INSPECTION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CANNERIES. 33 



HOMINY. 



The selected white corn used in making hominy is shelled and 

 then screened to take out all small defects or split grains and any 

 chaff or foreign substances. It is next washed and given a treat- 

 ment of hot solution of lye, during which time it is constantly cooked 

 and agitated until the tough hull loosens. The strength of the lye 

 and the length of time required for cooking vary in different fac- 

 tories. The time of cooking ranges from 20 to 45 minutes. 



After the lye has accomplished its work the corn is run through 

 a cylinder which removes the hull and tops. The corn is next washed. 

 Some canners soak the corn over night so that the kernels will swell 

 to the maximum before canning; others soak and cook it for only 

 an hour or two or fill the cans at once, depending upon the swelling 

 in the processing. The soaking has the effect of getting rid of traces 

 of lye and makes a more tender kernel and a clearer liquor. Hominy 

 is usually put up in two grades. 



PEAS. 



It is highly important that peas be put in the can as soon as 

 possible after they are picked. For this reason a great many pack- 

 ers either grow their own peas or build the cannery as near as practi- 

 cable to the fields where the peas are grown. When the peas are 

 well grown and still tender, the vines are cut by mowing machines 

 or special pea harvesters, loaded on wagons, and hauled to the fac- 

 tory. They are next put through the vining machine, which sepa- 

 rates the peas from the pods. The peas are passed through a fan- 

 ning mill, which removes the pieces of pods, leaves, and dirt, after 

 which they are washed in wire cylinders known as squirrel cages. 

 The peas are graded for size, either before or after washing. This 

 is usually done by passing them over vibrating screens, with holes 

 of a definite size, or through cylinders with sections having perfo- 

 rations corresponding to those in the screens. 



Peas are usually blanched for from 1 to 4 minutes. They are 

 processed at about 235° F. for from 35 to 40 minutes, depending upon 

 their freshness and state of maturity. The canned peas are immedi- 

 ately cooled in order to arrest cooking and insure a clear liquor. 



The following standards for canning peas have been adopted by 

 the United States Department of Agriculture and many of the 

 States, upon recommendation of the joint committee on definitions 

 and standards : 



Canned peas are the canned vegetables prepared from the well-developed but 

 still tender seeds of the common or garden pea (Pisum sativum) by shelling, 

 winnowing, and thorough washing, with or without grading and with or 

 without precooking (blanching), and by the addition, before sterilization, of the 

 necessary amount of potable water, with or without sugar and salt. 



