The St. Charles herald. [volume], August 11, 1917, Image 6

About The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993

Image provided by: Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA

                
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Tray of Packed Jars Ready to Be Placed in Homemade Water-Bath Out
fit—Aluminum Pressure Cooker Also Shown.
PRÖrnÄBLTmsS^
SURPLUS FRUnSAND VEGETABLES
Every Ounce of Food That Can Possibly Be Produced
This Year Will Be Needed—Housewives Can
Avoid Much Waste by Canning.
FIRST MAKE ALL NECESSARY PREPARATIONS
"One Hour From the Field to the Can," Is Motto Every Canner Should
Have in Mind—Unless Fresh, Crisp and Clean Produce
Is Used, High-Grade Article Is Impossible
Equipment Necessary.
(PREPARED BY UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.)
I CAN SURPLUS FOOD, BUT USE JARS AND CANS WISELY
Don't have an empty preserving jar in your home next fall.
Reserve regular tight-sealing containers for canning foods.
Concentrate products so that each jar or can will hold as much
food and ns little water as possible.
But up jams, Jellies and preserves in wide-necked glasses sealed
with cork or paper and paraffin.
Don't can anything that can be kept just as well dried or in other
forms. Dry navy and mature lima beans for winter use.
Produce in your garden lots of cabbage, potatoes, and root crops J
that can he kept for winter without canning.— U. S. Department of jf
Agriculture. J
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The waste of surplus fruits and veg
etables in this country eacli year is
large. It would be deplorable if this
normal waste were allowed to go on
this year when every ounce of food
that can he produced is needed. The
waste cau be avoided in large part if
housewives will can as large a part
of the surplus perishables as possible.
Tiie first step is to see 1 liât all the
necessary preparations are made be
fore the vegetables or fruit are picked.
"One hour from the field to the can" is
a motto that every canner should have
in mind. This Is impossible if one has
to prepare utensils and wash And scald
cans after the fruits and vegetables
have been brought into the house. The
condition of these is a prime factor in
determining the quality of the finished
product. Unless they are absolutely
fresh, crisp, and clean when they are
put into the cans, u high-grade sirtiele
is impossible.
When canning in small quantities, it
Is not necessary to purchase special
equipment, although inexpensive por
table equipment for use in or out of
doors may he purchased. If consider
able canning is done, such outfits will
prove convenient and save labor. Es
pecially is this true when a comfort
able °out-of-door place cau be selected
for the work.
The method of packing fruits and
végéta Id,;* into containers and steriliz
ing the product after it is packed has
superseded to a very large extent the
old plan of cooking the food in an
open kettle, transferring it hot to the
jar, and sealing without any further
sterilization. Since this is true, the
first consideration is a sterilizing ves
S & 7 .
m
Packing Blanched and Cold-Dieoed Product Into Jars.
sel. Tiiis Is sometimes called a pro
cessor. Cooking the food in the jar
to sterilize it is known as processing.
Tiiis cooker must be large enough to
hold a convenient number of packed
Jars and must be fitted with a false
bottom and a tight cover. A wash
boiler, bucket, or galvanized tub cun
lie used for a processor. It may be
used on the kitchen stove or placed
I on a furnace built out of doors. One
| important factor is to be able to bring
! the water in this cooker quickly to the
| boiling point and maintain this tempor
j ature steadily. The false bottom is a
rack which keeps the jars from coming
in contact with the metal which is next
to the frame. This prevents breakage.
Racks made of strips of woods are
probably the best. Sometimes wire
netting, or perforated galvanized trays,
are used. If the lutter material is
used. It should be raised about 1 Inch
or 2 Inches above the bottom of the
vessel.
Three types of canning outfits can
be purchased. These are the hot-wa
ter, water-seal, and steam-pressure
outfits. The first is merely a conven
ient form of the outfit described above.
The other two make use of pressure
and 'therefore accomplish the neces
sary sterilization in a shorter time
thun when the hot-water outfit is used.
Canning in Glass.
i In canning in glass, select jars which
i are appropriate for the fruit or vege
J table to be packed, considering the
j size of the container from the stand
point of the quantity desired when
opened, the size of the fruit or pieces
of fruit to he packed and the ease of
sterilization.
I 8terilizing Jars. —Wash these Jars
ami place them, side down, in a vessel
and cover with cold water. Bring this
water slowly to the boiling point and
allow to boil for 15 minutes to sterilize
jars.
