One reason the housewife of today hesitates to purchase her food products in large quantities is because she does not know the proper ways to store them so that they will be as palatable and nutritive when she is ready to use them as they were when she purchased them. It is a very important factor in homemaking to be able to buy economically, but it is even more important to know how to store the food in the way it should be stored

Marnette, Margaret L

English

One reason the housewife of today hesitates to purchase her food products in large quantities is because she does not know the proper ways to store them so that they will be as palatable and nutritive when she is ready to use them as they were when she purchased them. It is a very important factor in homemaking to be able to buy economically, but it is even more important to know how to store the food in the way it should be stored.</p

Marnette, Margaret

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

THE IOWA HOMEMAKER 5 Storage of Food in the Home 0 NE reason the housewife of to-day hesitates to purchase her food products in large quant-ities is because she does not know the proper ways to store them so that they will be as palatable and nutritive when she is ready to use them as they were when she purchased them. It is a very important factor in homemak-ing to be able to buy economically, but it is even more important to know how to store the food in the way it should be stored. There are three types of storage which will interest the housewife. Simple storage is a method of holding food products in containers such as bins, barrels, wooden boxes, bags and paper packages at the temperature and other atmospheric conditions favor-able to preserving them. The second type known as cold storage is the method of keeping articles of food in a place artificially cooled to a temper-ature of forty degrees or below for a period exceeding thirty days. The third type is refrigeration. This is known to practically every housewife, and consists in merely cooling the food to delay the action of spoilage organ-isms. The storing of food supplies during the seasons of production or in times of plenty for use in times . of non-pro-duction or of scarcity of food is very old. There has been no time in the history of the world that something has not been laid away for a later time. Food is often stored in ·ware-houses or distributing plants-gener-ally in non-hermetically sealed con-tainers such as are used by the house-wife. Temperature and atmospheric conditions are more carefully regulat-ed in a warehouse than in the home, and for this reason food may be kept 'vJ.H£AT By MARGARET L. MARNETTE longer and better in a storehouse than in the home. · The first method of storing food was probably by the use of dugouts and caves. These were for the most part simple refrigerators, and were usually located some distance from the kit-chen which necessitated a great deal of extra eL.ort on the part of the housewife. Then too, food was apt to freeze in the coldest part of the win-ter, and to spoil rapidly in the warm summer months. The use of cold storage as a means of prolonging the keeping qualities of food is said to have been discovered by Lord Bacon, an Englishman. Later John Garrie, a noted doctor, invented the ice machine. This machine had practically the same princ.ples as our present day ammonia gas cooling systems. There was a brine used with the ammonia and car-bonic acid gas which took the place of ice. Before the railroads brought food products half across the world to the housewife, food had to be grown and preserved on the farm. A great deal of storage was accomplished by using salt or other preservatives. Seldom was cold storage used excepting for butter, milk, eggs and cheese which were kept for a short time in a cave, or well. The railroads changed all this and when new ideas in clothing and food products were discovered in another part of the country, the housewife be-gan to want the same things for her own use. In order to bring them to her in a good condition, some method of preservation had to be devised. Hence the refrigerator car became the most generally used method of trans-porting food from one part of the country to another. As citie·s grew, industry was centralized, and large packing and refrigerating plants sprang up in order to supply the de-mand for better food products. As the demand grew, prices were lowered to meet the consumer's pocket book until now housewives can buy practically any food grown any place in the world at a price which will not be in excess of her budget, and yet · allow some variety in her choice of foods. Modern storage is accomplished in several ways. Chief among these are r efrigeration by ice or electricity, pre-servation