The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-04-24
FOOD CANNED AT
HOME SAFE, IF IT
IS CANNED RIGHT
BOILING DESTROYS DEADLY
BACTERIA; HOUSEWIVES
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quests for an article on bOtul1Sm
Mrs. o. M. writes: "Please prin
something about botulinus poison
ing. My canning usually runs owe.
200 cans each year and the major
ity is vegetables. | would like t.
understand all about this form o
poison, whether it is caused from
the quality of cans, from foreign
bacteria in ingredients used in pre-
serving the product, or an element
that cannot be controlled. Since
reading about botulinus poisoning
] am reluctant about planning my
future canning"
Botulinus poisoning is caused by
eating canned vegetables or fruits
in which the organism botulinus
has grown and produced a toxin of
poison. Cans or preserving agents
are not responsible. The bacteria
lives in the soil and there are GER
tain parts of the country where the
soil contains more of this organ
ism than others. Yakima region of
the northwest has been the worst
infested of all soils. Foods that
grow in these soils carry this bac-
terra. This is why Washington,
California and Colorado have had
the most serious outbreaks of bot
ulism. The records show, however,
that almost every state in the
Union has had cases with a dag
nosis indicating botulism.
In Canned String Beans
The foods which have been
known to cause botulism are home
canned string beans, peas, aspara-
gus and corn, and commercially
packed olives and spinach and
home canned fruits, especially a
pricots and pears. More than half
the outbreaks due to vegetable
products followed the tasting or
consumption of green beans. The
string bean is an excellent medium
for the development OF a very potent
toxin and the spoilage of this veg
etable is sometimes so slight that
the housewife or cook fails to de
tect it.
In almost every instance botul-
ism results after the eating of sal
ads made of unheated string beans
Oceans that are not boiled after
they are removed from the CAM
and any odor that the spoiled pro
ducts may have is masked by the
use of vinegar or mayonnaise. The
saItiness and spicy aroma in olives
too, has in many s masked the
taste and odor of the poisonous
present. Sometimes the
poisoned food has an irritating
taste, and sometimes when it is
heated, a d~isagreeable odor is Civ
off, but this isn't always true.
Many women have been known to
taste a small amount of the liquid
on beans in which they suspected
spoilage, and on finding the taste
unpleasant, have thrown the beans
out to their chickens. In many in
when only a very small
amount of the liquid was swallow
ed it caused death, and also the
fowl that consumed the affected
product died.
Boil Before Tasting
One of our readers has asked:
How can l tell if my beans con-
ain this poisoning?'The only sure
way is TO feed it to some animal or
owl. One shouldn't taste unheat-
ID home canned foods, especially
hose preserved by the cold pack
method, until they are first boiled,
III home canned vegetables should
,e boiled at least 90 minutes and I
he product should be smelled dur !
ng the cooking. :
All methods of canning should :
i'm at absolute sterility to insure
.bsolute freedom from this bac-
cI Id. Suu liiG SuISSl way ID W :
a pressure cooker. There is no I
ccasion for disseminating the pre- 7
ervation of food in the home. But
is preferable to use a pressure Il
ooker, especially for canning peas q
cans. spinach, asparagus, apricots T
nd pears. Commercial methods i
f sterilization have Income so
effected that botulism has been a
Imost unheard of in the last ten p
7
SteriIize Raw Foods s
Botulinus poisoning can be pre- U
providing the public knows b
lct. In canning in the home use y
My clean, sound raw material. e
recess the food until sterile, al Il
-ays cook home canned beans, X
cas-, corn and spinach at least q
} minutes before serving them, 81
Id watch for any suspicious odor
lring cooking. Then you are m
lfe. in
ONE LOOK ENOUGH h;