Foods and home making

variety. 3. Grimes Golden — with light-colored skin. 4. Northern Spy — thin-skinned, bruises readily. Frozen fruits. Fruits frozen by modern commercial processes retain their natural flavor and color. Many frozen fruits, in- cluding berries and larger fruits, are in the market. It is neces- sary to keep them in the frozen state until they are used. Why do fruits need washing? Figure 5 tells an interesting story. In order that fruit may ripen in perfect condition insects Selecting and Serving Fruits !3 must be prevented from growing on it. To destroy insects, fruit is sprayed with poisonous substances. These poisons may remain on the fruit. The federal government requires that spraying chemicals be removed from fruit shipped into another state. Since all states do not have protective regulations, for safety wash fruits before using. Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station Figure 5. Sprayed and Unsprayed Apples These are Rome Beauty apples. No insects were allowed to grow on the apples shown at the left. This accounts for the finely developed fruit. Sometimes soil or dust clings to fruits. On fruits such as strawberries, growing near the ground, there are apt to be bits of sand. In picking, packing, hauling, and shipping, fruits are handled by many workers who may have dirty hands. Thus we see that it is necessary to wash fruits to remove poisons applied in destroying insects, and bits of soil, dust, or other impurities. If fruit is eaten without paring, cut away the skin around the ends of the core. How should fruits be washed? Do you know how useful a small scrub brush is in the kitchen? Food with a rough surface 14 Breakfast can be washed much better and more quickly with a brush than with a cloth. If the skin of fruit is to be eaten, it is especially necessary to wash it carefully. Large fruits such as ap- ples, oranges, and melons may be washed in a pan of water or by holding them under water running from a faucet. If large fruits are to be served with their skins on, they should be dried on a clean towel after washing. Small fruits such as berries are most conveniently washed by placing them in a colander or strainer and letting water from a faucet run over them. When the stems must be re- moved from berries, strawberries for example, the fruits should be washed before stemming them. This prevents loss of juice. Berries and grapes usually become sufficiently dry for use if they are allowed to drain in the strainer or colander for a few minutes after washing. How are fresh fruits prepared for serving? Apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, pears, plums, and grapes may be washed, dried, and served whole with their skins on. Each guest should be provided with some kind of silver knife. (See Figure 6.) Figure 6. A Fruit Knife This knife used for cutting fruit is smaller than the knife used for cutting meat. For juicy fruits such as pears, a fork is sometimes used with a fruit knife for formal service. International Silver Co. Selecting and Serving Fruits 15 Grapefruit and oranges are cut into halves before serving. They are cut across the sections. By means of knife or scissors, the core is cut from the center and the edible portion loosened around the edges and between the different sections. The edible por- tion is then eaten with a teaspoon or an orange spoon. (See Figure 7.)