The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1910-06-11
CARRYING THE GARDEN
THROUGH TO SUCCESS
Canning and Drying For Winter Use. How to Utilize All of the
Gardens Products to Help Meet the High Cost
of Living and Have Better Food.
BY F. F. ROCKWELL.

The biggest source Of loss in the
average small garden is not insects
or diseases or dry weather, as bad
as these things are, but the waste
of products which are not gathered
in time and go to seed or get too
old and tough to use.
The abundance of rain which we
have had SO far in most sections has
kept the emergency gardens planted
green and growing, but the hot, dry
weather We are likely to get for the
next few weeks will cause crops to
mature very rapidly. Consequently,
only the gardener who is prepared
will be able to keep up with the sup
ply and prevent a great deal of I'M
necessary waste.
Even In the garden that has been
very carefully planned there is sure
to be a surplus of some things. II
n has made a big planting OF
beans Or corn especially for winter
use, provision Is naturally made to
take care of them, but it is the small
SURPRISES for which no such provi-
sion is made and which go to waste
before one realizes it hal make a
total loss of very considerable
amount even in the small garden.
To utilize the gardens products
to the fullest extent you should be
prepared to ave every extra quart Of
beans or dozen ears of corn Thai is
likely to be produced. Two ounce Ct
dried string beans will supply that
part Of a meal for five people. 1t
takes but two unce of dried apples
to make a large apple pie. So it is
evident that even the odds and ends
are we'll worth saving, and to do this
saving with the least possible trouble
the apparatus AID containers neces-
sary should be kept on hand and
ready for use at all times. With the
use OF up-to-date methods this does
not mean very difficult work. Cup
to-date methods do not necessitate
any elaborate or expensive equip
ment. The ordinary kitchen uten-
sis, with a few conveniences that
can easily be made at home, answer
every purpose where only small
amounts are to be handled.
IL
Improved Canning Methods.
The modern method Of canning /,
which u being quite universally
adopted Everywhere with good re-
suits and with a great saving in work
is called the Zone Period Cold Pack
Method" The vegetables or fruits
are put in the jars or cans while
they are cool instead of being dipped
Of a steaming hot kettle with the
certainty OF a good deal of hot and
disagreeable work, and the risk OF
badly scalded fingers, ii not a tele-
phone call to the nearest doctor.
In the One Period Cold Pack
Method there are four general rules
to be obeyed. They may seem so
obvious as to be hardly worth men
t1oning, but any IA IRE in .-su]ts
a usually be founj to be due d.
richly to ~carelessncss in one of these
four points.
First, each product to >. canned
should be absolutely sound and per-
1ectly clean; it should also be as
fresh as 1t IS possible to &c. it
preferably gathered the same day
that it is to be put up.
Second, the utensils and ali equip
ment and containers should be not
Only carefully washed, but thor
oughly sterilized before work with
each batch of stuff is begun.
Third. after being put in the con-
tanners the processing" should be
the full length of time that
Is required for the particular product
that Is being put up--the time re-
CURED for different things varies
greatlye and M should be sure of
correct information on this
point before beginning work with
any fruit or vegetable that has not
beeen handled before,
Fourth. after the processing" has