INSPECTION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CANNERIES. 35 



POTATOES, SWEET. 



Sweet potatoes are canned extensively in Delaware and Maryland 

 and in the South. As a general rule, only the smaller tubers are used 

 by the canner. The tubers are placed in baskets or shallow slat boxes 

 and cooked with live steam for about 10 minutes in a suitable inclos- 

 ure of wood or metal. The hot tubers are taken out and the skin is 

 removed at once, by hand in small plants, or in rotary machines made 

 for the purpose. Those treated in the machines require further hand 

 treatment for the complete removal of bits of skin, roots, etc. 



There are two distinct methods of packing sweet potatoes. In one 

 the cans are hand filled completely, the operators using sufficient 

 pressure to mash the soft potatoes and squeeze out all air, the can 

 being completely filled except a slight depression at the top. In the 

 other method, the operators fill the potatoes into the can so that they 

 lie close together but are not mashed, as little space as possible being 

 left as voids. In the first method, the contents turn out as a solid 

 mass, the outline of the individual tubers being lost. In the second 

 method the mass shows the outlines of tubers which can be picked 

 apart and cooked as individual potatoes. The voids or air spaces 

 sometimes give trouble because the potatoes surrounding them are 

 more or less darkened and unsightly, owing to the action of the air. 

 Because of this action of the air, some canners put up a solid pack. 

 Those who pack by the second method give the filled cans a very 

 long, hot exhaust in unusually long exhaust boxes, in this way driv- 

 ing out nearly all of the air, and then seal the hot cans at once, thus 

 securing a finished article which commands a higher price than that 

 packed by the other method. Sweet potatoes require a very long 

 period of processing, especially when packed in No. 10 cans. 



PUMPKINS. 



Pumpkins, carefully selected for canning, are stemmed and well 

 washed to remove any adhering dirt. They are cut into large pieces, 

 either by knives or roller disks, and are given a general washing in 

 a heavy squirrel cage, the principal object being to remove seed and 

 loose fiber. The fiber is then put in large iron crates and cooked in a 

 retort until it softens, which requires about 20 minutes at 240° F. It 

 is next run through a cyclone which removes the hard part of the 

 skin and the tough fibers. If it is of a good consistency the pulp is 

 cooked very little, but if light or thin it is evaporated until it has the 

 right body. It is filled into the cans while hot, sealed, and processed 

 at 250° F. for 90 minutes. Pumpkins are packed principally in No. 3 

 cans. In some canneries the seed and pulp are not removed before 

 cooking, as certain packers believe that the seed and fibrous pulp sur- 

 rounding them produce a better taste. 



