature during the two storage seasons. Soft scald and Jonathan spot formation also differed for the two years. There appears to be an inverse relationship between the percentage of total acid loss during storage and the susceptibility toward Jonathan spot. A low acid loss during storage usually produced a high percentage of spotted tissue. The total acidity decreased gradually during cold storage in both Grimes and Jonathan. Decrease was more rapid at the higher temperatures. Total acidity decreased more in Grimes during delayed storage at the orchard than thruout the entire cold storage period. The delayed fruit was stored with considerably less total acid than that receiving no such treatment. During storage two conditions appear to influence the total amount of acid lost: (1) The initial acid content when stored, and (2) the storage temperature. Delayed storage lots with low initial acidity lose their total acid in smaller quantities at 30° and 32°F. than similar lots at 34° and 36°F. The amount of acid loss, then, appears to be regulated largely by a certain minimum temperature level, below which the loss will be relatively little regardless of acid content, above which the loss will be considerably higher even tho the acid content is relatively low at the beginning of the storage period. The amount of breakdown tends to occur in an inverse proportion to the losses in total acidity during cold storage. A large amount of soggy breakdown is usually accompanied by a smaller amount of acid loss, and, conversely, a low amount of breakdown is associated with a higher acid loss. In order to avoid soggy breakdown, it follows, then, that the rate of acid loss must be fairly constant. This may be accomplished by storing the fruit before the acid content becomes low (directly after picking), or by storing at a temperature sufficiently high to permit acid losses to continue at a more favorable and a more rapid rate. Altho acid changes appear to be rather definitely associated with breakdown and Jonathan spot susceptibility, other physiological changes occur which may influence these storage disorders. A decided increase in the specific gravity of the juice from Grimes, during delayed storage at the orchard, indicates definite changes in the metabolism of the fruit. Apples delayed for one week showed similar increases in this constant thruout the cold storage period. Little or no increase in specific gravity, however, occurred in the stored fruit which had been delayed at the orchard for two or three weeks. The juice of Jonathan maintained a very uniform constant, irrespective of the delayed storage at the orchard or treatment at the lower temperatures. This different response toward specific gravity and acidity changes in the two varieties may aid in the explanation of the differences in the storage capacity of Grimes and Jonathan. It would appear that the storage capacity of some varieties of apples could be forecast by changes appearing in the specific gravity of their juices

Eating Our Curds and Whey...

Homemakers for a number of years have realized the value of cottage cheese as a source of good quality protein and valuable mineral salts. The demand for it has been gradually increasing until it has tripled in quantity in the last ten years. It is an economical source of valuable food constituents and for that reason its use at the present time is of primary interest to every homemaker. Ease of preparation in the home and the fact that good cottage cheese may be purchased from most grocers make its use practicable

The extent to which weeds modify the transpiration of cereals

This work on transpiration involved a study of the competition and the comparison of the growth of wheat, of wheat with mustard, of oats alone and oats with mustard. To determine the growth and development taking place in the various cultures, measurements were made at frequent intervals of the increases in leaf area and of the amount of water lost. The data clearly show that weeds require a large amount of water. Comparing the pure and mixed cultures leaves no doubt but that a weed like mustard impairs the crop. The effect is evidenced in the fact that a culture of wheat and mustard attained its maximum leaf area later than a culture which contained only wheat; cultures of oats and mustard attained maximum leaf area later than cultures of oats alone. The results secured indicate that such a procedure will cut down the dry weight produced. It is brought out that where oats are grown thick enough, they will offer a competition between themselves. Such growth, however, offers better means for the eradication of weeds like mustard by the process of competition. From the results presented in this work, oats in all probability would be better for this purpose than wheat

Studies upon the Absorption and Germination of Wheat Treated with Formaldehyde

Treating wheat with formaldehyde to prevent the covered or stinking smut of wheat is a general practice wherever wheat is grown. Henderson, Burmester, Johnson and Brittlebank have submitted results of germination tests where wheat has been soaked for varying periods, with the purpose of obtaining safe limits where the fungus is killed, while the seed is left intact. Naturally this is the important conception from the practical standpoint. But admitting this to be the case there are still many fundamental propositions which are still open for solution and of equal import to the practical phases of grain treating to prevent smut and problems of imbibition and of germination

