The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1924-03-06
HOW TO CAN
GREEN GRASS
George Sellick Reads Inter.
esting Article at
Club Luncheon

At the weekly Commercial luncheon
Saturday, George Sellick, prominent
valley farmer, spoke interestingly
of asparagus growing in this district.
The phase of the subject which Mr..
Sellick dealt with was the possibility
of an over production of this very
profitable crop. To show that the
canning of asparagus offers great
possibilities Mr.. Sellick read portions
of recent article on the canning of
green asparagus by Grin Croolter.
In this article Mr.. Croker says:
Canned green asparagus is del
icacy to be eaten with great relish
when heavy snow covers the ground
and spring seems yet long way off.
There are only few places in the
country where the green variety is
put up in cans, although in Califor-
MIA the canning of white asparagus
is considerable industry.
A factory where green asparagus
is packed is somewhat of a novelty
among food packing establishments.
In places where corn, peas, or toma-
toes are canned, the work is done
usually on large scale and the raw
materials and the product through
all stages Of the operation, are han
led by special machinery. But in the
canning of ordinary green asparagus,
such as grows in the home garden,
great care must be taken not to
bruise the stalks which are espe-
cially tender. The canning factory
where it is packed resembles home
kitchen. Consequently there is al
most no special machinery employed.
The work is done wholly by hand
methods.
When the boxes of freshly cut
stalks reach the factory the work
of trimming begins. Each stalk is
cut to the proper length to fit the
long can into which it goes, by the
use of trimming board, which meas
ures the point at which the cut is
made. Crooked or bent shoots are
discarded but these together with the
butt ends are later cut up into small
pieces and canned for use in soups.
The trimmed stalks are now ready
for processing. First they are wash
ed to remove field dirt, then they are
put to soala in brine bath. This
restores such crispness as they may
have lost since being cut. Following
this they are packed in metal bas-
kets, cut ends down. The baskets are
placed in hot water to a depth of
about three inches for three or four
minutes to soften and partially cook
the heavy ends of the stalks. The
tender tips receive all the cooking
they require when the sealed cans
are placed in the pressure cookers.
The asparagus is ready to be put
into the cans now. Care is taken not
to damage the tips. The women who
do this work grow accustomed to as
sembling in a double handful Just
enough stalks to fit snugly ito the
can. The tip ends are put in first.
When the cans have been filled, a
seasoning liquid containing salt and
sugar, are added until the can is
brimming full. The lid is then crimp-,
ed in place, the only operation in
which a machine is used. After cook
ing in steam retort at tempera-
ture considerably higher than that of
boiling water, the process is finished
and the can is ready to be put away
to cool. Later it is labelled and boxed
for shipment.
Mr.. Sellick called attention to the
fact that with so simple process
the canning of asparagus could easily
be undertaken here should production
ever outgrow a profitable fresh mar
ket.
Henry Dingfelder, of the firm of
Dingfelder Brothers prominent frgi
and produce brokers of New YORK.
was present at the luncheon. He told
of the arrival of the car of Kennc-
wick asparagus in the New York mar
ket last spring. He said that it was
new product in strange package
and for that reason buyers were
rather backward in bidding for it.
1t received the highest praise from
those on whose tables it was served.
Mr.. Dingfelder said the Kennewick
shipment came in when there was lit
tie asparagus on the market. Cali
MIA arrivals had fallen off and Jersey
points had not yet begun to ship.
For this reason Mr.. Dingfelder be-
lieves that Kennewick asparagus has
future on the New York market. He
said, however, there should be excel
lent markets nearer home than New
York. Chicago, st. Louis, Omaha,
Kansas City, and other Middle West
cities should be large consumers as
soon as the Kennewic2c product be-
comes known. He said that in the
event Kennewick did use these city
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