METHODS AND PROCESSES. 21 



table tops to expedite the work. Berries are picked, stemmed, and 

 defects picked out, when graded, to save handling. 



WABIIIM;. 



The next operation is generally that of washing, the method de- 

 pending upon the material canned. In general, most products are 

 placed in a tank of water to loosen adherent dust and dirt, are gently 

 rolled over by the agitation of the water, and sprayed as they emerge. 

 The spraying is the important step, therefore, it is desirable that the 

 water have force rather than a large volume. A small spray with 

 force will cut off dirt and adherent mold very successfully. The 

 principle is the same as cleaning a floor with a hose having a nozzle, 

 or with one having an open end; the former will use less water but 

 will clean better. Some hard-coated products, as peas, are washed 

 in revolving wire cylinders, known as " squirrel cages." Soft fruit, 

 such as raspberries, require very gentle washing, and if the fruit 

 appears clean some packers object to washing it at all, claiming that 

 it causes injury and loss of flavor. Whatever method is used, the 

 cleaning should be thorough. 



PREPARATION AND BLANCHING. 



Many of the fruits need no special preparation other than cleaning 

 and sorting, after which they are placed directly in the cans. 

 Peaches, apples, pears, etc., must be peeled and cut into pieces of the 

 proper size. Nearly all vegetables require more or less treatment; 

 peas are shelled, graded for size and quality, and washed and 

 blanched by automatic machinery; corn is cut, silked, brined, and 

 cooked ; beans are snipped and strung, graded for size, and blanched ; 

 asparagus is cut into lengths and blanched; sweet potatoes and beets 

 are peeled and graded, and so on. The operation of blanching is in 

 reality parboiling. Vegetables are dropped into boiling water for 

 from one to five minutes, as a rule, to cause softening, and at the 

 same time to remove some of the mucous substances which form 

 upon the surface. The effect produced by a short boiling in the open 

 as compared with boiling in the closed can is surprising. Peas or 

 beans, which are a little aged and hard, will soften quickly in the 

 blanch but retain their condition in the can. In almost any case of 

 very cheap peas some may be picked out which, if thrown upon a 

 table or the floor, will bounce a couple of feet or more. This is 

 evidence that they were not* properly blanched, and that softening 

 did not take place in the can. The operation of blanching is of much 

 importance in putting up good vegetables. It is not a matter of 

 whitening, as the name might seem to indicate, though it does have 

 the effect of producing a much clearer liquor than would otherwise 

 be present. 



