the fruit in a sirup, is to add 74 teaspoon ascorbic acid 

 (vitamin C) to each 1 or 1 1/2 CU P S °f sirup. You can buy 

 citric or ascorbic acid at trfe drug store. 



To keep apples from darkening, scald slices in steam 

 or boiling water for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. 



Or light-colored fruits may be put directly into sugar 

 sirup, but they will darken during freezing and thawing 

 unless completely covered with sirup. 



Prepare sweetening. — Some fruits such as logan- 

 berries, raspberries, cranberries, and rhubarb are good 

 frozen without sugar. But most fruits have better texture 

 and flavor if sweetened before freezing. This may be 

 done by mixing them with dry sugar, or by packing in 

 a sugar sirup. You can make the sirup several days ahead 

 and keep it in the refrigerator thoroughly chilled for use. 



The table on page 1 8 tells how to prepare each fruit, 

 how much sugar and water goes into the sirup, or how 

 much dry sugar to mix with the fruit. 



Special Steps for Vegetables 



For all vegetables except green peppers, the dry pack 

 is satisfactory and less trouble than the brine pack. 

 Green peppers are best packed in a weak salt solution 

 (1 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water). 



Scald before packing. — Scalding lessens the action 

 of enzymes present in all living material. Though enzymes 

 help in growth and ripening, they cause food to lose 

 vitamins as well as flavor and color after the food reaches 

 maturity and is gathered. These changes continue even 

 after freezing if the food is not scalded long enough. 



Scalding also brightens the color and softens vege- 

 tables, making them easier to pack. Without scalding, 

 frozen vegetables fade in color and develop an "off" 

 flavor in a few months. 



Scalding vegetables in boiling water gives a satis- 

 factory product. Broccoli has slightly better quality if 

 scalded in steam. The leafy vegetables, such as spinach 

 or chard, must be scalded in boiling water to be uni- 

 formly heated through. 



Prepare vegetables as directed (p. 12), since size of 

 pieces affects scalding time. Scald a small quantity of 

 food at a time. To scald in boiling water, put about 

 1 pound of vegetables in a fine-mesh wire basket. A 

 wire ce-v^r holds food under water. Lower basket into 

 rapidly boiling water — at least 1 gallon or more to cover 

 the food. Put the lid on the kettle and start counting time. 

 Scald for as long as directed for each vegetable (p. 12). 



To scald in steam, see directions for broccoli orf 

 page 10. 



Chill in cold water. — The next step after scalding 

 is to chill the food quickly and thoroughly. This stops the 

 cooking and cuts down the chance for spoilage organ- 

 isms to grow. Plunge the vegetables into iced water, 

 60° F. or lower. You'll need about 20 pounds of ice to 

 cool 20 pounds of vegetables. Running water may be 

 used if it is cold enough (around 60°). 



It usually takes as long to chill as to scald. Test for 

 coolness by biting a piece of the food. When it feels 

 cool to the tongue, remove the vegetable from cold 

 water and drain thoroughly. 



