New Britain herald., 1920-06-23
Accuracy and Swiftness Requisites of Success in Cold-Pack
 Method.

Washington, D. C., June 23.-Can- ming time is here again.
 Strawberries are going, cherries are coming. and then straight through the summer there will be vegetables of all descriptions. fruits that will yield Juices for jelly making, fruits to preserve-and finally the goden peaches of early fall, ripening to be canned whole, fin halves, or made into mellow peach butter for winter morn ings.
 True, sugar is scarce But the method of canning endorsed by the United States department of agricul- ture points a way around this diffi- culty. By the one-period cold-pack canning method fruits may be canned without sugar. Hot water instead of syrup is poured over the fruit in the can before sealing. Of course if housewife has plenty of sugar and wants to use it, syrup is quite in or der-but it is not necessary.
 Absolute Accuracy.
 The first requisite to success with cold-pack canning is absolute accur- acy. Then, according to government teachers of this method, one must carefully unlearn all the lessons of the old-time, more complicated can- ming systems. such as the open kettle method. and start with an open mind to master tho five simple steps of the cold-pack method.
 There are several variations of the cold pack equipment for canning, in cluding hot water baths with home made outfits and with commercial equipment, water-seal outfits, and steam pressure outfits. The steam pressure outfits save time. but home- made equipment is quite as success full and calculated to appeal to a ma jority of housewives by reason of its economy.
 washboiIcr Is Favorite.
 A hon" made outfit may be made of such q receptacle as a washboiler, a large tin pail, lard pail. milk can or a metal washtub. Such a canner must have a well-fitting cover and a false bottom or lifting platform of wood or metal. This false bottom is necessary both to support the fruit jars and prevent them from coming in direct contact with heat. and also to permit a free circulation of wa ter and steam around and under the jars.
 In addition to the canner, a house. wife should have at hand several
 
 the fruit or preparing the vegetables; wooden spoons for packing food into jars: plenty of clean white cheese cloth and two large kettles for the blanching and cold-dipping process: a colander; supply of new rubber rings for scaling the jars: jars ster- ilized and tempered by heating in water and allowed to cool in the same water; quart measure; funnel; a clock.
 Five Cold-Pack Steps.
 The successive steps in this method are scalding or blanching. cold-dip- ping. packing the food in jars, ster- ilizing. and sealing the jars.
 The blanching process is accom- plished by putting the food. thorough ly cleaned, into large piece of and lowering this into a kettle of boiling water, leaving it i'm mersed for the number of minutes called for in the canning time sched- i ule. The blanching may be done by | the food in cheesecloth ] above the boiling water in steam. This !! process is of great importance. elim- ! mating objectionable acids, starting l the flow of coloring matter and re- ducing the bulk of the food.
 shock Kills Bacteria.
 When food is blanched if must be | cold dipped immediately after. The l shock from boiling to cold water kills | certain destructive bacteria, sets the coloring matter and hardenS the | pulp under the skin. The food in the should be lifted directly | from the boiling water and plunged | into a kettle of very cold water. It 1 should never be allowed to stay in l the cold water. but removed imme- diately and draifed, preparatory to