The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1917-06-21
EVERY HOME MAY
BE A CANNERY
Vegetables and Fruits May be
Safely Kept with Aid
of Wash Boiler.

The cold packed method Of cannin
eral use among housewives. II pre-
vides an excellent and practical me
thod for preserving food which woul
otherwise go to waste. BY this me
thod vegetables are blanched, the
cold dipped and packed in jars. Ho
syrup is added to the fruit, hot waite
and salt to vegetables. The rubber
and tops are adjusted and the food
are sterilized in the jars, making il
impossible for the organisms that
produce fermentation to enter the
container after sterilization.
Practically all foods can be success
fully sterilzed by this method in one
long period of cooking. To use canning
recipes intelligently it will be nee
essary for the housewife to familiar
ize herself with few canning terms.
By scalding is meant dipping fruit
into boiling water for the purpose of
loosening the skin. As soon as the
skin will peel l TO 8 minutes, remove
and immerse in cold water. The skins
are removed from tomatoes, peaches,
apricots and plums by this method.
To blanch means to plunge foods
into rapidly boiling water and keep
them boiling briskly for the time in
dicated by the recipe. If the boiling
water is checked by the addition of
cold food do not count time until the
water begins to boil again.
Cold dipping indicates that the food
is taken from the boiling water and
plunged into cold and allowed to re-
main few seconds. After blanching |
and cold dipping, drain and pack into
jars at once. The process of blanch- |
ing and cold dipping Is wasteful of
the mineral matter in the vegetables
but helps to insure keeping and facil-
itates packing.
To steriize or process" means to
cook the products in the jars sur
rounded by water or in steam for a
given length of time. Count the time
after the water begins to boil. The
purpose Of the sterilization is to kill
the odganizims, molds, oryeasts and
bacteria present in the food which
would otherwise cause it to spoil If
the water bath is used, the water sur
rounding the jars should come well |
up on the neck or shoulder of the
jar, or preferably cover them by an
inch and be kept at this height. There
will be no trouble from leakage when
the lids are properly adjusted. Au-
thorities vary in regard to the length
of time necessary for sterilizing many
foods, but it is better to overlook
than to undertook. In the recipes
the shorter period refers to foods in
pint jars, the longer to quarts.
Many housewives have the idea that
home canning can only be done with
an expensive outfit, but this is not
the case A simple water bath outfit
may be improvised from the average
woman's utensil closet and this will
do the work as well as an expensive
cooker.
For the main cooking utensil a
bucket, kettle or wash boiler that
can be tightly covered will do. A
large sized fireless cooker is excellent
for small quantities. There must be
a rack to fit in the bottom to permit G
the water to circulate between the jars
and the bottom of the utensil. A
cheap wire meat rack is good, or nail (
wooden Stats together to fit the bottom v
Of the kettle, or simply lay in the n
strips of wood in such a way as to b
support the jars. Hay, straw, news c
papers and cloth are not satisfactory.
A wire frying basket or muslin cloth
o contain vegetables when blanching
S needed.
With this limited equipment and
he necessary pairing knives, spoons,
lean clothes, table space, plenty of p
resh water-both boiling and cold b
clock and suitable jars, one should N
e able to can all the seasons surplus c,
rom small garden and orchard. lie
Overpacking: Corn, pumpkin, peas, al
ma beans and sweet potatoes swell b'
r expand in processing. Do not fill st
he jars quite full of these vegetables. hi
facing cold jars in hot water or vice lii
ersa. Allowing cold draft to strike
he jars when first removed from the
amer. Having wire bale too tight, th
bus breaking the jars when lever is pi
orced down. b
Select only fresh, sound fruit and Pl
vegetables for canning. Use same tn
ay as gathered, the sooner the better, sh
specially is this true of corn and an
cas-, which deteriorate very rapidly it
fter gathering. You cannot be sure sn
success except with perfectly fresh le'
egetables. Prepare foods according fiv
, recipes given later. gu
In adjusting tops when using a ia
.rewtop jar place rubber and top and SCI
rev tight, then make a half turn tw
ick. Or, in the first place, turn