Sorting and Grading. —AVhile the Jars
are bein^ sterilized, sort and tirade
the fruit or vegetables according to
size and degree» of maturity. Discard
ail fruit that is overripe, underripe, or
unsound. Vegetables which are in
choice condition for the table—that is,
.voting, tender and fresh—are suitable
also for canning. Those which have
become stale are more difficult to ster
ilize and the loss of flavor and deterio
ration in texture resulting from stale
ness make them unsuitable for can
ning. *
Following the sorting and grading,
thorough washing is necessary before
proceeding to paring, coring or slicing.
Some fruits and vegetabtes require
; scalding in order to remove peeling,
j Blanching. —Blanching consists of®,
i plunging the vegetable or fruit into
boiling water for a short time. Use
a wire basket or cheesecloth square
for this. The blanch gives a more thor
ough cleansing, improves the texture,
and insures a clearer liquor. It also
shrinks the fruit or vegetable and
makes it more flexible. A full pack is
then made more easily. The time re
quired for blanching varies with the
state of maturity. After blanching the
fruit or vegetable is placed for an in
stant into cold water to make more
crisp and to aid further in shrinking.
Packing. —After selecting fruit or
vegetable for uniformity in size and
quality, it should be arranged with
reference to symmetry and the best use
of the space within the jar. In plac
ing the fruit or vegetable in a jar a
thin, flexible paddle, made out of cane
or other suitable wood, is useful.
" lien the jar has beyu packed as
full as possible without crushing the
pieces, the sirup, brine or seasoning is
added. The paddle is also used to
take out bubbles of air after the liquor
has been added to tile {tack.
Adjusting the Rubber and Cap.—
Immediately before using, cleanse the
rubber by dropping, for a minute, into
n soda bath (one teaspoonful soda to
one quart boiling water). Flatten the
rubber in its groove, without the pres
ence of any seed or particle of the
fruit, before placing the cap. When a
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Homemade Hot Water Bath Sterilizing Outfit, Showing Satisfactory Type
of Wooden False Bottom.
gloss-top Jar with wire clamp is used,
pluce the lid on evenly and raise both
clamps up. the upper one fastened to
hold the lid in place. With a hermetic
jar, fasten the cap on the jar evenly
with the clamp. This type of Jar is
self-sealing as It cools.
Processing. —Place the jars in n wa
ter hath on a rack (a wooden rack iS
good) to avoid breaking. IlaTe the
water the same temperature as the
contents, letting it come to within two
inches of the tops of the jars. Have
a tight cover for the vessel to keep the
steam around the tops of the jars
which are above water. Do not count
time until the water begins to boil;
keep it boiling steadily for the time
required. Seal the jars air-tight
promptly at end of processing, and
remove them from the bath, being care
ful not to allow a cold draft to strike
them. In intermittent processing, raise
the clamps of the Jars at the beginning
of each processing to allow for eipnn
sion. Seal at ;lose of each processing.
The hermetic jar cannot be used for
Intermittent processing. »
Storing. —Before storing, allow jars
to stand for 12 hours or more. Then
examine the seal. \\'ith a lightning
seal or hermetic closure, take off the
clamp and test the lid to see if It Is
tight. With a screw-top jar, simply
invert the jar to see if there is any
lenk. Store all products In a cool, dry.
dark place.
Canning in Tin.
Before undertaking canning in tin.
special equipment, including capping
steel, tipring copper, firepot for heat
ing tools, cans with solder-hemmed
caps, flux, sal ammoninc and wire
solder must he secured. Follow all in
structions for canning in glass up to
the point where packing is done. See
time table for blanching period and
for processing period for containers of
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! different sizes. Note, also, the vego
tables and fruits which require enamel
lined or inside-lacquered cans.
Packing. —The federal laws require
the cans packed for sale to he tilled sis
full of food as is practicable for proc
essing and to contain only enough
liquor to til! the spaces and cover the
contents. Weigh a sufficient number
of earns before and after filling to ob
tain an act urate idea of average net
weight. On account of expansion in
processing, corn can he packed less
full than other vegetables. These in
structions do not cover the canning of
corn for market. Mark the cans with
a pencil or knife to show contents.
After the fruit iy vegetable is in the
can, brine, sirup or water should he
added to within one-fourth of an inch
of the top and the can shaken gently
to displace all air within it. Tin
groove around the opening is then
cleaned and wiped and the cap slipped
on. In order to make sure that the
contents of the can have the required
weight, the container should be
weighed carefully before sealing.
If the weight Is satisfactory, ftux
should be applied carefully around the
groove with a small brush or cord, or
a little 'mop made by tying a piece of
clean white cloth around the end of
a small stick. Great care must be
taken to see that none of the flux
enters the can. The clean, hot capping
steel is then, applied, the cap being
held in place with the center rod.