Cold storage investigations with wealthy apples: Fifth progress report

1. Wealthy apples grown in northern Iowa when properly ripened and carefully handled kept well in cold storage until late in February. 2. Apple-scald does not appear to be a factor in the storage of Wealthy apples on well ripened fruit. 3. Soft-scald was most abundant on immature fruit and especially on delayed stored immature fruit. Soft-scald was practically eliminated by immediate storage. This held true with fruit picked in either an immature or in a mature condition. 4. Oiled wraps practically controlled apple-scald on Wealthy and in some cases apparently reduced the amount of soft-scald, but the results with the latter cannot be taken as conclusive. 5. The percentage of Wealthy affected with rots resulting from skin injuries was 11 percent. Approximately seven percent of these rots resulted from mechanical injuries and four percent from growth cracks

Soggy breakdown of apples and Its control by storage temperature

1. Soggy breakdown, a non-parasitic disease which develops at low temperatures, is described. 2. Soggy breakdown is distinguished from internal breakdown and from physiological decay or the breakdown which accompanies senescence. The name mealy breakdown is suggested for the latter. 3. Grimes and Wealthy apples have been found to be very susceptible to soggy breakdown, while Jonathan, Arkansas, Willow and Northwestern Greening appear immune to the disease. 4. The initial appearance of soggy breakdown on Grimes in cold storage occurred during the early part of December. 5. Differences of 2° or 4° F. in cold storage temperatures markedly affected the development of the disease. 6. No serious amount of soggy breakdown occurred on the fruit stored at 36° F., or on fruit held in common storage. The disease did not appear in common storage. 7. Soggy breakdown developed most seriously at 30° F., as compared to its development at 32 °, 34° and 36° F. The most satisfactory temperature for the storage of Grimes was found to be 36° F. 8. When stored immediately after picking, late picked fruit was more susceptible than early picked. 9. Delayed storage materially increased the susceptibility to soggy breakdown. The influence of delayed storage, however, appears to be linked with the time of picking. 10. Exposure of the fruit to free circulation of the storage room atmosphere prevented the development of soggy breakdown on delayed storage fruit during one storage season, and caused visible shriveling of the fruit. 11. Direct access of the fruit to air during delayed storage did not reduce development of the disease in storage. 12. Evidence obtained suggests that apples become susceptible to soggy breakdown after certain periods of exposure to ordinary temperatures. 13. Soggy breakdown appeared to be more serious some years than others. 14. Grimes from the Wenatchee apple district of Washington and those from central Michigan were as susceptible to soggy breakdown as Grimes from Iowa. 15. Grimes in commercial cold storage developed as much soggy breakdown as those at the same temperature in experimental storage. 16. The quality, condition and attractiveness of Grimes, stored at 36° F., were superior to those stored at the lower temperatures. 17. Grimes stored at 36° F. softened only slightly more than those at lower temperatures. 18. An increase in the tendency to apple-scald in Grimes, due to a slightly higher storage temperature. was successfully averted by the use of oiled paper wraps. 19. With well graded, high quality fruit, the increase in loss due to apple rot fungi at 36° F. was insignificant

Apple storage investigations fourth progress report

This is the fourth report* of the apple storage investigations begun in 1906 by the Pomology Section of the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station. The report embodies the results of investigations dealing mainly with the development and control of such storage diseases as Jonathan-spot, apple-scald and internal breakdown. The investigations are divided into two parts. Part I deals with the development and control of the storage diseases, Jonathan-spot and soft-scald on the Jonathan apple. Part II includes studies on the development and control of apple-scald and internal breakdown and the effect of certain odorous substances on apples. The report embodies the results of investigations on the keeping quality of apples in storage as affected by varying treatments in the orchard, as time of picking, time of storing and soil cultural methods. Various storage conditions such as temperature, humidity, and aeration have been considered. Particular attention has been given to different types of apple wraps. The keeping quality of Jonathan apples has been compared in cold and common storage