J r l t, 19 17 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



319 



making the intermittent process unnecessary. 

 It also draws the acid or acrid flavor from 

 vegetables, and it helps to retain the full flavor 

 of the article to be canned by sealing up 

 the juices. 



The food after blanching and cold dipping is 

 packed into your already sterilized jars. Fill 

 the jars quite full, then fill up with some liquid. 

 For vegetables use water with a teaspoonful 

 of salt for each quart jar. For fruits use syrup 

 either thick or thin as you wish, fill to over- 

 flowing, put on the glass tops and the rubbers, 

 and fasten loosely, put into your canner and 

 boil for fifteen minutes after the water begins 

 to bubble, then take out the jars (use a wire 

 lifter for the purpose), tighten the caps or press 

 d^own the springs, return to the canner and 

 after the water begins to bubble again, boil 

 long enough to cook the food. 



The time for cooking food varies tre- 

 mendously. Corn and peas require four hours. 

 Greens, beets, lima and string beans, sauer- 

 kraut, etc., require about an hour and a half. 



Home made screen tray for drying produce in an oven or in 

 open air 



Give okra, succotash, pumpkin, squashes, 

 quinces and such like an hour, and soft fruits 

 such as apples, strawberries, rhubarb and 

 huckleberries only half an hour. By a little 

 practise and knowing how long things take to 

 cook for the table you will soon learn the exact 

 time. 



THE OPEN KETTLE METHOD 



For leftovers which I told you T always can 

 and which of course are already cooked, the 

 open kettle method is good. Boil the food up 

 again, have the jars boiling hot, and the 

 rubbers scalded. Have a shallow pan with 

 about two inches of boiling water in it. Stand 

 the hot, wet jars in that, fill to overflowing 

 with the boiling fruit with its juice, or vegetable, 

 strained and boiling, water added, run a skewer 

 round inside the jar to break any air bubbles. 

 Then put your tops and fresh rubbers on and 

 seal at once. Turn the jars' upside down to 

 cool. Next morning you can see if there is any 

 leak. If so, find out the cause — cracked jar, 

 ill fitting top or another rubber needed, then 

 the zvhole process must be gonj . hrough again. 



If using the open kettle metnod the jars 

 must be kept under water till ready to use and 

 the work must be done very quickly while the 

 food is boiling hot. 



HINTS ON PREPARA- 

 TION 



The fresher the 

 food the better the 

 canned article will 

 be. If you are one 

 of those lucky peo- 

 ple that can hang 

 your basket on your 

 arm and go out and 

 pluck whatever you 

 want you are the one 



Complete canning outfits with self contained heat for out- 

 door use in the orchard, etc. 



who ought to have the best canned goods. 

 The commercial canners put up their factories 

 just where their foods grow and they are 

 gathered, graded, prepared and canned all 

 in the same day. Beans, peas and asparagus 

 particularly sometimes have a flat, sour smell, 



Canning for Victory 



" Our reports show the widest and 

 most intelligent interest in canning 

 and drying foods for winter use. 

 Exactly what effect this will have on 

 the nation's food supply is hard to 

 say, but it is going to help, and may 

 be enough to turn the tide to victory 

 sooner than we expected or hoped." 

 Carl Vrooman 



Assistant Secretary of Agriculture 



very unpleasant that is simply due to stale 

 vegetables having been used. 



After picking your fruit, etc., look it over 

 carefully, throwing out all bruised or over- 

 ripe or anyway unsound pieces, wash carefully, 

 looking for insects. Apples and articles that 

 discolor quickly after peeling should be 

 dropped into cold water with a little salt 

 dissolved in it to keep the color. 



All fruits and vegetables must be blanched 



Fruit pricker, made with 

 wire on a cork base, useful in 

 canning tough skinned goods 



and cold dipped, as described above. Do not 

 leave them Ground after cold dipping. 



Preservation by Drying 



' I ^HE advantage of drying over canning is 

 _that there is not so much apparatus needed, 

 not so many utensils, the flavor of the food is 

 perfectly retained if the work is done properly 

 and much less time is taken in preparation. 



To dry is simply to extract all the moisture 

 from the article leaving it all shrivelled and 

 dry. By just soaking it in water when needed 

 for use it regains its natural size, and color and 

 flavor to a great extent. Foods prepared this 

 way can be packed tightly in boxes and travel 

 and keep well. For large quantities you can 

 get a regular evaporator which costs $6.00 and 

 which does the work perfectly or you can dry 

 in a cool oven or outdoors by the heat of the 

 sun. Drying can be resorted to if you have too 

 little to can or do not wish to go to the exertion 

 of it as sometimes will happen. Only remem- 

 ber all the moisture must be extracted or the 



A hot water tray dryer adapted for 

 use in connection with any stove 



*" 



Mushrooms and other articles, such as peppers may be 

 strung up and sun dried before storing away in bags 



things will become mouldy. Clean and pre- 

 pare and wash the foods the same way as if 

 you were going to can them. Cut apples, pears, 

 peaches or any like fruit in slices, open plums 

 but don't stone them, lay flat on thin clean 

 boards and dry in the sun, in a cool oven 

 or spread on your evaporator. 



If drying food out-of-doors, look out for rain. 

 Cover with mosquito netting to keep out flies 

 or other insects, and it is well to heat them over 

 steam before putting away to destroy any in- 

 sect eggs that may have gotten there. 



All small fruits can be dried whole the same 

 way. Cherries can be pitted or not as you 

 please, and if sugar is sprinkled on the layers 

 they will be nicer. I always buy mushrooms 

 when they are at their cheapest. Peel and stalk 

 them and put them in a paper bag with top 

 tied tightly with string. I leave a loop to 

 hang the bag by and suspend it near the ceiling, 

 which is always the 

 warmest part of a 

 room. 



Celery leaves, 

 parsley, mint or 

 other herbs can be 

 kept perfectly that 

 way. Wash and 

 scald them (as 

 previously told), 

 then dry; and 

 when dry keep in 

 bags. Tie the bags 

 up tightly to pre- 

 vent dust getting 

 in, and all through 

 the winter you 

 need never be 

 without your" pot- W" en usir >g th _ is tyi* of i ar 



1 1 »> make certain that it is act- 



herbs. ually sealed 



