242 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



There are several varieties of patent steamers or steam cookers 

 in common use. These have either one or two doors and hold a 

 dozen or more quart jars. They are ideal for canning, but they are 

 somewhat expensive and can be easily dispensed with. A common 

 ham boiler or clothes boiler with a tight-fitting cover will answer 

 every purpose. (F. B. 359.) 



Selection and Preparation of Vegetables. The first step in suc- 

 cessful canning is the selection and preparation of the vegetables. 

 Never attempt to can any vegetable that has matured and com- 

 menced to harden or one that has begun to decay. As a general rule, 

 young vegetables are superior in flavor and texture to the more ma- 

 ture ones. This is especially true of string beans, okra, and aspar- 

 agus. Vegetables are better if gathered in the early morning while 

 the dew is still on them. If it is impossible to can them immediately, 

 do not allow them to wither, but put them in cold water, or in a cold, 

 damp place and keep them crisp until you are ready for them. Do 

 your canning in a well-swept and well-dusted room. This will tend 

 to reduce the number of spores floating about and lessen the chances 

 of inoculation. 



STORING. 



The assortment of vegetables which can be made available for 

 winter use is much larger than is ordinarily supposed. No less than 

 thirty distinct kinds of vegetables can be preserved for winter use 

 by proper methods of storing, canning, and pickling. Of these, at 

 least twenty may be kept in the fresh state, without canning or 

 pickling. Besides the staple crop, potatoes, the list includes the root 

 crops (beets, carrots, horse-radish, parsnips, winter radish, rutabaga, 

 salsify, turnips), kohl-rabi, cabbage, celery, leeks, chicory, parsley, 

 onions, dry beans, pumpkins, squashes and sweet potatoes. The 

 vegetables most commonly canned are rhubarb, tomatoes, corn, peas 

 and string beans; those commonly preserved by pickling are cauli- 

 flower, cucumbers (both green and ripe), citron, green peppers and 

 green tomatoes. 



When vegetables are to be canned or pickled, it is not usually 

 necessary to grow them especially for that purpose, except to make 

 sure that a suitable variety is planted in sufficient quantity. When 

 the vegetables have reached the right stage of maturity and the 

 supply is abundant, part of the crop is simply canned or pickled 

 without special regard to the particular time in the season it may 

 be done. However, with vegetables to be preserved in the fresh state 

 for winter use it is essential that they be planted at such a time that 

 they will reach the right stage of development at the proper season 

 for storing. This means that in the case of some of the crops they 

 will be planted considerably later than if designed for summer use, 

 since the product is of better quality if not allowed to continue 

 growth after reaching the desired stage of development, and this stage 

 should not be reached before the arrival of the storage season. Since 

 most vegetables usually keep best if put into storage comparatively 

 late, it should be the aim of the gardener to mature the vegetables for 



