CAN ALL FOOD THAT CAN BE CANNED 



canning purposes may be used as containers 

 for jams, etc. The top-bail should go into 

 position with a light snap. If too loose it 

 should be taken off and bent slightly inward 

 in the center. If too tight bend outward. 



2. Screw-top Jars. Use only enameled, 

 lacquered or vulcanized tops. Screw the top 



on tightly 

 without the 

 rubber. If the 

 tip of a knife 

 or finger-nail 

 can be inserted 

 under the rim, 

 the tops should 

 not be used for 

 cold-pack can- 

 ning. If the 

 defect is very 

 slight, how- 

 ever, it may 



FIG. 9. Wire rack for jars. 



be remedied by pressing a knife handle on 

 the lower edge against a hard surface, thus 

 straightening the offending bulge. Another 

 test is made by putting on the rubber, screw- 

 ing the top on tightly and then pulling the 

 rubber out. If the rubber returns to place, 

 the top does not fit and should not be used 

 on that jar. 



3. Vacuum seal jars may be tested in the 

 same way as the glass-top jars. See if the tops 

 rock if tapped, when placed on the jar without 

 fastening. 



STANDARDS AND TESTS FOR RINGS 



1. Good Rubber Essential. Buy new rub- 

 bers every year, as rubbers deteriorate from 

 one season to another. A good rubber for 



FIG. 10. Simple test for rubbers. A perfect rubber 

 will show no crease or break after being folded tightly 

 several times. 



cold-pack canning must be such as to stand 

 four hours of continuous boiling or one hour 

 under 10 pounds of steam pressure. The 

 combination of moist heat plus acids and 

 mineral matter in vegetables and fruits tends 

 to break down the rubbers during steriliza- 

 tion. Rubbers kept in a hot or very warm 

 place, as for example, on a shelf near the 

 kitchen range, will deteriorate in quality. 

 Be very particular about the rubbers used. 

 Spoilage of canned goods has been traced 

 frequently to the use of poor rubbers. 



2. Testing Rubbers. It is always well to 

 test rubbers when buying. A good rubber 

 will return to its original size when stretched. 

 It will not crease when bent double and 

 pinched (Fig. 10). It should fit the neck 



of the jar snugly. It is cheaper to discard a 

 doubtful rubber than to lose a jar of canned 

 goods. 



GRADING 



Vegetables and fruits should be sorted ac- 

 cording to color, size and ripeness. This is 

 called grading. It insures the best pack and 

 uniformity of flavor and texture to the canned 

 product, which is always desirable. 



BLANCHING AND COLD-DIPPING 



The most important steps in canning are 

 the preliminary steps of blanching, cold- 

 dipping, packing in hot, clean containers, 

 adding hot water at once, then immediately 

 half sealing jars and putting into the sterilizer. 

 Spoilage of products is nearly always due to 

 carelessness in one of these steps. Blanching 

 is necessary with all vegetables and some 

 fruits. It insures thorough cleansing and re- 

 moves objectionable odors and flavors and 

 excess acids. It starts the flow of coloring 

 matter. It reduces the bulk of greens 

 and causes shrinkage of fruits, increasing the 

 quantity which may be packed in a con- 

 tainer, which saves storage space. 



Blanching consists of plunging the vege- 

 tables or fruits into boiling water or exposing 

 them to steam for a short time. For blanch- 

 ing in boiling water place them in a wire 

 basket (Fig. 17) or piece of cheesecloth (Fig. 

 18). The blanching time varies from one to 

 fifteen minutes, as shown in the time-table 

 on page 2, and the products should be kept 

 under water throughout the period. Begin 

 counting time when the articles are first 

 placed in boiling water or steam. 



Spinach and other greens should not be 

 blanched in hot water. They must be 

 blanched in steam to prevent the loss of 

 mineral salts, volatile oils and other valuable 

 substances. To do this place them in a 

 colander and set this 

 into a vessel which has 

 a tightly fitting cover. 

 In this vessel there 

 should be an inch or 

 two of water, but the 

 water must not be al- 

 lowed to touch the greens 

 (Fig. 12). Another meth- 

 od is to suspend the 

 greens in the closed 

 vessel above an inch or 

 two of water. This may be done in a wire 

 basket or in cheesecloth. Allow the water to 

 boil in the closed vessel fifteen minutes. Ex- 

 cellent results are obtained, also, by the use 

 of a steam cooker or steam pressure canner. 



When the blanching is complete remove the 

 vegetables or fruits from the boiling water 

 or steam and plunge them once or twice 



FIG. 11. Wire rack 

 for jars. 



