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The Seaforth News, 1953-07-30, Page 6.4 frozen -food loeker is un- doubtedly a wonderful thing -- one of the greatest additions to the comfort of countless families mite' made. Bur, like lots of other novel- ties!, these lockers can be abused, ;tis well as used. Recentl; the Editors of The Farm Journal (Philadelphia) had a survey ,nude—a survey which produced emu, interesting results. So. instead of recipes this week, here is some food for thought for all present—or in- tending — users of frneen-food toekers. .Every once in a while we hear a woman say; "I'll never waste locker space on green beans again!' Or "That chicken we froze has a peculiar taste." And yen wonder why — for frozen foods usually are pretty wonder- ful. We asked a couple of locket plant operators: "How come— why do locker users get unsatis- factory results in their frozen :Mods?" Each ratan came up with n list of reasons—four of them e ectJy the same, although the operators are 1,000 miles apart. \1J told, there were seven "sins" of :locker users—things that may' help you get better frozen food fren? your locker or freezer. J:t<pruper packaging heads the itouble lists of Simon Olson, who was 11 years in the locker busi- ness. and Bob Madeira. (Mr. Madeira is executive secretary of the National Frozen Food :teeeker Institute.) "Too many old, Leake cartons ars. pressed into service long al- ter the wax has, worn off. Some customers used wax paper, old bread wrappers, cereal boxes, 1,4ser bags -and yes, even news- pt.pers—to wrap foods. None of these will keep the package air - tart to protect the food from dry - out during storage; so the re- r•nit is ,iii' - flavor rand poor is E:pruper processing of food's lot teeeeing was next on both les Olsen says: "Vegetables meet be blanched, or - they'll bee leer color and a strawlike Siete. When people aren't -happy keen frozen green beans, those knee- probably weren't t blanched wee adequately chilled before t:,eSeging. Or. maybe the beans se's!' over -hunched." Ste: circ observes: "Too many pi seek have vegetables standing around a day or two before they process them. Then they're disap- irinted that the beans, already tough by freezing time, don't tone out beatifully tender. Freezing doesn't improve food euelity." Choosing wrong a arieties of 'fruits and vegetables for freez- W:V't SALLIES • ".Look. Nick, at the screen! Just. Jvnaline she's in your arms!" ing was the third sin listed, Some freeze better than others. Locker managers have lists of reeom- xnended varieties, and are eager to help customers select right seed. Overloading the locker, which keeps foods from freezing fast, was sin number four. Mr. Olson explains the importance of fast freezing this way: "When ice crystals form quickly, there's less breaking up of the food tis - sures, so less color, flavor, and food value are •trawn out of the food and into the crystals. Fast freezing gives better textured, better flavored food," M And don't overload your freezer when you freeze foods at home to be transferred to the locker. Put in only one-tenth of the freezer's total capacity. For instance, a freezer that holds 350 pounds will fast -freeze 35 pounds • of food in a 24-hour period, 6 Y t Remember, tai, that the ice - cube section of a refrigerator is not a fast -freeze section. It's de- signed for storing foods. Only a few of the new, two temperature refrigerators 'maintain the zero temperature necessary for freez- ing. Tossing packages holler sk.el- ter into the locker is poor house- keeping, says Madeira. Put the unfrozen foods against sides of the locker — the coldest spot. Thawing them in among the al- ready frozen foods warms up these stored foods, keeps the new packages from freezing quickly --impairs quality. Madeira continues: "We real- ize that it's cold in locker rooms, so people want to get out fast. But they don't save any time by throwing things in. When they want a certain food later, they have to root through to find it," r . , Poor handling of meat by the customer was on Mr. Olson's list. When a locker user complains of poor -quality meat, the reason is likely to be unsanitary butcher- ing, such as a punctured intestine which taints the meat; or freez- ing before the animal has been chilled long enough, which Ieaves an "animal" taste in the meat; or wrapping chickens too soon after killing, ,so that they sour. k Expecting too much from the meat they ask the locker man to cut up, is Madeira's patron-prob- km, "They don't understand that 50 pounds of beef won't give 50 pounds of edible meat. For in- stance, one fourth of a hind-quar- ier of beef is bone and fat" (The old locker -plant joke about the woman who asked to have a quarter of beef cut into T-bone steaks isn't funny to locker men!) It might pay you to check your own freezing practices against these 'seven sins": improper packaging; improper process- ing; choosing wrong var- ieties for