by sugar, acid, harmless pre-servatives as salt and smoke, drying, and by storing in packages, boxes, etc. Since the main function of storage is to hold food from the time it is pro-duced until it is consumed, the house-wife must know something of the pro-per methods to use in keeping the food, and of the things which are apt to cause it to be spoiled. Three things must be considered in successful storage temperature, moisture and ventilation. Of the three, temperature seems to be the most im-portant. Besides these three factors there are several outstanding causes of spoilage such as bacteria, yeast, molds, insects and household pests. Dirt and careless handling are also instrumental in quickening spoilage. Micro-organisms such as bacteria, yeasts and inolds affect vegetables more than other foods. Conditions of vegetables . make them susceptible to the invasion of every kind of mold and bacteria micro-organisms. Vegetables with thick rinds resist these and for this reason they can be stored more successfully than the thin skinned fruits and vegetables. Insects are a constant source of (Continued on page 161 16 Cherish Your Old Furniture (Continued from page 4) The wood in most is of a lovely wal-nut, maple or mahogany, but often when being re-finished we find small pieces of ash or some less expensive wood being used to finish out a spindle or rung. This brings to mind the fact that many articles have become so dilapidated and in such poor condition that unless they are especially good in design it would perhaps be folly to have a refinisher work on them. One has to be a shrewd judge of woods and a keen observer of small details to be a successful purchaser of old furniture . There were made, in the period just prior to the Civil War, many lovely day-beds. The cabinet makers seemed to have that true sense of proportion which many have lacked and who left a clumsy and ugly product. The com-mercial feeling of going into your neighbor's house and finding a repro-duction of your article is entirely miss-ing; and in its place there is the touch of rareness, delicacy and individuality. The Jenny Lind day-bed is not the only type common to America. We have always felt a strong affection for France and the French type of desig.n since the days when Lafayette so val-iantly came to give us aid. From this sentiment there has sprung the Empire furniture. It is more lavish in design r ........ ·--------- -i Tallman Jewelry I "You will find what you need here" I Tallman Jewelry Store 236 Main St. l JEWELER OPTOMETRIST ----------- ·~------~-·--·-·-------~~ r ~~~::;s your thoughts and happiness to the folks and friends back home with the proper Stationery Our Stationery Department is complete with College Seal .. and Sorority, and Fancy papers. "Always Glad to Show You" Student Supply Store Just Across the Campus Next to Theater THE IOWA HOMEMAKER and suited to an almost purely social home. Man·y authorities, however, say that the Empire period is American, in as much as France dismussed it after only a few years of popularity. From this French influence much Eng-lish design has been adapted. The old sofas are perhaps a direct derivative of this period. In the various towns of Iowa we find dealers who are feverishly trying to gather just such pieces of furniture as the American day-bed and the sofa. Some have settings in their own homes to display tl:).eir finds; others are less fond of their goods and treat them with less care; they store them in dark, damp basements, where vermin molest and dust collect. Then, of course, there is the entirely commer-cial type of dealer who has his own store. In the country homes there are often some day-beds found for sale and which may be purchased for a song, but there seems to be a premium placed upon them today, which the owners are beginning to realize. One who is fortunate enough to own a family day-bed and the history of which is known is to be greatly envied and should be very proud of his possession. If one is not fond of or cannot truly value this sort of a gift, it is so much kinder to sell all his old pieces to a dealer, who in turn will resell it to an appre-ciative buyer, than to allow them to de-teriorate on a front porch, in a base-ment, and, more cruel than any, to be used for the winter's supply of fire wood. A Visit to a Basket Maker's Home (Continued from page 4) common name was needed to designate one from another. "And of course," said Mac, "I believe in only one name for you know all Bible characters had only one name, the given name and the surname." Mac was a typical mountaineer. He had to work hard for his living, for he had a large family to feed, but he was kindly and gentle, had a good sense of humor and a great pride in his chil-dren. He was a