The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-07-06
BERRIES MUST Be
CANNED SAME DAY
THEY ARE PICKED
Methods Given AS Well AS
Points on Handling
Beets

| oil dWUSIIl0S U6 1lduul0U
very carefully and canned the same
day the fruit is picked, says today
| bulletin from the National Emergency
Food Garden Commission, of Wash
| ington, which is cooperating with
this newspaper in it's countrywide
| campaign for food conservation. To
prevent bruising and crushing, the
| berries should be gathered in shallow
| baskets or trays.
Do not use the fingers for huIling
since the purchase Of simple huller
for a few cents will give a better pro-
| duct and save lots of stains. AS the
Strawberries are hulled they may be
graded and sorted, and then they
should be washed by placing in a CO.
lander and pouring cold water over
them. Pack the berries carefully into
hot jars without blanching or cold
dipping, being careful not to jam or
crush them The best way to fill con-
tanners is to put a few berries into a
jar and press them carefully into
place with a spoon, and thus fill up
the jar, layer by layer.
After the Jars are fuM of fruit,
either hot water or syrup (see below
may be poured in to fill up the
spaces. Another way is to fill up the
jars with the hot juice of crushed
fruit instead of using hot water, this
giving a very rich flavor and color.
The tops of glass jars should be ad-
justed and partially tightened-tin
cans should be capped and sealed
comp4e tely-and then sterdlized in
boiling water for 16 minutes, after
which the tops should be frightened,
the jars inverted out of draught to
cool and wrapped in dark colored
paper to prevent bleaching in storage
If a syrup is desired with straw
berries, use a cup of sugar to the
same amount OF water or strawberry
juice. After the sugar has been dis
solved by boiling, pour the hot syrup
over the berries and sterile as per the
directions above.
The National Emergency Food Gar
den Commission, 210 Maryland build
ing, Washington, D. c., will send it's
canning or drying manual free to
readers OF this paper for a ltwo cent
stamp to pay postage.
Baby sbeets are best for canning
says today's bulletin. The older the
beets the more chance there is for
loss of color. The most suitable size
is when they run about 40 to the
quart.
| Select beets OF uniform size, age
stiff vegetable brush Leave in inch
of the tops and all OF the roots while
blanching as this will aid in pre-
Vention of loss Of color. Blanch for
SIX to eight minutes, plunge quickly
into cold water for an instant, cut off
tops and roots, and rub off slzin,-do
not peel. Pack beets into jars, either
whole or cut into such pieces as de-
sired, add a level teaspoonful of salt
per quart and fill with hot water
Partially tighten tops and sterilize
for an hour and a half to two hours
Gin cans should be sealed completely
before steri1ization.) After complete
sterilization, remove Jars from the
boiling water, tighten tops at. once
and invert to cool DIN a place free from
dranghts. Wrap jars in dark paper
to prevent bleaching
BE2ET TOPS. Beet tops for greens
should be canned the day they are
picked. Sort and clean very carefully,
and blanch in steam for Is minutes
either in regular steamer or in other
vessel so arranged that the greens
may be suspended above an inch or
two OF boiling water. After blanching.
plunge beet tops into cold water for
an instant; then cut into desired
lengths and pack tightly into jars.
Add hot water to fill jars and season
to taste. Partially tighten tops of Jars
and sterilize for an hour and a half.
Remove jars from hot water and
complete sealing, and place in an in
verified position out OF a draught to
cool.
The small beets taken out of the
rows in thinning may he canned with
the greens and are very palatable if
served in this manner. The process
Is the same as for canning the tops.