Methods Save Ozarks Taste
LOCAL COMPANIES SHIP NATIONWIDE
Posted: December 25, 2011 at 4:38 a.m.
Since the 1930s and ’40s companies in Northwest Arkansas have used traditional methods to preserve foods, allowing them to send a taste of the Ozarks to customers around the country to enjoy for the holidays.
AT A GLANCE
PRESERVING THE PAST
Many Ozark food traditions are based on old-time methods of preserving food.
Man learned early on that smoke cured meat would keep for long periods, providing sustenance when other foods were not available.
Smoke preserves meat in two ways, by dehydration and the curing properties of chemicals in the smoke. Each prevent bacterial growth, making it possible to store meat for extended periods without refrigeration. Smoke curing and drying meat were the only preservation methods besides salting available before the advent of refrigeration.
Preserving fruit, by turning it into jam, for example, involves boiling to reduce the fruit’s moisture content and to kill bacteria and yeasts, sugaring to prevent their re-growth and sealing in an airtight jar to prevent recontamination.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
WEB WATCH
OZARK MOUNTAIN SMOKEHOUSE
www.ozarkmountainsmokehouse.com HOUSE OF WEBSTER www.houseofwebster.com
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Business, Pages 11 on 12/25/2011
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