Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-01
BY MRS. NJ. A. WILSON

Ceprfoht. 1921, by Mrs. ~. A. WILSON.
All RIGHTS reserved.
HAVE received ever so many letters
telling me Of many failures in canning
some of the seasons fruits and vegctn-
bles. Some losses amount to over 100
Jars-just Think of 1t. Now before you
are beginning to can. look carefully to
the jars and their lids. II YOU are using
the, Mason type and YOU have had
foods canned in these jars. and If you
have opened them by rrying the lids
with n knife or otter instrument to
loosen the lid. you cannot expect to
use those lids again You have bent
the metal to allow the pressure in the
jar TO escape. and II will not seal air.
tight when used again.
Old corn. peas and beans will not
keep. and because Of their condition
are moor buy. Now. unless YOU have
a garden or are in position 10 obtain the
vegetables and fruits directly from IN"
fsrm. take my advice and do not at
tempt to can peas. beans and corn that
are purchased in the open markets
These foods contain a delicate pro-
tein Of vegetable milk character and
n Tactic acid or sour fermentation starts
very quickly in the heart If the prod
ucts II they are:
First. Permitted to stand in tho sun
to stand. thus causing the natural heat
to develop.
Third. Stand in poorly ventilated cars
during the transportation and in close,
overheated shons.
Fourth. Stand in warm kitchens.
Fifth. To be overlong in the process
of preparation before actIal canning
takes place.
One woman writes that Inst year she
o,,I l,f,, not,
Dor ran over for a few minutes to toll
her some news; she left the beans rftcr
blanching and cold dipping in the Jars
they were ready TO fill with the boiling
salt water and partially seal. They
could not have stood over fifteen or
twenty minutes at the most but she
lost the whole pack; then she wishes
to know II this was possibly the cause
OF her failure. when in other years
she has always had splendid success.
I do not think. but know that this
delay gave the bacteria present won
derful chance to dcvelon-thcrmophy
or the culture that causes fiat sour.
Sometimes think that will avoid Civ
ing canning instructions for the whole
summer and urge the housewife to dry
foods only. so that when another sea
son rolls around you will have lost
some of the ideas that you have about
canning and be ready to follow simple
and easy rules.
Now just let us pause for a minute.
Suppose the big Gamer had ms many
failures as the housewife. How do
you think he could continue to do busi
ness? ! have had 20 many calls, all
telling of failures and ever 80 anxious
TO retrieve the failures. Many times
this cannot be done. When sugar was
twenty FIVE and thirty five cents per
pound. more than fifty women wrote
to me as follows:
Ten burned jelly or jam and wanted
&C. know how to remove the burned
taste. You may spice this jam or jelly,
but the burned taste will still be there.
SO the sugar. plus the time, fuel anil
fruit. was lost
Eighteen women wrote that their
grape jelly would not jell. and the causes
were haphazard methods, no accurate
measurements. Some use just the pure
juice, without adding water, hence the
tartar crystals in the grapejuice pre-
vented the juice from jelling.
Six women tried to make strawberry
Jelly and afterward were surprised that
they had failure on their hands. One
esS man was bitterly disappointed an /
heTter being repeatedly urged to send
usher formula. said that she used about
pint of water to two quarts of Der.
ries. Now the strawberry is % per
cent water and it does not contain Il
vegetable like starch or gelatin. which
is so necessary for jelly making How
ever. it makes n splendid preserve
If ~ cups of sugar are added to quart
\ box Of berries that have been washed
and stemmed. Shake down the berries
well for measuring. Add no water and
just heat slowly and cook until thick