.Tri.v, IPII 



GLiEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



537 



the jars completely. The water will not en- 

 ter them. Cover the kettle tightly; remove 

 it from the range, and go about your way 

 rejoicing. When the water is cold, remove 

 the jars, tighten the caps, and invert to 

 make sure of no leak. If j^ref erred you 

 may can the small fruits as you do the 

 larger ones; but the foregoing method has 

 been thoroly tested, and the product pro- 

 nounced delicious by all who have sani{)led 

 it. 



CAXNIXG LARGE FRUITS. 



For the larger fruits it is advisable to 

 jDroceed somewhat differently. You may 

 blanch them before peeling if you choose, 

 but it is not essential. Peel and cut 

 up the fruit in convenient pieces and 

 pack in clean scalded jars. The jars do not 

 need the ten-minute stei'ilization for this 

 method — pour in syrup to overflowing, have 

 the rubbers in jDlace, and adjust the caps 

 loosely as before. This time have a false 

 bottom of coarse wire netting, lattice work, 

 or slats in the kettle or boiler. Place the 

 filled cans on it and cover with boiling water 

 as before; bring the water to a boil, and 

 sterilize the required length of time accord- 

 ing to the table furnished by the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture. Count from the 

 time the water begins to boil. When the 

 time is up, remove the jars, tighten the 

 tops, and invert to be certain they are air- 

 tight. Keep the hot jars out of a draft 

 unless you want to hear the glass crack. 



VEGETABLES. 



Until recently-, in order to can most vege- 

 tables successfully it was supposed to be 

 necessary to sterilize them in the jai-s two 

 or three hours for several days in succession 

 — a process so tedious that most of us hesi- 

 tated before undertaking it. The new way 

 is to blanch the vegetables and some fruits, 

 and then pack in jars and sterilize the re- 

 quired length of time. Blanching consists 

 in immereing the clean but unpeeled vege- 

 tables in boiling water for some minutes, 

 and then plunging them in and out of cold 

 water. This treatment destroys most of 

 the bacteria which cause vegetables to spoil, 

 and obviates the necessity for intermittent 

 sterilization. It also shrinks the vegetables 

 a little, thus permitting you to get moi'e in 

 the cans. After blanching, peel, cut up, 

 and pack in cans, adding about one tea- 

 spoon of salt to each quart can; pour in 

 boiling water to overflowing and sterilize 

 according to the table. The following table 

 is for the hot-water-bath eanner, such as I 

 have been describing, home-made or com- 

 mercial. A water-seal or steam-pressure 

 outfit shortens the time of sterilization, but 

 does no better work. 



TIME-TABLE FOR CANNING. 



Apricots, peaches, rhubarb, blanch 1 to 2 

 min., sterilize 16 min. Berries and small 

 fruits, do not blanch, sterilize 16 min. 

 Apples and pears, blanch IV2 min., sterilize 

 20 min. Pineapple, blanch 10 min., stei ilize 

 'AO min. Quince, blanch 6 min., sterilize 40 

 min. Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauli- 

 flower, beans, lima or string, okra and peas, 

 blanch 5 min., sterilize 120 min. Greens of 

 ^ill sorts, blanch 15 min., sterilize 120 min. 

 Roots and tubers, blanch 6 minutes, steril- 

 ize 90 min. Tomatoes, blanch 1 to 3 min., 

 sterilize 22 min. Corn, blanch 5 min., ster- 

 ilize 180 min. Pumpkin, squash, and cab- 

 bage, blanch 5 min., sterilize 90 min. 



You will notice vegetables need a much 

 longer period of sterilization than fruits; 

 but as you do not have to prepare a sticky 

 S3'ruiJ they are really no more work. And 

 if you have that delightful garden I urged 

 you to make, you can put up a can or two 

 of surplus vegetables while getting a meal 

 and hardly miss the time. Vegetables are 

 like fish in one respect. You know the 

 sooner a fish is cooked after being taken 

 from the water, the better. In the same 

 Avay the sooner a vegetable is cooked or 

 canned after being gathered, the finer it is. 



THE CONVENIENCE OF HOME-CANNED FOODS. 



Next fall, when you survey your store- 

 room shelves filled with delicious canned 

 fruits and vegetables, your handiwork, a 

 glow of satisfaction will permeate your 

 whole being. When the man of the house 

 telephones half an hour before dinner to 

 know if he may bring home a business 

 friend — of course no considerate husband 

 would bring a guest absolutely without 

 notice — your consent will be both prompt 

 and cordial. Your home-canned vegetables 

 and fruits will round out your dinner menu 

 more acceptably than anything you could 

 buy from a city delicatessen store. And, of 

 course, don't forget a section or jar of honey 

 made by your own bees. 



USE HONEY IN YOUR CANNING. 



On account of the scarcity of sugai', why 

 not use honey as a substitute for sugar in 

 your canned fruits? The method I gave 

 for canning berries and small fruits is ideal 

 for the use of honey, as there is no prolong- 

 ed cooking at a high temperature to injure 

 the flavor of the honey. It will also give 

 good results with the second method, there 

 being no danger of scorching when the cook- 

 ing is done in the can. As honey is a 

 syrup all you need do is to mix it with 

 water, as sweet as preferred, bring it to a 

 boil and pour at once over the fruit in the 

 cans. 



