64 BULLETIN 196, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



Succotash. 



Succotash is a mixture of green com and green beans, the Lima bean being the one 

 generally used. Succotash has also been made from green corn and soaked beans, 

 as in most places the com and beans will not come to maturity at the same time. The 

 flavor of succotash made from good com and strictly green beans is better or more 

 delicate than that made with dried beans; otherwise the latter is in no way inferior 

 to that made from the green bean; but when the dried bean is used the fact should 

 be indicated on the label. In the regular field run of Lima beans some will be further 

 advanced than others; while the pods may all be green, in blanching some of the 

 beans may turn white and on breaking they may appear mealy, and thus give the 

 appearance of being soaked when the can is opened. In fancy succotash these white 

 beans are picked out by hand. A succotash should consist of not less than 20 per cent 

 of beans, and in the high grades there is more nearly 40 per cent beans, either graded 

 or ungraded for size. The cut com and blanched beans are mixed, after which they 

 are treated in the same way as com, being given the same sugar and salt brine, pre- 

 liminary cooking, and process. The net weight in a No. 2 can should be not less than 

 20 ounces. 



Spinach (Spinacia oleracea). 



Spinach, which is of rather recent origin as an article of canned food, is growing 

 rapidly in favor. The plant is grown in drill rows or sown broadcast in fields. It is 

 harvested by cutting the entire plant close to the ground when the leaves are crisp 

 and tender, at which time it is about 10 inches high. There is a spring crop and a 

 fall crop, the quality being better when grown in the cool part of the season. 



The leaves are stripped apart by hand, the discolored, tough, and coarse portions 

 being removed. The next step is the washing, which must be most thorough, as the 

 presence of any sand or grit will be detected when the spinach is eaten. The washing 

 can be done best in a revolving cylinder after the style of a squirrel cage or blancher 

 in which there is a perforated pipe delivering sharp sprays of water. The spinach 

 should be fed in thin layers to insure the washing of all leaves. A test for thorough 

 washing is to empty a can into a white dish and carefully separate the leaves, when 

 •the sand will collect at the bottom. The spinach is blanched from 3 to 5 minutes, 

 after which it is filled into the cans by weight. During the filling it is again inspected 

 for discolored material. 



Experiments made consisted in filling No. 2J cans with 475, 560, 640, and 700 grams 

 (17, 20, 23, and 25 ounces). The 475 grams made the can only about two-thirds full, 

 and on the cut-out gave 415 grams of solids and 360 grams of liquid. It was manifestly 

 slack filled. The cans receiving 560 grams lacked 1 inch of being full, while on the 

 cut-out the soUds weighed 515 grams and the liquid 245 grams. The can had the 

 appearance of being loosely packed. The cans receiving 640 grams were nearly level 

 full; on the cut-out the solids weighed 580 grams and the liquid 225 grams. The 

 appearance was that of being slightly too full, as the liquid did not quite cover and 

 there was some browning on the outside. The cans receiving 700 grams were hard- 

 packed; on the cut-out they gave 630 grams of solids and 170 of liquid. The can was 

 overfilled, the product was browned on the outside, and about 25 per cent of this fill 

 were not sterile, as the mass was so dense that the heat failed to penetrate to the 

 center. These experiments would indicate that the proper fill is about 600 grams. 



The cans are thoroughly exhausted and then processed for from 35 to 40 minutes 



at 235° F. 



Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas). 



Canning sweet potatoes is of rather recent origin, but the rapid growth of the business 

 shows how readily a cheap food will be taken because of the cleanly manner in which 

 it reaches the consumer and the elimination of waste in handling. The sweet potato 



