66 BULLETIN 123, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ture for use in the home-canning work in the South. In the home- 

 canning work in the Northern and Western States, on the other 

 hand, simpler and cheaper methods have been used with marked 

 success. The one preferred and now in general use is known as the 

 cold-pack method. In this method the vegetables are first blanched 

 in live steam for a few moments, then plunge quickly into cold water, 

 from which they are removed and packed in the containers. A little 

 salt and hot water is added immediately, the containers sealed (glass 

 jars partially, tin cans completely), and processed for a period of 

 time, depending upon the outfit used and the product being canned. 

 (Ref. No. 6.) 



Vegetables should, if possible, be canned the same day they are 

 gathered. 



Where the source of the vegetables is uncertain it is a safeguard 

 to blanch or parboil them in well-salted water and drain thoroughly 

 before packing them in the jars for either the fractional or the 

 continuous process. A small quantity of cooking soda may be added 

 to the water in which string beans are parboiled and which is not 

 used in the canning process. As vegetables are salted before serv- 

 ing, from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of salt is frequently added to 

 each jar. 



The relative economy of the use of fresh vegetables and canned 

 ones involves many problems, including convenience, value of time 

 and labor, as well as variety and quality of the foods. 



Compare canned green peas with fresh ones in the pods out of 

 season and the advantage is with those from the can as to quality 

 as well as cost. But canned or fresh at the lowest rates for either are 

 expensive compared with the amount of nutriment obtainable for the 

 same money from the dry green or split yellow peas. 



To illustrate this matter in detail: A 15-cent (pint) can of Lima 

 beans yielded 150 beans. The same number of dried Lima beans, 

 which are a common domestic as well as a commercial product in 

 some localities, would weigh a little over 5 ounces, or a third of a 

 pound, and measure less than 1 cupful. The cost of these beans was 

 9 cents per pound. In other words, the dried beans would cost 3 or 

 4 times less than the canned beans, and with a fair allowance for fuel 

 and labor the total cost, when prepared for the table, would be less 

 than one-half that of the canned beans. 



The larger the family the greater the gain in the use of such dried 

 beans, for even at wholesale rates the cost of the canned would be 

 greater than that of dry beans plus the labor and fuel required for 

 the preparation of the latter. 



However, both kinds are wholesome and palatable. Knowing this 

 the housekeeper can choose according to her circumstances and pref- 

 erences. 



