PLANTING TO FEED A FAMILY OF FOUR 
Have you ever wondered just exactly how much you 
should plant in your home garden to feed your family. 
Based on one serving for a family of four, these popular 
vegetables will take up the following space in your garden. 
If your family is smaller or larger, you can estimate ac- 
cordingly. 
PMiasBEans ects oictons 2-feet GarrotSinccceeeters sfehaes-s 2 feet 
pnapsBeansin cere 1 foot GucumDetsmants ae. 2 feet 
Broccoli pen 4. a 2. iteet ONION SEtSy. am «tee 1 foot 
Gabbavesiisnteea 2eteet Peas errr ae beets 3 feet 
Snap beans, for instance, take up 1 foot of space of 1 
family portion. How often does your family like snap 
beans? Once a week? Well, the harvest time for snap 
beans is about four weeks, so four feet in your garden 
would satisfy their needs. And so on, with the other 
vegetables, based on the scale. 
This way, and counting on extra footage for canning or 
freezing, you can decide accurately on the right amount 
to plant. No waste—no spoilage—and family needs will 
be amply satisfied. 
WHEN TO HARVEST 
One of the main advantages the home gardener has is 
that he can pick his vegetables one minute and have them 
in the kitchen the next. All vegetables are better if left 
on the plant until ready to serve. 
Sweet corn, and peas, particularly, lose flavor every minute 
they are picked and the fine sweetness is soon lost. Many 
vegetables can be harvested at a younger stage in the 
home garden than is profitable with commercial crops. 
Beans, carrots, cucumbers, and beets are some of these. 
Others are harvested when dead ripe and at the peak of 
flavor as tomatoes, and melons. 
SHORT CUTS TO BETTER CANNING 
Choose only clean, sound and strictly fresh fruits or 
vegetables. When packing your jars or tins of canned 
foods, be careful not to crowd, nor to waste space. Crowd- 
ing prevents proper heating, which in turn, causes spoilage. 
‘There are several ways of processing fruits or vegetables 
for canning. The two methods most generally used are 
water bath canners and pressure cookers. WATER BATH 
CANNER: Make either a wire rack, or put a piece of 
wood at the bottom of the canner, to keep the jars 1% 
inch from the bottom. The water should be steaming 
when the jars are put into the canner. Lower the jars 
slowly into the water. Processing time is counted from 
the time the water is actually boiling. Keep it boiling 
constantly and at the same rate of speed the whole time 
the processing is being done. Remove the jars at the 
exact time your chart shows, and seal. 
PRESSURE COOKERS: All non-acid vegetables should 
be processed in a steam pressure cooker. Place jars on 
rack in a cooker with 1 to 2 inches of water. Be sure to 
leave enough space between jars to allow circulation of 
Steam. 
Adjust and fasten lid securely. Do not close petcock until 
steam has escaped in a steady stream from 5 to 7 min- 
utes. The pressure must be kept steady. Remove from 
heat when processing time is through and let stand until 
the gauge is at zero. Open petcock slowly, tilt the lid 
away from your face. Spread a heavy cloth over the top 
of the cooker; catch handles of rack through the cloth, 
and lift out. Seal jars according to direction. 
24 
GUIDE FOR QUICK FREEZING 
Follow these simple directions accurately for 
best results when you freeze vegetables from 
your home garden. 
VEGETABLE PREPARATION SCALDING 
ASPARAGUS Prepare right after picking. Cut 3 min. 
in |” pieces or 6” spears. Wash. 
BEANS, Green Choose only tenderest beans. 2 min. 
Break in i” pieces or slice. 
BEANS, Lima Shell, sort for size. Prepare with- Young beans 
in 2 hrs. after picking. 1!/2-2!/2 min. 
BEETS Top and peel. Cut in '4 inch 2!/, min. 
slices or dice in small pieces. 
BROCCOLI Soak in salt water '/2 hr. Trim, Small—3 min. 
split stalks and heads longwise. Large—4 min. 
Cut in |” pieces. 
BRUSSEL Select fairly small sprouts. 4 min. 
SPROUTS 
CARROTS Scrape. Cut in '4” slices or dice. 3 min. 
CAULI- Trim. Break into |” pieces. 3 min. 
FLOWER 
PEAS Use only tender peas. Wash. Pre- 45-60 sec. 
pare in 2 hrs. of picking. 
RHUBARB Use tender stalks. Cut into 34” 
pieces. 1/2 min. 
SPINACH Use tender greens. Wash thor- | min. 
oughly. 
SQUASH, Use firm, hard rind variety. Bake none 
winter or steam until done. Scoop out. 
Place pan in ice water to cool. 
SQUASH, Cook until done. Do not season. none 
summer 
SWEET CORN, Choose best ears. Wrap sep- 7-II min. 
on cob arately. Seal ends. Freeze 
promptly. 
SWEET CORN Scald. Slice corn from cob. 7-II min. 
cut kernels Rinse well, drain and freeze 
promptly. 
TURNIPS Choose tender, medium size. 2!/2 min. 
Wash well and dice in |/:” cubes. 
HINTS ON QUICK FREEZING 
1. Only vegetables of the highest quality are worth your 
time to freeze. Always select choicest and tenderest. Freez- 
ing will not improve quality, but protects the original 
flavor. 
2. Choose vegetables at the correct degree of maturity, as 
you would for your immediate table use. 
3. Vegetables should be prepared for freezing as soon as 
possible after gathering. .. 
4. Always use specially prepared wrapping materials. If 
not properly wrapped, frozen foods dry out. 
Dd. Most vegetables (except squash) should be scalded or 
blanched before freezing. See the table. 
VITAMINS IN VEGETABLES 
Nutrition experts say that most of us are poorly nourished. 
As we all know now, even our “Three Good Squares A 
Day” often do not give us certain minerals and vitamins 
that we need. These necessary elements may be bought at 
the drugstore, but they can also be home grown for less 
cost. Garden fresh vegetables can provide nearly all of 
them in ample quantity. Following is a table showing just 
a few of the vegetable sources of vitamins available from 
your garden: 
ASPARAGUS B-|, C, B-2 CAULIFLOWER C, B-2 
BEANS, string A, C CORN, sweet A, B-I, C, B-2 
BEANS, lima A, B-I, C, B-2 LETTUCE, leaf A, B-I, C. G 
BROCCOLI A, B-I, C, B-2 SPINACH AG B=2 
CABBAGE Cen-2 SQUASH, Hubbard A 
CARROTS A TOMATOES A, C 
