Peppers from a 10"^ salt and 5 ( ~ ( vinegar 

 solution 



Peppers from a 10^ salt brine. 

 gar used 



No vine- 



Coin from brine. Not as good as can- 

 ning 



Beets kept four months in 10% salt and 

 5% vinegar 



Preserving Vegetables With Salt e. l. kirkpatrick 



Easy and Inexpensive Way of Handling a Great Variety of Products — Specific Directions Given as the Result of Careful Ex- 

 periment and Trials Made Last Year 



[Editor's Note: This present article amplifies the material on canning and drying in the June number and together with the article on page 2q8 

 gives cur readers a complete manual of crop conservation for home use.] 



THERE are certain advantages in salt- 

 ing as a means of handling the surplus 

 of the garden, although canning, dry- 

 ing, or cellar storing are better known. 

 The process is simple; equipment is inexpen- 

 sive; and certain desirable flavors may, in 

 some cases, be added to the product. Pro- 

 duce packed between layers of salt or covered 

 with a salt brine of sufficient strength to 

 prevent bacterial action is easily kept for late 

 winter and spring use. 



t~^ ATHER the produce when it is in best con- 

 ^-* dition for use in the fresh state, preferably 

 just before it is fully matured; wash thor- 

 oughly and peel or trim such vegetables as 

 cauliflower or kohlrabi. Fit the produce 

 snugly into earthenware jars, between thin 

 layers of salt and place a layer of leaves of the 

 grape, horse radish, or Swiss chard over the top. 

 After storing the filled container in its final 

 place, preferably in a cool darkened cellar, 

 pour on water or brine to cover its contents. 

 If dry salt has been used in packing, water 

 only, added a day later, may suifice, other- 

 wise a 5 to io per cent, salt brine must be used 

 immediately. Weight the produce under the 

 solution with a clean stone resting on an in- 

 verted china or earthenware plate fitted 

 closely inside the jar. 



Keep the product covered with liquid con- 

 tinually in order that molds do not form. If 

 desired, pour over the surface of the brine a 

 thin coating of cottonseed oil or of melted par- 

 affin to prevent molds and check evaporation. 



Soaking Salted Vegetables for Use 



ON REMOVING vegetables from the brine, 

 rinse well in cold water, then soak in sev- 

 eral times their own measure of cold water to 

 draw out excess salt. Y ary the time of soak- 

 ing according to the kind of vegetable and to 

 the strength of the brine used. In order to 

 save time, change the water occasionally. 

 Drain the soaked product, rinse well, and start 

 to cook in cold water; bring slowly to the boil- 

 ing point, and continue cooking slowly until 

 the product is tender. 



Beets. Select medium size, smooth roots, wash and pack 

 firmly in a container. Add a solution made by dissolving f 

 pound salt in I gallon water and ^ pint vinegar. Weight con- 

 tents down as directed above. 



Cabbage preserved in salt. Packed in jars it will keep in- 

 definitely 



Kraut making. Cabbage shredded and ready to be put 

 into the storage jar 



For use, soak in cold water for two hours, changing water 

 once or twice to remove salt. (Long soaking causes loss of 

 color.) Cook until tender, peel and serve as buttered or pickled 

 beets, or use in salads. 



Where the proper facilities are available for storing beets, 

 that is a cool moist cellar, where roots will keep without wilting, 

 salting has no practical advantages. 



Beans. Choose fresh, tender beans of green podded varieties. 

 Snip off ends, wash and pack in an earthenware jar with alter- 

 nate layers of salt, using I part to io parts beans by weight. 

 Two days after contents are weighted down, add enough IO per 

 cent, salt solution to fill the jar. 



For use, soak for 2-3 hours, and cook until tender. Season 

 with bacon, salt pork or butter and serve as fresh beans; or chill 

 and use in making salad. 



With Salt and Sugar. Prepare as described above and 

 pack in containers between alternate layers of salt and sugar, 

 one cup of each to seven cups beans. The brine produced by 

 the action of salt and sugar on the produce will cover the con- 

 tents of the jar, three days following the packing. Beans kept 

 thus hold their color much better than those preserved with salt 

 only. They require practically the same amount of soaking and 

 may be cooked in the usual manner. While the bru-ht green 

 color is retained, the flavor is considered by some as less, agree- 

 able than that of the beans preserved with salt only. 



