CHAPTER III 



THE WINTER FOOD SUPPLY 



THE true home gardener will not be content merely 

 to draw upon his garden in summer and autumn, 

 but will produce a surplus of vegetables, berries 

 and fruit to carry his family through the winter and 

 well into the spring. 



The National War Garden Commission, in dealing 

 with the problem of food supply, put great emphasis 

 upon this feature, and rapid strides were made in popu- 

 larizing all forms of canning and preserving as a house- 

 hold and community art. In the instructions provided 

 by the foremost experts the Commission spoke of five 

 principal methods, but recommended above all others 

 for home use the Single-Period Cold-pack Method, be- 

 cause of its simplicity and effectiveness. That method 

 is described as follows in the manual prepared by the 

 Commission, and distributed among the people by the 

 million : 



The prepared vegetables or fruits are blanched in 

 boiling water or live steam, then quickly cold-dipped 

 and packed at once into hot jars, the contents covered 

 with boiling water or syrup, and the jars partially 

 sealed and sterilized in boiling water or by steam pres- 

 sure. The jars are then sealed tight, tested for leaks 

 and stored. 



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