422 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ting- them boil for a few tniuutes, and cooling them in the water 

 This toughens the glass as well as sterilizes the cans. 



As soon as the cans are cool, they are ready to use, but should not 

 be allowed to stand around before using. Another way to sterilize 

 the cans is to set them into a cool oven and gradually raise the tem- 

 perature until it is hot as for bread and let the cans remain for an 

 hour or two; then gradually cool off the oven. The sterilizing with 

 hot air at this temperature is more thorough than with hot water. 

 Of course, this must be done at the time they are needed, for if they 

 are set away they will collect more germs. The thorough steriliz- 

 ing of the cans and of all the utensils used in the canning of the 

 vegetables is one of the vital points to insure success. The spoiling- 

 of the vegetables is due to fermentation, and to prevent fermenta- 

 tion the fermenting organisms must be entirely excluded. Many of 

 the failures are due to the utensils not being thoroughly sterilized; 

 hence, the spores that cause fermentation gain access to the ma- 

 terial. 



The third essential to success is that the vegetables shall be in 

 good condition. They should not be over-ripe, neither should they 

 be gathered while green and allowed to ripen after gathering. It is 

 safe to have the vegetables a little on the green side rather than on 

 the over-ripe side. If they are a little green, the long cooking that 

 they receive in canning brings about the same change as the last 

 stage of ripening. This change has been brought about by the 

 action of heat, whereas, in the green gathered, artificially ripened 

 vegetables this change has been brought about by ferments, which 

 are the great enemies in the canning of vegetables. Vegetables 

 should be canned as soon as possible after they are gathered. 



To Can Pease. — Have fresh young pease — if they come from the 

 market put into a colander and dip a few times into a pan of hot 

 water. Shell and fill the cans as full as they will hold, shaking down 

 well; then fill to overflowing with pure cold water. If the water is not 

 the purest, it should be boiled and cooled — just when it is needed. It 

 would be time lost to sterilize the cans and then fill them with 

 water which contains more germs than the cans before they were 

 sterilized. Put the lids on the cans but not the rubbers, and place 

 the cans in a wash-boiler with a false bottom of wood or screening, 

 having something between the cans to prevent their knocking to- 

 gether in boiling. Fill the boiler to the covers of the cans with cold 

 water; let them come slowly to a boil and keep boiling four or five 

 hours; after three hours boiling put on the rubbers and seal, and 

 then boil another hour. At the end of that time, set the boiler oflf 

 from the tire and let the cans stand in the water to cool. If the cans 

 have screw tops, tighten often as they cool. During the boiling the 

 cover of the boiler should be on. When the cans are cool, wipe dry, 

 wrap in paper and store in a cool, dry, dark place. If there is any 

 suspicion that the can may not be air tight, a good plan is to run a 

 little melted paraffine along the seam where the lid joins the can. 

 A convenient way of doing this is to use a paralTine candle. String- 

 beans, shelled beans and asparagus may be canned in the same way 

 as pease. 



