The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-10-01
CAUTIONS TO HOME GAMERS.
BY o. H. Benson, in Charge Boys and
Girls Club Work

Girls Club Work.
]. In beginning home canning work
| take time to study fully the instructions
in farmers bulletin 500, Home Canning
by the One Period Cold Pack Method
, Club members should use Mr. circulars
on home canning work, or the special in
struetions in home canning sent out by
the state colleges of agriculture. Follow
but one set of instructions. If you com
bine two it will lead you into difficulties
and cause the loss of food products.
2. The instructions in farmers bulle'
tin 500 are based On the use OF fresh
firm, sound, ripe products. When can
ming vegetables which have stood in the
market place over "a hours, increase the
time of sterilization as given in this bull
letin about 20 per cent.
3. Do not begin canning large amounts.
First, try out few packs thoroughly
and determine for yourself whether you
understand the instructions and can fol
! low them.
A. Use good rubbers. Most of the rub
| bers which are furnished with glass jars
will not stand the boiling required for
| the sterilization of vegetables in hot wa
| ter, steam, or steam under pressure. and
might better be discarded and good rub
bers procured.
Description of good rubber rings: Rub
Der rings for the average standard pint
and quart jars etc, should be 5l6 of an
inch wide They should be cut II TO
the inch. that is, IL rubber rings placed
one upon the other will measure one
inch in thickness. They should stand up
under sterilization in boiling water or in
steam under pressure for at least three
hours without injury TO the rubber.
Good rubbers will stretch and return
promptly to place without changing the
inside diameter They should be reason
ably firm and able to stand abrupt bend
ing without breakage. This description
does not apply to rings for the special
types of Jars on the market.
). Reports during the past five years
Indicate that Is per cent. of the spoilage
of food products in home canning is
due to the use of poor rubbers, old Ma
son tops, and defective joints, springs,
and caps.
0. Success in home canning by the
one period cold pack method depends on
a full understanding of the entire proc
ess. Observe especially that green veg |
etables should be blanched in live steam,
tubers in hot water for not less than five
Then dip them quickly in cold |
water Pack at once in hot, sterile jars
and add boiling water. All greens, pod
vegetables, green peppers, etc, should be
in live steam rather than water.
Take time to pack all food products well
into hot glass jars. A little salt or sugar
should be added Immediately, rubbers
and tops put in place, and the jars par
italy sealed. These steps, if properly
and quickly taken, have largely to do
with the success of the method. The
final success rests, of course, with the
sterilization. Food products should be
sterilized for the period given in farm
ars' bulletin $40 Read carefully all in
structions with reference to the handling
IF pressure Gamers to avoid exhausting
IF liquids. syrups, etc. When canning in
.erritorv with an altitude of over 900
'eet, increase the time gwen in the ia
,les from five to ten per cent. for each
additional 500 feet in altitude. Do this
without fail or some Of the products will
,e lost
I. In canning fruit, the syrup should
NJ prepared in a separate vessel and
poured over the fresh fruit, in the hot ,
ar Some food products with high acid
ontent. like cherries and plums. shrivel
nd shrink too much if a heavy syrup is
lsed.
S. The flavor of sweet corn and peas l
Fltr xsnA
" the addition of sugar instead of salt. '
Q. In canning tomatoes, be sure to G
cald until the skins crack, dip in cold
rater, then cut the cores out, remove :
kins, and pack at once into hot glass I
lrs. Use a wooden spoon for packing
urposes and pack carefully. A we'll
ipehed tomato may be placed at the
% and pressed down to fill all crevices.
How a level teaspoonful of salt to the
uart Wipe of the joints before the
ubber risgs are placed in position.
hen place the rubber rings and caps in
partially tighten the tops, and
t.rilize.
10. Flat sour which evelops in
AIMED vegetable especially with greens.
sparagls. peas and sweet corn, is caused
V insufficient sterilization. by canning
ID. deteriorated food products. or by i'm g,
roper blsnching and cold-dipping. a
H. Blanching and cold dipping all hi
sgetables before packing, If properly "
lne, win not in any way injure the w
larscter and quality Of the product. o
n the other hand il viii remove dirt ii
I'd bacteria and materially aid the ster
zing process. These preliminary steps liz
III also make il unnecessary IN tin can &C
ng, 20 exhaust the products. OF
ey