The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-06-03

for when canned as they should be are
Just as nice as when picked fresh
from the vines.
There are many ways of canning
beans and / find many adverse opin-
ions in regard to the canning Of this
vegetable. I've heard some rather
discouraging reports and have listen
ed with interest to some of the vari-
Gus processes of the work. / am told
by merchants that there is very lit
tie demand for canned beans in the
stores, that they are claimed to be
devoid of real vegetable flavor, which
is but the result of canning for profit
without due consideration of the quail
ity of the product.
Some housekeepers have a process
in which a little vinegar is used, in
most cases they keep very well, but
the vinegar must be soaked out (if
possible) and even then they cannot
have the same sweet flavor of the
bean picked fresh from the vine.
/ find those who put them up in
tin only, using the one day process,
and do not exhaust them at all, adj
hitting that frequently some are lost
and that the odor of beans when can
ned was undesirable.
Now it is not my intention to criti-
size anyone's method of this work
but it would seem that the arts of our
grandparents would surpass all these.
Nowadays we live in an age of pro-
gress and enlightenment and when we
take into consideration the fact that
he United States department Of ag-
riculture has made speciality of this
work, and our government spent large
sums of money in studying just what
is the best method, and is sending
its agents into various counties of
a number of states to teach our rural
people the work, there must surely
be some assurance as to the RELIABLE
ity of the instruction as given. Almost
daily | am giving canning demonstra-
tions in some part of the county, not
only with my canning club members
but with farmers where ever my time
will permit. Just now we are can
ming beans and expect to put up a
great many during the season.
Beans when put up unaer this dem
onstration work, bearing the "4-H"
brand are treated in the following
manner:
First, the beans must be fresh and
tender, using great care in selection as
one would use in preparing them for
the table. If the beans are snapped
on the day before being canned they
should be kept in cool place, spread
in the dew over night if it is possible
When water in Gamer is at a boiling
heat, beans are put i'm sacks or trays
and blanched until a rich green color
and sufficiently wilted to bend with
out breaking, then they are plunged
in a vessel of cold water, which tends
to set the color, and produces firm
ness that is most desirable. When
this is done and the cans have been
thoroughly sterilized, the beans are
carefully packed to within three-quar-
tiers of an inch of the top of can and
then a brine containg 21koz. salt to
one gallon of water is poured over
them, care being taken not to fill the
cans too full to avoid the seal being
poorly made. When the brine has
been poured in the caps are then
sealed on and the cans put in the can
ner to exhaust for ten minutes, which
part of the process is most important
as the flavor of the bean depends to a
great extent on the exhaust. The cans
are then taken out and tipped, which
is the finishing touch of sealing.
When properly tested the cans are
boiled for one hour, and
when taken out should be cooled as
quickly as possible. The one hour
boiling should be repeated on the next
two mornings, each time cooling them
off when taken from the Gamer. A
good way to cool quickly is to dash a
bucket of water on them. This may
seem like a lot of trouble, but the
first days work is really the only
part, as it is a very little
trouble to repeat the boiling and it is
a thoroughly recognized fact that the
cooking is most impor-
tant part of the process, at least we
think so, and of our entire expert
ence the (4-H) brand has been pro-
nounced, true to the motto of the can
ming club girls, which is "To make the
best BETTER" using only the best.
1t is often true that onr truckers
ship great quantities of the very
finest beans to northern markets,
where they lay in cars or warehouses
until unfit for use, then are sold for a
small sum to packers, whose ambi-
tons for the dollar entirely blinds
them as far as quality is concerned,
the main object being to get them
sealed and handsomely labeled and
then we pay double the price and are
usually Disguised with canned beans,
which under such circumstances is but
to be expected. The real object of
the home demonstration work, which
is in cooperation and a part of the