HO SCIENCE OF HOME AND COMMUNITY 



kill these bacteria is to heat the jars at the temperature of 

 boiling water for a period varying from fifteen minutes to 

 three hours, depending on the product to be canned. In 

 addition to the active forms in which bacteria are generally 

 found, some exist in a dormant state, known as spores. 

 The active form is easily killed by a short boiling, but in 

 order to kill the spores, a longer boiling is necessary. Fruits 

 are easily canned ; vegetables require more care. Lack of 

 success in canning vegetables is often due to failure to boil 

 long enough to kill these spores. 



Cold-pack method of canning. The process of canning 

 has now been made so simple that it can be carried on in the 

 home with inexpensive apparatus. The first steps are the 

 preparation of the products to be canned and the cleaning 

 of the containers. It is better to can the products within 

 a few hours after they are picked. For home use glass jars 

 are best. The jars should be thoroughly cleaned and kept 

 in a dish of hot water. 



In the cold-pack method, there are five steps : (i) blanch- 

 ing, (2) cold dipping, (3) packing, (4) processing, and (5) seal- 

 ing. Blanching consists in putting the products into boiling 

 water and allowing them to remain for a few minutes. This 

 time varies from one to fifteen minutes, depending on the 

 kind of product. The purpose of blanching in some cases is 

 to loosen the skins, as with tomatoes, in other cases to reduce 

 the bulk of the vegetable. The products may be placed in 

 a piece of cheesecloth or a wire basket made for the purpose. 

 Blanching is omitted in canning berries and soft fruits. 



The cold-dip serves three purposes : (i) to harden the 

 pulp under the skin so that the skin can be removed, (2) to 

 set the coloring matter, and (3) to make it easier to handle 

 the products in packing. 



The products are then packed in hot jars. Sirups are 

 added to fruits and hot water to vegetables. For seasoning, 

 a level teaspoonful of salt is added to each quart of vegetables. 



