The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1916-07-02
WAYS OF PRESERVING
FOODS
gy MRS RUTH NJ JOHNSON, CO
v Homo Demonstration Ast.

riods OF time. To understand the fun,
damental reasons will also help her
to do canning and preserving more
skilfuIly. The following outline gives
ways Of preserving foods, with oriet ex
olanations Of why each accomplishes
its purposes;
/. My Means of Heat. Organisms
are destroyed, and when the entrance
OF others into the seterilized food is
prevented it will keep indefinitely.
g. In Cold Storage. Organisms are
not killed by cod but their growth is
only arrested.
3. By Drying. Bacteria, yeasts and
molds cannot develop when the mois-
turo in any food is very much reduced
below theh original mount.
4. By Harmless Preservatives. in
these bacteria and yeasts cannot grow
successfully.
By harmless pFeservatiVes is meant
sugar, satl, vinegar and certain spi-
lies, jams and pickles are easily kept
because of the presence Of one or more
Of these preservatives. Since these are
highly seasoned foods, they can only
be used in small quantities in any
wholesome diet. 1t is much more i'm
portaut, therefore, to have a good sup
ply OF canned fruits and vegetables
than of these rich products. While
! the sugar or spices used may prevent
| fermentation, molds are likely to oc-
cur on these foods. To prevent this
these products, except jellies, should
always be cooked some after being
hacked in the containers. Jellies can
be protected from molds by pouring
a layer of melted paraffin over the
top of the jelly in each glass when
cold and covering it tightly
Preserving powders are harmful
chemicals which should not We used
under any conditions Not only are
foods containing them less wholesome,
but their use encourages carelessness
and the putting up of foods which are
unsound and unfit to eat.
Sterilization.
Sterilization or preservation by
means OF heat is the best way to re-
tain the natural flavors and whole
some qualities of fruits and vegetables.
Sterilization consists simply Of put
ting foods in cans or jars which can
be sealed air tight, subjecting them
Ito sufficient heat to kill all organisms,
then sealing to prevent entrance OF
new infection of any bacteria, molds
or yoGsts, which are constantly pres
ent in the air.
Th first essential for completed ster-
iiization is absolute cleanliness in sur
rounding and in all utensils used in
canning. Tables should be covered
with white cloth Except where seal
/ ing is done, which will show every
trace Of dust or else be secured thor
oughly. Garbage cans must be pro
vided to hold every scrap Of peeline
land other refuse. To allow these to
/ fall upOn the ground to decay near the
place of canning vii result in the pro
duction Of spores, which will rise in
dust ana infect the material being
canned. Greater safety will follow
if Jars, cans and lids are sterilized by
| boiling for fifteen minutes, after be
ing thoroughly washed. They should
then be inverted on a clean surface
until used. Sterilize rubbers by drop
ping for minute into a boiling Solu
! ton Of soda and water Zone quart OF
water to teaspoonful soda) remov
ing from fire at once to prevent injury
All bacteria in spoIe state can be
destroyed by subjecting to tempera
ture Of 240 degree F.. moist heat, bu
special apparatus is necessary to pro
Guce such temperature. For this rea
son another method of sterilization
J finds wide@use among house keepers
and club members who do not possess
steam pressure Gamers This meth
! cd is known as intermittent or frac
tional sterilization, and consists of ap
plying temperature to vegetables Cal
ready packed i'll glass or tin) for q
certain period ON each of three sue
cessive days, sealing the jar imme
diately after each boiling or process
if the lid has been loosened to take
care Of the expansion caused by heat
] Between each daily processing the
containers are, kept at ordinary tenn
rorature, under which the spores not
killed by boiling develop into the east
iy killed vegetative or growing state
which arSthen destroyed by the next
period of boiling. Rarely do any
spores fail to thus develop and be de
sroyed by the third processing. For
beans, peas and corn properly select
ed and handled carefully, processing
FOR one hour in water bath at boiling
on the first day, and repeated on the
second and third day will ordinarily
sterilize these foods in quart jars, or