freezing; overloading the locker; poor housekeeping in the locker; poor handling of meat; and failure to undeitstand meet shrinkage. Everyone is very friendly in the `io-bars" gaol at Fairmont, West Virginia. One prisoner amused himself by applying for everything in the magazines that was advertised on "money back if not satisfied" terms. But the governor finally had to draw the line. He sent up tor ten day's free trial of a gun. ,_..,. Illieiaim,g With Paint—Blozing trees with paint instead of on axe is simplifying controlled tree cutting operations In Canadian fore psis, The point is a highly visible brilliant yellow developed epecificolly for tree marking. It may be applied with an Ale - mite gun or a packsack-type pressure sprayer. Trees for felling toe marked at about eye level endat the base of the trunk. • S rikers Struck—Raymoid A, Geiger, right, is going to get in on any picketing that's going on around his place of business. The owner of a printing and advertising firm, Geiger pickets the pickets during the first shut -clown due to a strike in the history of the 75 -year-old Newark firm. e, lain arse Sense. by BOB EL AS At one time Winston Church- ill was attacked in the House of Commons as unreliable, because he had switched from one party to another and back again. His answer was: "To change is to improve; to change often is to become perfect." Human nature being what it is none of us will aver "be- come perfect," but it is with ris- ing hopes that we read the daily morning revelations in our good old friend, the Globe and MaiL We remember that not so long ago the tears were running down its editorial page, because the British did not have the dollars to buy our farm products, At that time„ of course we could not dream of accepting payment in any other form, We had to have dollars to be able to buy in the United States, At least, so thought the Globe. Change 01' Hearts or Spots? Whenever Mr. Coldweil o.t• Percy Wright tried to draw the attention of the House of the dangers inherent in the light hearted manner in which the British markets for our farm surpluses were being abandoned, they were derided, ridiculed, and the hue and cry was: Dollars, Dollars, Dollars! Lately the attitude of the Globe seems to have changed and there is talk of regaining the British markets and even of ac- cepting sterling payments Time only will tell whether the leop- ard is changing his heart or only his spots. Probably Spots Whatever the change, it does not go so far as to accept the idea of stabilizing farm prices by government measures. In a recent editorial "The Way Back is the Way Out" the Globe dis- cusses the "farm price support program" in the United States and draws certain analogies for Canada, Speaking of "alleged surplus- es" and "stable farm prices" the editor comes to the conclusion that "the only remedy is to abandon the system that created them, thereby letting legitimate production find legitimate mar- kets at economic prices.' Double Nelson Farmers who are in the Double Nelson of high prices for what they buy and low prices for what they sell, realize by now that the "depression" which the Globe fears "with vicious consequences to world trade in manufactured goods," will be caused by their reduced purchasing power, if it comes. The reduced purchasing power of the farmer in turn is a con- sequence of the price and profit policy of the manufacturers and processors. "The only remedy" is all-out production, planned distribution in co-operation with all countries willing to co-operate, based on stabilized prices. To achieve this stability it will be necessary to call a halt to the exploitation ie, which the farmer is subjected at present, This could be done by control- ling the profits of the corpora- tions with whom he has to deal, buying and selling, We offer this suggestion io farmers for discussion with their candidates in the coming fed- eral election. If we cannot hope to become perfect, we ran at least try to improve. This column welcomes sug- gestions, wise or foolish, and all criticism, whether constructive or destructive and will try to answer any question, Address your letters to Bob Ellis, Box 1, 123 - 18th Street, New Toronto, Ont, Once A 'Ghost Town' Now Waking Up For more than 100 years the little north Cornish cove of Port Quin, close by the fishing har- bour of Port Isaac, has been de- serted. Every man, woman and child, it is said, disappeared within twenty-four hours, be- cause: Official reasons: A terrible storm broke off the coast at a moment when the entire male po- pulation of the village were out fishing. One after the other, eve- ry ship of that small but proud fleet was battered to pieces, Not a man was saved. Upon hearing the news, the story runs, the women folk be- lieved there was a curse on the place, and took to their heels. True reason: In fact, there was no story at all. But trouble was brewing, Every man in that fleet was a smuggler on a large scale. All