44 THE CANNING OF FOODS. 



hauled promptly to the cannery. It is essential that the work be 

 done promptly to insure a crisp article. A delay will cause a fine 

 product to become tough and stringy. At the factory the first opera- 

 tion is to turn the crate upon a sorting table, where the stalks are 

 sorted into five grades, based on size, also into two qualities, de- 

 pendent upon whether the stalks are wholly blanched or partially 

 green. A further sorting is made, dependent upon whether the 

 stems are straight or crooked. All the sorting is done by hand. 

 The five grades for size are known as giant, mammoth, large, medium, 

 and small, and these are based upon the number of stalks which will 

 go into a standard No. 2^ square can. With giant stalks about 14 

 are required; mammoth, 20 to 22; large, 30 to 33; medium, 40; and 

 small, 50. What are known as asparagus tips are put up in cans 

 just one-half the regular size, and about 30 per cent more stalks are 

 required to fill the can. What are known as hotel tips are the cut- 

 tings made in trimming the asparagus to size, and the whole stalks 

 which are crooked or deformed. The quality of these is just as good 

 as the other, though not so pleasing in appearance. Some of the 

 large asparagus is peeled, or stripped, as the operation is more prop- 

 erly called. 



After the grading the tips or stalks are cut in lengths to fit the 

 can, and then thoroughly washed in cold water. They are next 

 blanched in wire baskets, the stalks being held in position so that 

 they will not move about. The length of the blanch depends upon 

 the condition of the stalks, being a mere dip in hot water in some 

 cases, and as long as 3 minutes in case of advanced growth. On 

 coming out of the blanch they are dipped in or sprayed with cold 

 water to prevent softening, after which the cans are filled immedi- 

 ately. A light brine is used to fill the interspaces, the can exhausted, 

 the cap placed on, and a process of 240 F. given for 12 minutes. 

 The cans must be well cooled at once. 



A great deal of fancy is shown by the consuming public in buying 

 asparagus. The absolutely white is demanded, and brings a premium 

 of from 25 to 50 per cent in the market. The green is just as good 

 and in many instances better, though it does not look quite as attract- 

 ive, and the liquor is likely to have a more or lass cloudy appearance, 

 due in part to the breaking of tips and side buds. 



BEANS, GREEN (PHASEOLUS NANUS). 



String beans form a regular side dish at almost every hotel, and 

 they are generally the canned article. There is a large pack of beans 

 put up each year, and while hotels and restaurants were formerly 

 the principal buyers, a large demand for home use has been created 

 in the past few years. The beans raised for canning are produced 

 the same as for the market. The growth is best when the season is 