Cabbage-Kraut. Cut each head from its stalk just above 

 the loose outer leaves, trim and cut in halves lengthwise. Re- 

 move cores from halves with a sharp knife. Cut the cored half 

 heads into long fine shreds on a kraut cutting board. While 

 earthenware jars make the best type containers for curing kraut, 

 straight-sided wooden casks made of cypress or white pine will 

 answer, if a layer of loose cabbage or grape leaves be placed in 

 the bottom. Approximately 75 pounds of shredded cabbage 

 (the equivalent of 100 pounds of trimmed heads) are needed to 

 fill a \z gallon container. 



Place a layer of shreds, i to 6 inches deep, in the bottom of the 

 jar and add table salt at the rate of I pound to each 40 gallons 

 of kraut, a light sprinkling only on each layer of cabbage. Tamp 

 or bruise with a clean, wooden weight until the cabbage appears 

 to be quite juicy. Add other layers, each salted and bruised, 

 until the jars are completely filled. Lay a quantity of cabbage 



22 



leaves, thoroughly rinsed, over the tamped cabbage, fit cover 

 inside of container and place a clean stone on to weight down 

 the contents as the curing progresses. Store the jar or cask in 

 any out-of-the-way place where the temperature ranges at or 

 slightly above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, for curing. Tie several 

 layers of chees loth over the jar as a protection against dust 

 and flies. 



Allow four to six weeks' time for curing at the temperature 

 stated. Earlier in season with temperature averaging 70—75 

 degrees, less time will be needed, usually 2 to 5 weeks. Kraut is 

 completely cured when bubbles cease to rise at the surface of 

 the liquor. It is ready for use a week later. Discard the cab- 

 bage leaves and a thin layer of softened kraut from the top of the 

 jar. When properly cured, the product is of rich j r ellow color 

 and may be taken from the jar as needed, if sufficient liquor is 

 left to keep the remainder continually covered. 



Cauliflower. Select firm tender heads; separate into parts or 

 branches, wash, pack firmly in a jar, and cover with a brine 

 made by dissolving three fourths pound salt in 1 gallon water 

 and \ pint vinegar. Cover with a layer of chard leaves and 

 weight the contents under the solution. The product will be 

 firm, white, and adapted for pickles and salads with little or no 

 cooking. For other uses, rinse well in cold water and cook until 

 tender, about 20—30 minutes. 



Cucumbers. Harvest all cucumbers large enough for pickling* 

 Use a sharp knife for harvesting and leave a short stem attached 

 to each fruit. Cut misshapen and spotted fruits, but discard 

 them. Cucumbers one or two inches long, known as "gherkins," 

 make excellent sweet pickles. Those three to five inches in 

 length may be pickled as soon as gathered, or they may be put 

 down in brine until more time is available. 



Place a layer of the fruits in the bottom of an earthenware 

 jar and cover them with a layer of salt. Continue with alter- 

 nate layers of cucumbers and salt till all the fruit is used. Cover 

 the whole with well washed grape or horse radish leaves, to pre- 

 vent the upper layer of fruits from moulding. Place a cover on 

 top and weight it down securely. Later, add enough water to 

 cover the fruit completely with brine of sufficient strength to 

 float an egg. Remove plate and leaves and add other layers of 

 cucumbers and salt»as the crop is harvested from day to day. 



Another method of "brining" cucumbers consists of using 

 six parts water, 1 part salt and 1 part cider vinegar. Pack fruits 

 securely in jar, add solution, cover with horse-radish or grape 

 leaves, and weight down with large stone on an inverted plate. 



Cucumber pickles. Remove from the brine cucumbers 

 salted as above and rinse in warm water. Soak in cold water for 

 three days, changing the water each day. Place in a porcelain 

 lined kettle with enough cider vinegar to cover and heat to the 

 boiling point, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Drai* 



A shredding board is a convenience when any great quan- 

 tity of cabbage is to be handled 



