Preliminary steps (to be done the day before if desired). 
1. Wash the jars in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. 
2. Test jars for leakage by filling with water, sealing with 
?iew rubber rings and sound tops. Turn each upside down and 
watch for oozing at the seal. Do not waste valuable time and 
materials by trying to can with cracked, nicked jars and old 
rubbers. However, do not discard every jar that leaks when first 
tested. One top may fit a jar when another will not. Wire guards 
may be tightened or loosened by bending. The bent edge of a 
Mason screw top maybe gently hammered into shape. Preparing 
the jars for canning is tedious to many, but essential for good 
work. 
3. Prepare sugar syrup according to the sweetness desired. 
The following table is well approved. 
Thin syrup: 1 part of sugar to 3 parts of water, for sweet fruits. 
Medium syrup: lpart of sugarto2 parts of water, for sour fruits. 
Thick syrup: 1 part of sugar to 1 part of water, for very sour 
fruit or for richer preserves. 
Heat the water to boiling; add the sugar gradually, stirring 
constantly until sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling for three 
minutes more. Skim if necessary. 
Preparing the food for packing. 
1. Select only sound, fresh fruit or vegetables, which are not 
over-ripe. Vegetables are best canned within six hours of gath- 
ering, but satisfactory results have been gained when the vegeta- 
bles had been plucked for as long as twenty-four hours, when 
they had been kept cool. Corn, peas and lima beans are partic- 
ularly difficult if not used when very fresh. Wash the vegetables 
well, scrubbing rough-skinned ones with a brush. Delicate fruits 
like berries should be washed a few at a time in a colander by 
letting cold or lukewarm water run through them. 
2. Blanch as follows: Put the food to be blanched into a cheese- 
cloth or colander, and dip into boiling water. Cover, and keep 
water boiling for the time indicated in the table. Remove from 
the boiling water, and plunge into the coldest water available for 
a moment (only. Many prefer to blanch greens in the steam over 
the boiling water, and so lose less of the very soluble but highly 
valuable mineral and other food materials. (See also Footnote 1 .) 
3. After blanching, drain, and remove skins. Most will slip 
off easily, though a few like carrots will require scraping. 
Packing.— Put the food to be canned, either whole or in pieces, 
into the clean jars, packing closely but without mashing, fill- 
ing jar to the top. Corn, peas and lima beans are best packed 
to within an inch of the top to allow for swelling. Fill vegetable 
jars to overflowing with hot water, adding one teaspoonful of salt 
