102 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



October, 1914- 



SUGGESTIONS FOR. 



THE HOME TABLE 



Cotid'ucteW ^&J> 



EFFIE M . RJDBINSON 



Canning Vegetables by the Cold- 

 Pack Method 



ANY vegetable or fruit that grows can be canned 

 by the cold-pack method. It requires little 

 time and much less labor than the old open kettle way. 

 It is not even necessary to have sound, unblemished 

 products. It isn't possible to can a poor string bean 

 and have a high-grade product when the can is opened 

 next winter, but it is possible to keep cold-packed 

 products in the same state in which they are canned; 

 that is, over-ripe, spotted fruit will still be over-ripe 

 and spotted after canning, but it will not spoil. 



Two things only are necessary in canning. First, 

 to sterilize the product and so kill whatever bacteria may 

 be present; second, to seal the sterilized product so 

 that no other bacteria can get in. 



Take sweet corn, for instance; to get the best results, 

 the corn should be canned immediately after picking, 

 within a half hour if possible. It will keep and be 

 fairly good, if you buy it in the market and can the 

 next day, but it is best and surest of keeping nicely 

 if it is picked and canned during the same half-day. 



CANNING CORN AT HOME 



First Gather it with the husks on and a good bit of the stalk 



stem. 



Second Husk, silk, and grade for size and ripeness. Unripe prod- 

 ucts need longer processing than ripe ones, and in order 

 to get it cooked just right, all the corn in one can should 

 be of the same degree of ripeness. 



Third Put the clean ears in a kettle of boiling water and let them 

 blanch for from five to fifteen minutes according to the 

 degree of ripeness. 



Fourth Take out of blanch, plunge in cold water for a few seconds, 

 and pack at once. 



Fifth If it is to be canned on the cob, pack in large two quart 



cans — any style that will seal — packing one ear, butt 

 down, the next, tip down, and so on. This is for con- 

 venience in packing and saves room, as this way, you can 

 get more in a jar. 



Sixth Add i teaspoon of salt per quart. 



Seventh Fill the can one third full of water. (Some packers fill the 

 can full. Others think this makes the corn taste watery, 

 and prefer to fill the can only about one third full. Ex- 

 periment and see which way you like it best.) 



Eighth Put the rubber and cover in place and screw the cover 

 down loosely. A good guide is to use the thumb and 

 little finger only and whenever the cover catches, stop. 

 The cover should not be tight. 



Ninth Process as per directions below. 



Processing is just another name for sterilizing, or 

 cooking to kill bacteria. 



Have ready a vessel twelve to fifteen inches deep. 

 A large kettle, a pail, or for canning in quantities, a 

 boiler, will do. Be sure that it is scrupulously clean. 



If you are to do much canning, it pays to buy a 

 regular canning outfit. They are not expensive and 

 one will easily pay for itself in a season in the time, 

 heat, labor, and temper saved. 



Make a false bottom for this vessel. Wire screening 

 or lath may be used. If boards are used they should 

 be perforated. This bottom should rest on slats so 

 that it is one to one and one half inches above the 

 bottom of the kettle, so as to prevent the bottom of 

 the jars getting too hot and breaking, or causing the 

 contents to exhaust under the lid. 



As each can is filled, set it in the boiler with the 

 boiler cover off to keep warm until the whole pack is 

 ready. Have the water in the boiler hot, but not boiling, 

 so there will be less danger of breaking the cans when 

 setting them in. Dip them a little, then lift them, dip 

 again, once or twice, to heat them, then let them down 

 gently into the water. 



Cover the jars at least one inch above the top with 

 the hot water. Leave the boiler cover off a few minutes 

 until the cans get warmed through; then cover, and 

 heat to the boiling point as rapidly as possible. 



As soon as the boiling point is reached, begin to 

 count time and keep the water boiling for four hours. 

 Do not begin to count time until the boiling point is 

 reached. 



If you have a good reservoir which can be kept at 

 the boiling point and the weather is not too warm to 

 use the range, use the reservoir for processing. 



With a wood fire it is necessary to be very careful 

 that the water never stops boiling. With a gasolene 

 or kerosene stove, when the boiling point is reached, 

 regulate the burner to keep the heat at that point and 

 it will need no further attention. 



When the time is up, turn the fire off, let set a minute, 

 then uncover, dip the water out until the cans can be 

 reached, then lift them out, tighten the covers, and set 

 aside to cool. 



Do not set them too close together or they will hold 

 heat and keep on cooking. If canning in glass, wrap 

 the cans before putting them away. This excludes 

 light and keeps the product in better condition. 



If the corn is to be cut off the cob, proceed in the 



Graduate oftRe XationdPlmmmff Scffoot 

 / ofCooiery, X^oncfon, (£rt<fian<f? 



same way, only, after blanching, cut the corn off drawing 

 the knife from the top toward the butt of the ear so as 

 to get all of the chit or germ which is the best flavored 

 and the most nutritious part of the ear. 



If the corn is intended for sale, do not scrape the ear 

 into the pack as that will give it a milky appearance and 

 lower its commercial value. The portion scraped from 

 the ear may be canned for soup. 



Pack the cut corn, salt, add water only about one- 

 third of the way to the top, cover, and process as above. 



With a home-made outfit, canning corn is a slow 

 process. An outfit such as you can buy, which will 

 maintain the heat two or three degrees above the boiling 

 point, requires less time to process, and a steam outfit 

 requires only one hour. 



As corn requires so long to sterilize, it is economy to 

 have a number of cans ready at once. But it is well 

 to experiment with a small amount first, so as to be sure 

 of each step. 



If you have never used the cold pack method, ex- 

 periment with a small quantity of tomatoes. 



RECEIPT FOR CANNING ANY VEGETABLE 



1. Select fresh, firm, ripe product 



2. Wash clean j 



3. Blanch per time table 



4. Dip in cold water 



5. If desired, remove skins and cut to convenient size 



6. Pack 



7. Add 1 level spoonful salt per quart, or 1 rounded spoon of J 



salt and f sugar 



8. Add water 

 Put cover in place. If tin, seal 

 Process per time table, Count time after boiling point is 



reached. If using home-made outfit have water one inch 

 above top of can. 



11. If glass, tighten cover. 



12. Invert to cool and test joint. 



13. Wrap, if glass; label, if tin. 



CANNING FRUITS 



All fruits may be canned by the same method. They 

 do not need to be blanched unless it is desired to skin 

 them, as in the case of peaches, or, they are very tart, 

 as apples. 



In place of adding salt and water, pour over fruits 

 a hot syrup; or if you prefer to can without sweetening, 

 add 1 teaspoon sugar per quart and fill can with water. 



Any fruit jars or bottles which can be sealed will do. 

 For convenience in handling, tin cans are preferred by 

 (Continued on page 104) 



9- 

 IO. 



Renders tbe food finer and more digestible. 

 Absolutely Pure 



Contains no Alum 



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Circulation Department 



GARDEN CITY 



NEW YORK 



All foods advertised in this department have been tested and approved by Effie M. Robinson. They are also sold and recommended by the Doubleday, Page & Co. Cooperative Store 



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