The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-08-12

Saving the garden su
One Of the many problems that con.
front the American housewife is that
concerning the supply of vegetables
Tor her table during the winter months.
What can have for dinner today"
Is question often heard. Through
the use of the greenhouse and the fore
Ing Of vegetables under glass, fresh
vegetables can usually be found at any
time in the markets OF the large
cities; but the great cost OF forcing
vegetables or growing them out OF
season almost prohibits their use by
people Of moderate means. A health
full diet, however, must include vege-
tables and therefore the housewise
turns to canned goods as her only al.
tentative. These are sometimes poor
substitutes for the fresh article, espe.
cially the cheaper commercial grades,
which necessarily lack the delicate
flavor of the fresh vegetable.
Enough vegetables usually so to
den to supply the table during the
entire winter, But usually the farm.
ers' wife cans her tomatoes, preserves
her fruits, and leaves her most whole.
some and nutritious vegetables to de.
cay In the field, she being under the
impression that it is Impossible to
keep them. This is a great mistake.
1t Is Just as easy 10 keep corn and
string beans as It is to keep tomatoes,
II one knows how.
Complete Sterilization.
The success OF canning or prescrv-
ing depends upon complete steriliza-
ton. The air We breathe; the water
we drink; all fruits and vegetables are
teeming with minute forms OF life
which We call yeasts, molds, and bac.
terra. These germs are practically the
sole cause Of decomposition or rotting.
Some kind OF bacteria do not re.
qulre air in which to work, and
cause vegetables to decompose even
when no air is present. Under
certain conditions bacteria change
into sPore. forms which may be com.
pared with the seeds of an ordinary
plant. These present the chief diff.
Guilty in canning vegetables. While
the parent bacteria may be readily
killed at the temperature OF boiling
water, the seeds retain their vitality
| for long time at that temperature
and upon cooling will grow, and the
newly formed bacteria will begin their
destructive work. Therefore 1t is nee.
essary In order to completely sterilize
vegetable, to either heat 1t to the
| boiling point of water and keep It at
that temperature for about an hour
upon two or three successive days, or
else to keep 1t at the boiling point for
long period OF time-about five hours.
Even after sterilization Is complete
the work is not yet done. The spores
of bacteria are so light that they float
about in the air and settle upon al.
| most anything. The air is alive with
them. Therefore It is necessary after
sterilizirg jar Of vegetables to ex.
clude carefully all outside air.
All this may seem new.fashioned
and unnecessary to some housekeep.
ers. One often hears MY graudmoth.
er never did this and she was always
successful at canning" Possibly so,
but 1t must be remembered that grand.
mother made her preserves and can.
ned her tomatoes, but did not attempt
| to keep the most nutritious and most
delicatcly favored vegetables such as
lima beans, string beans, asparagus
and corn.
The first requisite for successful
canning is good jar. Glass is most
satisfactory. Tin is more or less SOL
uble in the juices Of fruits and vese-
tables. The ordinary screw-top jar is
the one In most common use. Al
though cheap in price, these Jars are
the most expensive in the long run.
The top lasts only few years and be.
ing cheaply made the breakage is usu-
ally greater than that of better grade
of jar The tops also furnish an ex.
cellent hiding place for germs, which
makes sterilization very difficult. The
most satisfactory jar that the writer
has had any experience with, is one
that is closed with rubber ring and