COMMERCIAL CANNING OF FOODS. 15 



softened and broken if it is continued for a number of days. The writer has seen peas 

 stacked that were warm for three weeks after packing. Tomatoes become soft and 

 pulpy, and often turn a wahiut brown if stacked hot and the heat is retained. All 

 fruits become murky and lose theii' distinctive flavor and odor. Canned foods will 

 stand the high temperatm-e of summer very well, but as far as possible they should not 

 be placed in the hot sun nor kept in a very hot storeroom. The effect of moderate 

 heat is not nearly so marked as might be expected. 



Cold seema to have no ill effects upon canned goods unless it goes below the freezing 

 point. Most canned foods will stand a little freezing without appreciable change. 

 Repeated freezing and thawing cause the goods to become flabby and give a flat taste. 

 In all cases the interior of the cans shows a distinct attack upon the tin. With fruits 

 the coating of the cans is made to appear as though it were galvanized. Canned foods 

 will resist a fan- degi'ee of heat or cold without serious injury, but continued heat or a 

 very high temperature or repeated freezing and thawing, will cause deterioration in 

 quality. 



Foods properly prepared and kept under reasonably good conditions deteriorate very 

 slowly, so that cans can'ied from one year to another may be as good as, or better than, 

 the latest pack, depending upon the comparative quality of the fresh product used. 

 On general principles, however, it is desirable that a product should not be carried 

 over several seasons. The amount of tin dissolved also increases with time, which is 

 an additional reason for not holding canned goods any longer than is absolutely 

 necessary. 



COST OF CANNED FOODS COMPARED WITH FRESH. 



In making a comparison of the cost of canned and fresh products of the same kind, 

 a number of factors must be taken into consideration. First, the cost of the raw 

 material and the waste when piu-chased in the small quantity used in a single meal; 

 second, the cost of labor and preparation used in making it ready for the table. It 

 is obvious that a comparison can not be made for time, as the canned article may 

 be had throughout the year and the fresh for only a limited season, and purchase 

 of a product out of season is usually at a high cost. In making a pxirchase of either 

 the fresh or canned article, the smaller the quantity, the higher the price; food 

 bought by the single can costs more than if bought by the dozen cans or case, as 

 does the half peck of apples compared vrith. the bushel or barrel. Take, for example, 

 a No. 3 and a No. 10 can of whole apples; the former usually retails for 10 cents and 

 the latter for 25 to 30 cents. Those who can use the latter have a decided advan- 

 tage, as it will contain between four and five times as much as the former. 



There in a vast difference in canned foods, and, as in many other lines of commerce, 

 the cheapest in price is oft^.-n tlic most expensive. The can of water-packed tomatoes, 

 the green hard ])earH, the handful of berries in a pint of water, or poor-quality beans 

 di.s{(ui.s<'d with tomato dre.s.sing and offered at a low price, wlien measured by their 

 Uxxl vahie are tlio liighest. Goods which are strictly standard should give the best 

 UxA value for the cfjst. Vhah, corn, beans, and tomatoes which are good field run, 

 hut which la<;k the uniformity and niceties which are necessary for the fancy article, 

 will liavc all the nutritive pro]»erti{!.H, and be just as palatal)le, but cost several cents 

 less per dozen. There is rnufli that is pure fad in the j)urchaHe of canned foods; 

 the aMj»ardigu.H must ])<: whit<; and tlwj few(!Ht pfwsiljje stalks in a can; the green is 

 jiL-<t -dH gofxl and a medium number of stalks furnish a more edibh; J)r()du<;t. The 

 little [K;aH are, naturally, the costly ones, for Ichh than 5 jx-r cent are of that kind; 

 the largo ones are the better flavorful and men; nutritious, and oiui-tliird tlic; cost. 

 Similar exami)leH mit^dit \><t c'lU-A of a number of other ])rodu(:tH. ('anned foods 

 should be jjurchased by tlie dozen or case, straight or in mixed lots, rather than by 

 sioglo caiM. 



