CANNING CLUBS 



1156 



CANNING CLUBS 



ANNING CLUBS are one evidence of 

 the established popularity of "team work" in 

 various modern activities. The spirit of busi- 

 ness organization, arising from the desire to 

 secure a higher grade of efficiency, has made 

 itself felt'in both the home and the school, and 

 as one result the domestic art of canning 

 fruits and vegetables has been placed on a sys- 

 tematic basis. There are in many communities 

 leagues of housewives and their daughters, 

 who put up fruits and vegetables according to 

 the most modern methods, who read bulletins 

 and other printed matter giving recipes, sug- 

 gestions and instruction, and who send their 

 produce in a spirit of friendly rivalry to local, 

 district or county fairs and festivals. A par- 

 ticularly-helpful feature of such clubs is the 

 custom of holding demonstrations and meetings 

 for discussion and interchange of views and 

 experiences. School canning clubs for the girls 

 are similarly organized, and these are as much 

 in favor as the boys' corn clubs. (The corn- 

 club movement is fully described in these vol- 

 umes in an appropriate subhead under the 

 heading CORN.) 



The benefits, both direct and indirect, derived 

 from organizing canning clubs are not hard to 

 find. The housewife who wishes to have a 

 bountiful supply of wholesome, nutritious 

 foods, put up in an attractive form and in 

 such a way that they will keep through the 

 winter, finds that it pays to learn the best and 

 quickest methods of canning. Working sys- 

 tematically and enjoying the advantages of 

 cooperation and of club discussions, she finds 

 herself growing more and more efficient and the 

 work increasingly interesting. Where mothers 

 and daughters belong to a club there results a 

 closer bond between them in the home activi- 

 ties, and the girls are provided with a useful 

 and helpful occupation in their spare hours. 

 School clubs and home clubs alike teach les- 



sons in economy and thrift, and in many cases 

 they prove to be a bond of union between the 

 home and the school. 



Equipment. Club members find that best 

 results are obtained when the utensils and other 

 equipment are carefully chosen and arranged 

 in an orderly way. The systematic worker has 

 a clock in a convenient position, for each step 

 of the process is timed, and within easy reach 

 there is a thermometer and a set of graduated 

 scales. She also does not forget her note book, 

 in which records are carefully written as the 

 work proceeds. Pans and tins, a canning boiler, 

 plenty of clean cloths and towels, an abundant 

 supply of pure, clean water, sharp coring and 

 paring knives, jars, tops, rubbers, labels, etc., 

 are of course essential. Tin cans with solder- 

 hemmed caps are used for putting up many 

 fruits and vegetables. Glass jars, tops and rub- 

 bers are kept in a pan of warm water on the 

 back of the stove until ready for use. For 

 canning all kinds of fruits and vegetables, 

 steam-pressure canners have been found most 

 successful. Steam under pressure raises the 

 heat to about 250 F., and makes possible com- 

 plete sterilization. A wash boiler, or other 

 vessel with a close-fitting top, can be turned 

 into a home canner by making a false bottom 

 with lifting handles. Such a device is adequate 

 for canning on a small scale, and is known as 

 a hot-water bath outfit. 



/ Definitions and Methods. The successful 

 canner must be familiar with several terms that 

 are peculiar to this household art. The more 

 important of these are here listed: 



Scalding. Dipping fruit in boiling water for 

 the purpose of removing the skin. 



Blanching. Boiling quickly in water. This 

 is done by placing fruit or vegetables in a cloth 

 bag and lowering it into the water. Purposes 

 to eliminate acids and other bitter substances ; 

 to reduce bulk of vegetable greens. 



Gold dipping- Plunging food products into 