lways interested in their play, their schooling and their work. Finally the conversation turned to Mac's chief occupation, basket mak-ing. Carl brought in a little basket he had made, but on a smaller scale, just large enough to hold several books and serve as a book rack for a desk. Of course, Mac and the children had to take me out to the shed to look over the baskets that he had ready to take to the school to sell. Baskets of all kinds were everywhere Here were ob-long oval baskets, "watermelon bas-kets," as Mac called them, made of white or · beacon or vari-colored splits, to be used as fruit baskets. Wall bas-kets, flat on one side so that they could be hung against the wall, for newspapers, letters or magazines, or they might even be used to hold the bright golden rod or Indian paint brush. There were big wood baskets, magazine baskets, waste baskets, sew· ing . baskets, and small baskets just large enough to hold a vase for flowers. And so many types of baskets, some made of hickory splits, either in the natural light yellow shade or dyed red or blue or green with Diamond dyes, or a lovely rich brown with walnut dye that Mac made himself. There were baskets made of reeds and hick-ory bark; loYely things, every one, and of perfect workmanship. So I bought and bought, a magazine basket, a wall basket and a vase, only the flatness of my purse finally saved me from buying everything Mac had to sell. When I finally took my leave, Mac and the children came to help tie my possessions on my horse. I mount-ed and decided that I would have to turn homeward instead of taking my trip up Little Dudley way. Just as I was ready to leave, Eveline came running with a big bouquet of red rambler roses and then I started off, horse, baskets and roses. Lady walked very sedately home. As I came t.hru the big iron gate and rode slowly up the lane to "Home," I knew the fam-ily within must have thought that they were to be ' visited by a basket peddler, for I am sure that I couldn't have been mistaken for Sir Galahad. Storage in the Home (Continued from page 5J trouble to the housewife. Few women know just how to prevent the little worms that are so often found in cereals such as cornmeal, flour and oatmean. If cereal foods are kept dry and in clean containers, much of the trouble of these pests will be avoided. Containers should be of tin or wood in order to keep out any mice which might happen to be looking for some food. Everyone knows that germs breed in dirt, and if the container is dirty, one cannot hope to keep food for any length of time and know it is still usabl"e. In packing apples and other thin skinned fruits for storage, one must be careful not to bruise the skin. A slight bruise will increase rapidly, other conditions as t emperature and light being favorable. It is far bet-ter to preserve or store by cooking the bruised fruit and vegetables than to take a chance on keeping it with per-fect fruit . Decay spreads quickly. A single apple may in the time of a week or two spoil an entire box of otherwise perfect fruit. Because of these household disturb· I Rexall Drug Stores ·····-------~--~--------~----···----------] t Lowry & Thesis Lowry, Thesis & Spriggs 1 217 Main St. Cranford Building 1 I --· •••••••••• --·········-······ •••• ••• --..1 ances such as light, moisture arid heat, special care must be taken in storing food. Canned goods should be kept in a clean, dry; cool closet or store room on narrow shelves so spoilage can be quickly detected. It is unwise to store canned foods in the kitchen because of the heat and steam. Flour, cereals, sugar, raisins and other dry foodstuffs are best kept in cans or boxes placed where mice can· not reach them. Coffee and spices should be kept in air tight containers to prevent loss of flavor. Dry foods · should never be stored in a place which is the least bit damp because of the insects which are certain to find them. In storing vegetables it is important to see that they have no worm holes or bad spots on them. If they have, and it is impossible to use them im· mediately, it is well to keep them in a separate container and use them first. Vegetables such as · squash and cabbage, potatoes, onions, and most root vegetables are easily stored in a dugout or cave with an earth floor. The only thing which is important in storing these kinds of vegetables is that the temperature be kept between 32 and 40 degrees F. Since heat and light are conducive to ripening fruit and vegetables, it is necessary to exclude these two to a certain extent if the food is not to be ripened immediately. In storing fruits a cool, dark, but not damp cellar is most often used. Fresh meats must be kept in a re-frigerator which has a temperature of about 40 degrees. (Meats may be kept frozen for nine