HOW TO COOPERATE IN DRYING AND 



CANNING 



WAR has made it imperative that 

 every ounce of foodstuffs produced 

 in this country be utilized. Food 

 will win the war: and the adequacy 

 of our food supply depends very largely 

 upon how well we conserve our summer 

 surplus of fruits and vegetables. Hence 

 canning and drying have become patriotic 

 duties of the very greatest importance. 



Every patriotic American woman should 

 can or dry enough food for her family needs 

 for the winter. 



The quantity of garden products grown in 

 America this summer will be enormous. 

 In order that all possible may be saved, it 

 will be necessary to organize for conservation, 

 just as it has been found essential to organize 

 for production. On a rising scale as to the 

 size of operations mutual canning may be 

 divided into three classes: 



i — Two or more families working together 

 with equipment bought or made for the use 

 of all. 



2 — Neighborhoods organized through a 

 Women's Club, Church or some existing 

 neighborhood organization. 



3 — Communities, organized through the 

 local Council of Defense, the Mayor's Com- 

 mittee, the Chamber of 

 Commerce or the Wom- 

 en's Club. 



Through neighbor- 

 hood work any number 

 of families from two to 

 fifty may work along the 

 lines of mutual canning 

 and drying. One set of 

 apparatus will serve for 

 all. The cost, thus di- 

 vided, will be small for 

 each household. The 

 results will be of vast 

 value, as each family 

 will thus be prepared to 

 feed itself next winter 

 and he who feeds him- 

 self feeds the nation. 



A neighborhood club 

 is easily formed. It con- 

 sists of a number of 

 women, united by orga- 

 nization, for the purpose 

 of canning and drying, and using a common 

 standard. In the simplest sense this need 

 not be an organization at all. All that is 

 necessary is for two or more households to 

 agree on working together in the purchase 

 and use of equipment. A canner costing 

 $25 to #50 will serve for small families. If 

 six households use it the initial cost is but 

 $4.25 to $8.33 per family. A drier for the 

 use of several families may be bought for #25 

 or #30. 



Before it can successfully enter upon this 

 new business, the community must know 

 approximately how much business will be 

 done, what supplies will be needed, how much 

 work will be necessary, who will do the 

 work, etc. From home gardeners some esti- 

 mate may be had of the probable production 

 and the ordinary demand. From the facts 

 so ascertained, it will be possible to make a 

 working estimate of probable surplus and 

 plan accordingly. 



part of the work of a central organization, 

 such as the local Council of Defense, the 

 Committee of Public Safety, the Mayor's 

 Committee, the Chamber of Commerce or a 

 leading Women's Club. It is inadvisable to 

 form separate organizations to carry on dif- 

 ferent phases of community war work. 

 Where possible all activities should be centred 

 and controlled through separate committees. 

 Just as publicity is necessary to the success 

 of. a war loan drive, or a Red Cross drive, so 

 publicity is essential in launching the move- 

 ment for community food conservation. 

 The support of the public press is a prime 

 requisite. The pulpit should be enlisted as 

 well. Through the public schools the 

 children, particularly boys and girls of high 

 school age, can be reached effectively. Valu- 

 able publicity may also be had through the 

 moving picture theatres, the managers of 

 which will cheerfully cooperate. 



U^OLLOWING the preliminary campaign 

 ■*■ a public meeting should be held for 

 the actual working out of plans for com- 

 munity action. If a central organization is 

 not directing the movement, a permanent 

 committee should be appointed to conduct 



determined is that of location. This should 

 be central and suitable to the purpose. 

 Wherever possible, school kitchens should 

 be utilized. They are already thoroughly 

 equipped and mostly are unused during the 

 summer time. Last year a good sized city 

 in central Pennsylvania used the kitchen of a 

 centrally located church. 



If quarters are not already equipped, it 

 will be necessary to install the proper outfit 

 and the extent of this outfit, will be deter- 

 mined by the prospective amount of work 

 to be done. That will be determined from 

 the preliminary garden survey. It may be 

 necessary also to raise an operating fund. 

 If it is, connection with the local Council 

 of Defense will be found especially desirable. 



'T V HE equipment needed is in no way 

 ■*■ complicated. A community steam pres- 

 sure canner may be bought for from $36 to 

 #90 giving capacity of 100 to 500 quart jars 

 per day. A drier with capacity for a large 

 number of families may be made by local 

 women. Working suggestions for actual 

 construction are given in "Home Canning 

 and Drying of Vegetables and Fruits" issued 

 by the National War Garden Commission and 

 can be had on request. 



The manager must be 

 a person of trained ex- 

 ecutive ability. Women 

 who are experienced in 

 club work and manage- 

 ment will often prove 

 most acceptable leaders. 

 There must be one or 

 more domestic science 

 experts to instruct the 

 workers and see that 

 the canning is done ac- 

 cording to standard. 

 There should be a 

 checker, to keep account 

 of products, a book- 

 keeper, and many work- 



A rural cooperative fruit and vegetable market in which "no commissions" is the rule 



the campaign. In many communities the 

 United States Department of Agriculture 

 will have demonstrators available who will 

 be helpful in organizing and supervising the 

 work. In other communities expert super- 

 vision should be procured. Domestic Science 

 teachers in public or private schools may be 

 procured. The State Experiment Station, 

 State Agricultural College or County Agent 

 can usually place a community in touch with 

 supervisors. In some communities, in 1917, 

 a few women were selected to take special 

 courses in canning at the High School and 

 give demonstrations to their neighbors. 



The actual canning or drying can be ac- 

 complished in any one of several different 

 ways. The community cannery offers ad- 

 vantages in the way of organization and 

 concentration. It centres all the community's 

 efforts in one plan. It makes it easier to col- 

 lect and distribute products than when the work 

 is done in different centres or in various homes. 



PREFERABLY the food conservation TF IT is decided to have a community can- 

 ^ activities of a community should form *• nery or drier the first question to be 



224 



T1/-HEN all the com- 

 * * munity surplus is 

 to be conserved, provis- 

 ion must be made for 

 collecting the excess of small gardens. A com- 

 munity cannery in the East solved this prob- 

 lem by organizing a motor collection service 

 with motor-cars lent for that purpose. Small 

 garden surpluses and the excess of suburban 

 gardens were delivered by producers on 

 certain days at convenient centres and from 

 there brought to the central cannery by this 

 motor service, which made collections with 

 all the regularity of a railroad. 



One of the difficulties encountered in the 

 community cannery is the question of workers. 

 It is hardly practicable or possible to pay the 

 workers, at least in cash. In some places 

 payment has been allowed in canned fruits, 

 a credit of so much per hour being allowed 

 to these workers. And unless workers are 

 paid, they are quite likely to take their 

 duties too lightly and be unreliable. One 

 community cannery solved the labor problem 

 by appointing a different woman to be 

 responsible for the help on each day of the 

 week. Each of these women secured vol- 

 unteers who offered to work on given days 

 each week during the entire season. 



