Australia, New Zealand Encyclopedia 6. (töredék) [antikvár]

Fruit is dried on racks in the natural heat of the sun, an ancient but effective way of preserving food. DRIED FRUITS INDUSTRY The dried fruits industry is an important part of the Australian economy. It is based mainly on the production of vine fruits such as currants and sultanas; but some dried tree-fruits such as apricots, pears, and prunes, are also produced. The industry employs about 40,000 people, and processes fruit worth about SA24 million each year. Most is exported, mainly to Canada, Japan, Britain, West Germany, Israel, the West Indies and New Zealand. Dried fruits contain natural sugar, vitamins, and minerals. They are recommended in some special diets. Sixty per cent of Australia's production of dried fruits come from Victoria, and sultanas account for more than half of this. The sultanas come from special grapes, picked in summer when they are fully ripe and their sugar content is high. They are dipped in a solution of cold potash which makes fme cracks in the skin and speeds up drying. The grapes are then dried on special racks in the sun for about ten days. Next they are dried on hessian strips spread out over waterproof paper. While in the sun, they are raked and turned periodically to ensure that the drying is complete and the colour is even. After they have been cleaned, graded and packed, they must be passed by government inspectors for export or local sale. The dried fruits industry started in the l'880s when the Chaffey Brothers introduced SULTANAS 90.586 zz tonnes. CURRANTS 7508 RAISINS 6061 'PEACHES 477 /il^ECTARINES Diagram shows a typical year's dried fruit production in Australia, IVIore grapes are dried than any other fruit irrigation to mildura in Victoria. Their eventual success led to the establishment of many other irrigation settlements along the Murray-Darling River system. Since that time, the areas under dried fruits cultivation have grown to more than 26,000ha. About 90 per cent of this area is watered by irrigation. Some dried fruits areas in Western Australia depend on natural rainfall. Dried fruits are not major industries in NZ or Papua New Guinea. See also fruit growing. 421