June, 1918 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



237 



metal can touch the food. Last year's 

 jars must be carefully looked over 

 for notches or cracks, and the 

 covers fitted on properly. Discard 

 •defective jars now; it is not wise 

 to take a chance on spoiling the 

 contents. 



Use new rubber rings always. When 

 you open a jar, throw away the ring 

 so that you won't be tempted to 

 use it again. Don't ever economize 

 on rings. Always test new ones be- 

 fore using them. A good test is 

 to press the rubber between your 

 thumb and forefinger with a slight 

 pull. If it feels soft and spongy, 

 throw it away, but if springy and 

 "live" it is all right. Before you 

 start the actual work get all your 

 utensils clean — cloths, bowls, spoons, 

 and jars, and new rubber rings. 

 You can then go right ahead with 

 your work without interruption of 

 your own making! 



Scientific Principle of Canning 



A NY woman can can anything 

 -^*- successfully if she will but 

 realize that the object is to kill all 

 bacteria or germs — and that is only 

 done by complete sterilization, or in 

 plainer words, boiling them to death! 

 You have got to give time to kill all 

 the germs, and then you have got to 

 prevent any more getting in, by 

 keeping out the germ-laden air. 

 Better to cook a little too long a time than 

 too short. 



The "One-period cold-pack" method of 

 canning is now used almost universally and 

 is the only one worth considering here. It 

 has been thoroughly tested by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture and the 

 National War Garden Commission and found 

 perfect. 



This "cold-pack" does not mean canning 

 without cooking, but that the things are 

 packed cold into the 

 jars, the jars closed 

 and cooking done 

 after that. 



Steps in Sterilizing 



1LTAVE ALL fruits 

 ■*■ ■*■ and vegetables 

 freshly picked or they 

 will be poor in color 

 and flavor, corn and 

 peas especially. The 

 milk in corn dries up 

 very quickly after 

 picking and unless 

 canned at once you 

 might just as well 

 .save yourself the 

 trouble involved, and 

 resort to drying. 



1. Grade. This 

 means to sort out the 

 best specimens of the 

 article to be canned. 

 Don't waste time on 

 bruised or overripe 

 fruits or vegetables. 

 The poor parts of 

 fruit may be used 

 with sugar for jams 

 or butters, but dam- 

 aged vegetables must 

 be thrown away. 



2. Wash and pick 



Taught by experience, Mrs. John Totterdale, N. Y., successfully puts up all the 

 diversified crops of a complete family garden, using modem appliances to ease the 

 labor and assure success 



over your articles, thoroughly. Greens such 

 as cabbages, spinach, chard, etc., should 

 stand for about an hour in salt and water 

 to get the insects out. 



3. Blanch (unfortunate term having no 

 connection with making white) . Means plunge 

 into boiling water and let boil for from two to 

 fifteen minutes; or for greens or highly colored 

 vegetables, put in a colander and steam in live 

 steam for the same time. 



4. Cold Dip. Plunge immediately into 



Very obviously up-to-date appliances make for more efficiency and enable the worker to proceed with accuracy and comfort. 

 Mrs. E. M. Hunt, Colorado, who won prizes from her last year's efforts 



cold water. The steps of blanching, 

 cold dipping, and subsequent packing 

 must be done as quickly as possible 

 to insure killing the bacteria. 



If working alone, only prepare 

 enough for two or three jars at a time. 

 Better do a few jars perfectly, than 

 a whole lot hurriedly. 



5. Fill the jars. The chilled pro- 

 duce, being now ready for the final 

 handling, is put into the jars whole 

 or sliced, according to circumstances 

 as explained later on. It is under- 

 stood of course that the jars are 

 ready scalded for use hot, and the 

 rubber rings ready to adjust. Fill 

 the jars with boiling water and add 

 salt — one level teaspoonful for a 

 quart jar. Put on wet rubbers; ad- 

 just the bail in bail-top jars, leaving 

 the lower bail or spring open; or 

 screw top on screw-top jars, using 

 your thumb and little finger. This 

 tightens it sufficiently for sterilizing. 

 Sterilize according to time table. 



6. Sterilize. Fill the sterilizer 

 and set the alarm clock to the time 

 when the operation will be com- 

 plete. Don't forget that the water 

 may boil away, so have ready a kettle 

 boiling to add water if necessary. 



7. Cool and test. When the ster- 

 ilizing is done remove the jars and 

 place on hot cloths. Completely seal. 

 Turn the jars upside down and let 

 them stand still cool. If there are no 



leaks wrap in brown paper or put in empty 

 jar boxes and store in cool place. Color is 

 retained better in the dark. 



Green Leaf Vegetables 



These include beet tops, brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauli- 

 flower, dandelion greens, endive, kale, spinach, swiss chard, 

 turnip tops, etc. They are canned directly as gathered cfter 

 washing) and are steamed to blanch, instead of being boiled like 

 the root crops. Boiling kills the color. To steam put the 

 greens in a colander and place it in a tightly closed receptacle, 

 with -about an inch of boiling water in it, the water must not 

 touch the greens. I find greens pack better if cut into rather 

 small pieces. Last year when canning swiss chard I divided 

 the stalks from the leaves and 

 canned them separately. The 

 stalks can be served with 

 melted butter sauce like celery 

 and are delicious. 



Green Crops Skinned or 

 Peeled 



Asparagus must be washed, 

 scraped and tied in bundles to 

 fit the jars Blanch (i. e. 

 scald) the tough ends for ten 

 minutes first; then the whole 

 bundle for five minutes more. 

 Pack in jar tips up. 



Peas must not be fully 

 grown. Shell; blanch in 

 steam to keep the color. Do 

 not pack the jars too full as 

 peas are starchy and swell. 

 If the grains swell and break 

 the liquid becomes cloudy. 

 Sterilize, etc. 



String Beans. Prepare as 

 for table use, carefully remov- 

 ing any strings. Blanch, cold 

 dip, cut, and quickly pack 

 in the jars. 



Squash, etc.: Such crops 

 as vegetable marrow, sum- 

 mer squash, cucumber, and 

 eggplant are peeled, cut in 

 slices or small pieces, blanch- 

 ed, cold dipped and sterilized. 



Onions and Leeks. Peel 

 and blanch and cold dip; 

 sterilize, seal, and cool. 



Mushrooms are handled 

 practically like onions, after 

 the caps are peeled. 



Special Treatment for 

 Particular Crops 



Corn must be blanched 

 and cold dipped bejore being 

 cut from the cob. Use a very 

 sharp knife. Pack lightly in 

 the jars; corn has so much 

 starch in it that it swells and 



