136 
ing the summer and upon the approach of 
frost to gather the pumpkins and bring 
them indoors. By the time the pumpkins 
begin to spoil, enough jars will be emptied 
to hold them. They can now be steam- 
ed and canned in the same way as sum- 
mer squash. In this way a supply of jars 
may be made to do double service. 
Succotash 
The writer has found that a mixture of 
corn and lima beans, or succotash, is one 
of the most difficult things to keep. This 
furnishes one of the very best mediums 
for bacterial growth; so extreme care 
must be taken in the process of canning. 
It is advisable to gather the corn and 
beans early in the morning and prepare 
and sterilize them in the manner already 
described. As with summer squash, it is 
best to boil for an hour and a half, in- 
stead of for an hour. 
Vegetable Roast 
A rather unusual dish for the winter 
may be made by canning a mixture of 
vegetables. Prepare corn, lima beans, to- 
matoes, string beans, okra, squash, and 
egg plant as you would for canning sepa- 
rately. Mix these in varying proportions, 
letting the corn and lima beans predom- 
inate. Add two or three midium-sized 
onions to each quart of this mixture and 
run all through a food chopper in order 
to mix it thoroughly. Pack into jars 
and sterilize. In preparing for the table 
mix with an equal volume of bread 
crumbs, a piece of butter the size of a 
walnut, and one egg; season to taste with 
pepper and salt, and bake in a round bak- 
ing dish until brown. Cut into slices as 
you would a cake and serve hot with a 
drawn butter sauce. 
Corn, okra, and tomatoes, mixed in 
equal proportions, may be canned in this 
way as a soup stock. 
Freshness of Flavor and Color 
Vegetables when canned properly 
should retain their attractive color and 
lose very little of their flavor. It will 
be found almost impossible to detect any 
difference either in taste or in appear- 
ance between the canned and the fresh 
article if these directions are carefully 
followed. The volatile oils which give 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
flavor to most vegetables are not lost dur- 
ing this process of sterilization. Cook- 
ing for three short periods in a closed 
container at a comparatively low temper- 
ature instead of cooking for one short 
period at a high temperature or for one 
long period in an open vessel makes the 
vital difference and insures freshness of 
flavor and color. After the jars have 
been sterilized and tested, they should be 
kept in the dark, as the sunlight will soon 
destroy the color of the vegetable. 
How to Open a Jar 
Jars of vegetables are sometimes hard 
to open, unless it is done in just the right 
way. Run a thin knife blade under the 
rubber, next to the jar, and press against 
it firmly. This will usually let in 
enough air to release the pressure on the 
top. In case it does not, place the jar 
in a deep saucepan of cold water, bring 
to a boil, and keep it boiling for a few 
minutes. The jar will then open easily. 
Cautions 
These directions for canning apply only 
to pint and quart jars. If half-gallon jars 
are used, always increase the time of boil- 
ing, making it an hour and a half in- 
stead of one hour. 
Do not go into canning too deeply at 
first. Experiment with a few jars in the 
early part of the season and see if they 
keep well. It is not a difficult matter to 
can vegetables properly. The writer has 
never lost a can of string beans, okra, 
egg plant, carrots, parsnips, lima beans, 
beets, asparagus, or pumpkin in several 
years’ experience and, has had only one 
can of peas spoil, a few cans of corn 
during the earlier trials, and a few cans 
of succotash. Any housewife can do 
equally well. If you follow the direc- 
tions here given carefully, you will have 
no difficulty whatever. If you should hap- 
pen to fail in the first trial, rest assur- 
ed that you have done something wrong 
or left something undone. No housewife 
who has on hand during the winter a 
supply of home-canned vegetables ready 
to serve on ten minutes’ notice will ever 
regret the trouble or difficulties exper- 
ienced in learning. J, F Brazmars, 
Bureau of Chemistry, U. 8. Department of 
Agriculture. 
