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Rural School Leaflet 



Storing canned food. — Canned food should be stored carefully, as light 

 has a chemical action on some foods and destroys color, leaving the food 

 unattractive in appearance. 



If you can the fruit in the early summer and keep it in good condition 

 until September, the judges will give you credit for work well done. 



Cause of the spoiling of food in the can. — If the contents of the can and 

 the can itself have been made absolutely sterile, and the can is entirely 

 air-tight, the food will not spoil if held in a warm place. The spoiling of 

 food under such conditions must be owing to one of three things : 



i. Some flaw in the can, which makes it a so-called " slow-leaker." 



2. The presence of some organisms that have survived the cooking 



process in spite of all care. 



3. A drying-out of the rubber, and hence the breaking of the seal. 

 Testing canned food. — Canned food should be set aside for two or three 



days before storing, and then should be tested as follows: Loosen the 

 clamp and grasp the can by the edges of the glass top. If sterilization 

 has not been complete, if the can leaks, or if decomposition has set in, 

 the top will come off. If the top stays on, tighten the clamp again and 

 the food is ready for storage. If the top comes off, reject that can. 



Opening the jar. — Run a knife-blade under the rubber and press firmly; 

 if the top resists, pour a stream of hot water over it. 



Marking the jar. — Label cans neatly as follows : 



Cans correctly labeled and straw packing for transportation 