As the steel is lowered it should he
turned steadily until the solder flows.
Hold the rod firmly and lift the steel
j
j with a sudden twist to swing the melt
I ed solder evenly around the groove.
Exhausting and Sterilizing.
The next step is to exhaust the air
j ft-om the cans. To do this, they should
j j )e p i at > P( j j n trays :»rwl lowered into
j boiling water to within one inch of
, thp top . Ordinarily three minutes is
long enough for the cans to remain in
! the water, which need not he brought :
again to tbe boiling point before the
; cans are taken out. A temperature of j
j 180 degrees F. is frequently sufficient
I for exhausting. Failure to exhaust
j results in the air which is left in the
| can expanding. This causes the can
j to bulge and gives the a'ppearance of
j a "swell," which will not only prevent
j the sale of that can, hut prejudices cus
j turners in future. The leaders in the
. government canning worlt insist that
wherever the "4-H Brand" label is
used, exhausting should be done.
After exhausting, the small hole in
the top of the can must be closed im
mediately. To do this, apply flux as
for capping and use a little wire solder
to close the hole. Held the solder
with the left hand near the hole aud
barely touch the hot copper to it, so
that only a bead will drop.
It now remains to sterilize the con
tents of the sealed cans. For beans,
corn, peas and asparagus, intermittent
processing is recommended. Under
this method sterilization is carried on
for one hour for three successive days.
The cans are lowered slowly under
water that is boiling vigorously at the
time. Naturally it ceases to boil as
soon as tHe cans are immersed, but
will begin to boil again a short time
later. The time of processing is count
ed from the moment when the water
begins to boll again, and it must he
kept boiling constantly throughout the
entireTiour. In the case of very young
string beans and some other easily
sterilized vegetables, the processing is
reduced to one hour for two successive
days.
As soon ns the processing is over,
the cans should be cooled as rapidly
ns possible in order to stop cooking,
which breaks down the fruit and in
jures the flavor and color. It is well
to plunge the cans into very cold wa
ter. They should never he stacked
close together until they are entirely
colil.
The labeling should he done with a
rather dry paste, which Is put only
on the end of the label, so that It does
not touch the tin. Paste may cause
rust, and in damp climates it is some
times customary to lacquer the outside
of the can before it is labeled. The
label. If the product Is intended for
sale, must contain the net weight in
£> \ \
's' -
5»
Seating a Packed and Sterilized Glas« Jar.
pounds and ounces und the pucker's
name and address.
In packing fruits and vegetables, it
is necessary to surround them with,
brine, sirup or water, hut under the
terms of the federal law governing the
interstate shipment of canned goods,
no more of this liquor is allowed than
is actually necessary to cowr the con
tents after as full a pack us possible is
made. With tomatoes no water what
ever should he added and no tomato
juice should be added in except of the
amount in tilt* tomatoes canned.
Add Sugar and Salt.
In addition to the liquor, a mixture
of sugar and salt adds greatly to the
flavor of such products as tomatoes,
peas, Lima beans and corn. The mix
turc recommended by the government
specialists in canning is composed of
one-third siUt and two-thirds sugar,
Two level teaspooiTfuls of tiiis are
CANNING VEGETABLES (HOT WATZR PROCESS).
Do Not Attempt to Use This Table Without Reading All Directions Care
fully.
Vegetables.
Blanch.
minutes.
Liquor.
Asparagus..........3 to 4................Brine (heavy).....
String beans.......3 to 8.................Brine ..............
String beans____
Lima beans.....
Beets.............
Carrots,..........
.......................Brine
1 Corn........
2 to o.........
Cook % done. pee!. Brine
.......Cook done.
scrape .............Brine
.......1 to 3 (blanch on
cob) .......
. Salt, sugar, water.....2
3 Intermittent or 1
hours.
3 Intermittent.
5 Intermittent.
3 Intermittent.
3 1 to 2 hours.
3 1 hour.
Okra................."0 to IS.
Peas (very yoûng).l to 3...
Peas, medium.
Potato, sweet.
Rhubarb........
Soup mixture..
Tomato.........
Tomato.........
Salt.
sugar, water...
.. 2
10 Intermittent.
Brine
.. 2
3 Intermittent.
Salt.
sugar, water...
3 45 minutes fii
35 minutes
an«4 third
Salt.
sugar. wat'*r...
.. 2
" Intermittent.
Pack
dry .............
.. 3
15 2 hours.
Cold
water ...........