had gone well for a time, with many kegs landed and stored away in secret hide-outs. Then one day news was re- ceived that the Preventive. Men were on their trail, Whereupon the Port Quin folk decided to leave without more ado, scat- tering in little family groups all over Cornwall So Port Quin became a ghost. With every house and cottage empty, roofs fell in and walls col- lapsed, and weeds grew through the floors. Now, 100 years later, the cot- tages which were not beyond re- pair have been restored. With its homes freshly painted and gardens created out of the wild- erness of weeds, the "ghost" of Port Quin is gradually coming to life again, The Von Who Guarded Churchill "Constable, if I have done wrong, you have your tetnedy, but you have obsolutely no right to talk to me like that. Please take his number, Thompson." Those words were spoken by Sir Winston Churchill in the days when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, He was driving his own cal from London to his house in Kent in company with ex -De- tective -Inspector W. H Thomp- son, who was detailed to guard Sir Winston from 1921 until 1929. during his visit to the U.S.A. in 1931-32, and from August, 1939, until the end of the war in Europe. Apparently a policeman un duty that day, when Sir Winston was driving his car, signalled him to stop, but instead of pull- ing up Sir Winston pulled over to his near side and partly mounted the kerb in order to let a bus pass him, But "lie had reckoned without the constable, who darted be- hind the bus and stopped us, as he was perfectly entitled to do," And then the fireworks began. The policeman gave Sir Winston a piece of his mind. More than that, according to Mr, Thompson, for he tells us that "as a police officer myself I was more than startled by the violence of the expressions of this policeman, "He abused Mr, Churchill roundly and employed some very objectionable language." But the Prime Minister listen- ed until the policeman ran out of breath, and then "he stuck out his jaw and replied savagely" — I have quoted, One can't help feeling sorry for that arm of th elaw. Of course, he'd been rude, and had probably lost his temper, but when he realised who he'd been "ticking off" he appeared hor- ror-struck. When they reached the out- skirts of Westerham• Mr. Thomp- son heard his distinguished driver muttering to himself. "He was' right. Yes, he was right, I should have been more careful," And Sir Winston . went on to say: "I deserved all he said, you know, although there was no need for him to be SO violent about it." And the policeman was not re- ported for saying rude things to Sir Winston Churchill, Mr. Thompson tells us that sometimes during ti blitz on Lon- don, Sir Winston would watch the bombing and take reckless chances. Once he remarked; "When my time is due, it will came." And he once refused to get into an armoured•car, "I must take my chances with the rest," he remarked firmly. On another occasion he was standing with Sir John Ander- son watching the searchlights when his C.LD, guard heard a whistling noise and went into action. He must be the only man alive who can say that he has thrown his arms round a Prime Minister and "flung him with all my strength behind tate door." The PM was furious. "Don't do that!" he roared. Re probably said more than that, but Mr. Thompson is very discreet, and we are left guessing! Once, at Palm Beach, Sir Win- ston wanted to go bathing with- out a costume, thinking the beach he was using was private. Thomp- son suggested that he could be seen through glasses. "lf they are so much interes- ted, it is their .own fault what they see," growled the P.M. And when lie heard that sharks had been seen within a few yards of the shore, he wisecracked: "My bulk must have .frightened them away!" This book is a treasure house 01 good stories about the P.M. You should read 11,—"Sixty Min- utes With Winston Churchill," by W. H. Thompson. Pants to Match—A full -skirled summer play suit with marching pants are modelled by Elean- ore Cruze. The outfit hos a bil- lowing petticoat and o clever, strapless bodice. Miss Cruze has the title of "Miss Santo Barbara" of 1953. Sure bard to Swallow—It's not often that Dad and son both experience the misery of a tonsillectomy on the same day, as did Cecil Riggs and his son, Dennis, 5, The "team," feeling mis- erable, shared the same bed after the ordeal. Double ice-cream and aspirin was the order of the day. These Homes Are for the Birds a Most birds nest in ordinary places. At least they are ordinary for birds. But in every group we are liable to find a few individualists with the urge to try something different. Howevsr, w hen seen from a bird's-eye view, perhaps thesepeculiar places are not so,different after all. These- robins nest In secure safety A blue jay proudly displays a This lady robin pick ed e salt see long as no one kicks the union label. Poppa is e work. bucket,sal mot, '' wire. eieeess-