months without de-teriorating, but after the third month meat is considered well ripened.) Smoked and salted meats are subject to infection by larvae and worms, par-ticularly when the salt and smoke have not been well applied. These meats are best kept by handing in a dry, cool and dark room, well-ventilat-ed, and free from all dust and dirt. In preserving eggs a solution of water-glass is most generally used. Eggs to be preserved must always be inspected before putting down in the crock of solution. Only strictly fresh, clean and candled eggs may be success-fully preserved. The longer eggs are kept, the weaker the yolk and white becomes. Eggs can generally be used successfully after the eleventh month, but not after the twelfth month. If eggs are frozen they should be kept at a temperature of from 20-32 degrees F. Of course only the foods which are in the best condition are supposed to be stored. Foods stored should always be of the same quality. There should not be any chance of a small bit of one food spoiling the entire shelf of food. To a great .extent food should be of one grade. A new method of storing just com· ing into general use is the electric re-frigerator. The principle of this is that gas is condensed and the evapor· ation of it cools the air in the box. This is not a new method for it has been used in commercial establish· ments for a great many years. The cost of "iceless refrigeration" is con· THE IOWA HOMEMAKER 17 siderably more than the ice box, but later it will be found that a more even temperature may be maintained and the cost of operating it is decidedly less than the cost of ice and trouble of having the ice brought to the house. Refrigeration and storage in the home is absolutely essential. Since the warehouses take such great care in storing their wholesale products, and the producers and growers are so care-ful in shipping their foods to the housewife, is it not then important that the housewife do her part in keeping the food the best that she can until she has had opportunity to use it? Since food is the most important thing of which modern man has need, it must be the duty of the housewife to provide such variety and nutritive value that man can build the future on it. Consider the possibilities of planning a menu from a well-stocked fruit and vegetable cellar, cereal cup-board and refrigerator. There is al· most nothing that the housewife can· not preserve for a length of time. Great amounts of money, labor and time may be saved by proper storing of food products so that when the oc-casion demands, the store rooms can supply practically every item needed for a well balanced meal. Be Happy in a Lovely Room (Continued from page 7) it was made simply, but done with care and with a regard for graceful lines. Perhaps you know the Carver chair, the Windsor chair, and the slat back, or ladder back, chair. All of them were found in the homes of our great, great-grandmother and belong to us to· day. The old ones are the nicest, but since we all can't have them, some very good modern reproductions are made. In your own home, you may have a modern wing-back chair or just per· haps an old one. Did you know that in the day of our great, great-grand· mother, the wing-back chair was al-ways set in front of the fireplace with the back to the door, so that the draft wouldn't fall on great, great-grandfath· er's bald head and give him a cold? Great, great-grandmother's home \Vasn't always very big and she had to save space in some way, just as lots of people in apartments do today. She had tables with drop leaves that saved space. Some of the supports for the leaves were shaped like a wing and when the leaves were up, the table looked like a big butterfly and so was called the butterfly table. The gate leg table, too, was a space saver. After Revolutionary days, our great, great-grandmothers disliked England, but greatly admired France, who had aided them in the war, so they wanted Smith jewelry Co. , ..... _____ I l For all that's good in jewelry. First Door East of Woolworth's ------------------------~ ' ..... -..... ·-- ----1. Best Electric Student Supplies 11 "Everything Electrical" I 130 Main Phone 123 I ~----------------· ..... ~ ~~~-:~. ~~~y--] ~.~ I PHOTOS THAT PLEASE I FR::s ,~.1.: s:.::~FY 11 It's right ~-------·-............ .. ' ....................... . WeAre the College Girls' Shoe Store Trueblood's South of Campus • ........... ~ ~--------------------------------~~~:~~~~~~-~ l PARNO'S EXPERT WATCH, CLOCK & JEWELRY REPAIRING Jewelry Store Over 25 years' experience ALL WORK GUARANTEED ----· • :~~~~ORO BLDG. Phone 251 

Storage of Food in the Home

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Storage of Food in the Home

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