.. 2
2 15 minutes.
Salt.
sugar ...........
2
5 2 hours or
mittent.
Salt.
sugar .*..........
.. 2
2 20 minutes.
Salt.
sugar ...........
.. 3
3 30 minutes.
In Glass.
Vegetable.
Blanch.
minutes.
Liquor.
Asparagus.....3 to 4 .............Brine (heavy).. Pint
String beans. 3 to 8.............Brino ............Pint
String beans.......................Brine ............Quart
Lima beans — 2 to a........ ...Salt, sugar.
water .........Quart
Beets............Cook done,
peel ............Brine ............Quart
Carrots.........Cook done.
scrape ........Brine..............Quar:
Corn............ 1 to 3 (blanch Salt, sugar.
on cob)........ water .........Quart
.....10 to 15...........Brine..............Pint :
Salt, sugar,
____I to 3.....
Ok »a.
Peas(very
young.....
Peas, med..
ar. Pro« ess.
........... Intermittent or 3
liours continuous.
...........Intermittent or 2
hours continuous.
.........Intermittent
..........Intermittent.
........... V'a to 2, hours.
...........1 hour.
.........Intermittent.
»1 quart. Intermittent.
Potato, sweet.. Cook ** done,
peet .........
Tomato.................
water ......
... Pint .......
.......Same as No Î.
.Salt, sugar,
water.........
.......Intermittent.
...Quart .....
......13 minutes.
..Salt, sugar...
......2 hours or intermit
...Pint ........
tent.
..Salt, sugar...
...... 30 minutes.
Ncte. —String beans packed in No. j
2 cans are preferable because more :
surely sterilized.
Corn, lima beans, and peas should
never be packed in larger container
than No. 2 and processed always in
termittently. Corn is cut from cob j
after blanching.
CANNING FRUITS (HOT WATZR PROCESS).
In Tin.
Fruit.
Soup mixture containing corn and
limn beans should always he processed
intermittently.
The hr tie used is made of 2 , ,j ounces
salt to I gallon of water, except for
asparagus, which contains 4 ounces
to 1 galion.
Beets .«nil rhubarb when packed in
tin must he out in enamel-lined cans.
In Glass.
Apples .........
Berries .........
Cherries, sweet
Cherries, sour.
Currants .......
Figs ............
Gooseberries ..
Guava ..........
Guava ..........
May haw.......
Peaches ........
Pears ...........
Plums ...........
.1 minute.........Xo. 1.
.....................No. 3.
.13 seconds.......No. 3.
.15 seconds.......No. 4 ..
.....................No. 3.
.Soda blanch.....No. 3
.....................No.
.15 seconds.......No. 4 .
.15 seconds..............
.....................No. 3.
.15 secontls.......No. 4 ..
15 seconds.......No. 3.
Prick with
needle .........No. 4 .
8 Quart
10 Quait
20 Quart
20 Quart
15 Quart
25 Quart
15 Quar«
20 Quart
25 Pint
20 Quart
15 Quart
20 Quart
12 Quart
Note.— Berries, cherries, currants.!
figs, gooseberries. May haws and
plums, when packed in tin. must be
put in enamel-lined cans.
To make the sirups recommended.
boil sugar and water together in the
proportion given below until sugar is
dissolved. Strain all impurities out
of tiie sirup before using:
Sirup No. 1, use 14 ounces to one
gallon water.
placed in a No. 3 can and orip teaspoon»
ful in a Xo. 2 can. For beans, okra,
cauliflower, etc., a brine containing -''i
ounces of salt to a gallon of water is
us,y *» l' or asparagus a heavier brine,
^" ,lr a S a ** OM if'
needed.
fn dialer to conserve the supply of
tin cans, it is strongly urged that all
products intended for home uso -di-vjid
be put up. whenever possible, in glass.
The hermetic type of jar. however, is
not a suitable one for intermittent
processing, for which the best type is
a glass-top jar with «Ire damps. The
clamps should bo raised at the begin
ning of eaeh processing to allow for
expansion.
The following tallies show the length
of time, tin* character of tin* liquor.
and other facts in regard to the can
ning of vegetables and fruits by i hi.
hot-water process:
Sirup Nn. 2. use 1 pound 14 ounces
to one gallon water,
.Sirup No US( . :i ponn)Is nun( .,. s
to one gallon water.
'*• n-''•> pounds S ounces to
,,n, | Ku ° tl wator -
^ ,ru P Xo. a, use 0 pounds 13 ounces
to one gallon water.
The sirup for canned berrit t ts made
«out of berry juice instead of watet