Arizona republican., 1921-08-12
VALLEY CANNING PLANT |S VISITED |bY ROTARY CLUB

u uO ulu OlOD Chandler Industry Inspect
 ed By Phoenix Men
 Modern Methods Of Pre-
 serving Fruit Demon
 strated
 Peaches went hurting from boxes into vats, through pipes and into attractive glass receptacles while members of the Phoenix Rotary club. their wives and friends watched at the Lewls and Son establishment in Chandler last night. The plant is the only one of it's kind in Arizona and New Mexico and stands as distinctive type in the entire world of canning and preserving because of 1 the methods used in making jams and marmalades and straining honey. The plant was running at capacity when the visitors from Phoenix ar rived at Fl Verjel Rancho last night and a practical working demonstra- ton of the entire process of making peach jam was given. 1t proved a delightful revelation to those who had perhaps entertained a preference for the home product to that which came from the shelves of grocery stores. They were convinced that modern machinery was not only more efficient but also more sanitary in every respect than the old-fashioned method used in the home.
 , Two rows of neat, quick working girls were kept busy pitting box after box of luscious Alberta peaches. l Their hands were the last to touch : the fruit in any form. The pitted
 peaches were sent into a big lye , peeler which automatically removed
 the skins with a solution of lye and water. From the peeler the fruit dropped into, a six-drum washer where it underwent six changes of water which entirely removed all traces of the I've solution.
 The pulping process followed. Enormous grinders reduced the solid . fruit to a thick buttery mass which passed easily through special sani- tary pipes into great copper cooking } kettles.
 ? The Old Home Process
 A vacuum pan was used in connec- ton with the cooking kettles. This pan was glass lined By a vacuum : process all water was drawn from the fruit. This process guarantees lH6 OTiSllldl lidtDI dIQ COfOI dIlci the product is placed in the glass 5 jars. Sugar added to the pulp in the cooking kettle-nothing else. There is no apple base, glucose or colorjng
 matter in the Lewis products. They use the recipe handed down by mother, grandmother and great grandma other-cook the fruit in sugar : and add no adulterants. It is the old rleiable kitchen product being placed
 upon commercial basis.
 :. After cooking a sufficient length of time the preparation is drawn from , the kettle into a filler which allows the finished product to flow auto 2 matically into glass containers The filters have a capacity of 65 pounds a minute. The full glasses are shift f ed to the capper which adjusts a . tight lid and delivers the jars into a 20-foot sterflizer where they are |, put through thorough washing and 7 sterilizing in hot water and live . steam. This process assures the f keeping qualities of the jam. z An endless steel belt then carries
 the full jars into an adjoining room where a labelling machine works at
 a capacity of 35 labels a minute. Then . followed the packing of the jars into . cases and removal to the warehouse i to await shipment.
 The idDei on the JdFS IeWls ' Home Made Products" = gives the !, buying public an idea of the nature , of the contents.
 = Appreciated by Growers . With it's modern equipment and capacity to handle large quantities of fruit and berries the Lewis plant offers an opportunity which the farmer and fruit grower of the val
 ley is beginning to realize and ap- preciate.
 George F. Lewis and w J. Levi:
 first conceived the idea of establish,
 ing a means of utilizing the frui
 and berries of the valley in August
 1918. when they began experiments ir
 little garage measuring 400 square
 floor feet. They used oil stoves fo
 their first trials at making jams ana
 were sufficiently encouraged to cree
 a. small building on their S0-acr'
 fruit ranch. Fl Verjel Rancho, Inc. | the following year.
 Today Fl Verjel Rancho is knowi
 favorably throughout the entir
 Southwest and in other districts. Tn | plant now occupies 7,1S0 feet O II floor space. Products this seasol
 include 75.000 jars of apricots: 35.00
 jars of figs; 15,000 jars of Satsum;
 plums; 15.e00 jars of sugar plums
 and 30.000 jars of quinces In addi V
 strawberry, loganberry and black
 berry jams, orange marmalade, pea
 nut butter and pure strained Arizoni mesquite and amber honey.
 Use Valley Fruit
 Most of the fruit used is grown fl
 the Salt River valley. That tn grower is we'll paid for his efforts
 reflected in figures on file at tn plant which show that one ranche received more than s400 for an acr
 of Alberta peaches. while three acre
 of apricots brought s660 to anothe grower. MT. Lewis and his son ar keeping complete records of a | products brought in by local grow CTS, which are on file and availabl for their inspection at all time
 This gives the grower an opportunit to closely estimate his yearly produo tion, based on his record of forme years. It also shows him that he
 receiving good pay for the time an money necessary for successful fru growing and encourages him to ea pand along this line.
 It is the ambition of MT. Lewis keep the establishment busy through out the entire year. As step i that direction he intends to add
 line of jelly. grape juice and syru to his present productions.