Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-13

Beginner or old hand at canning
bride or mother Of servicen1an-
the homemaker is putting up tonna-
toes this summer partly because It'll
4 war Job she's taking in her stride
and partly because tomatoes are easy
to can. They have 4 splendid red
color and tangy flavor and a good
amount of vitamin @, even after
they're put up.
A vitamin C food in the storage
closet this winter will be most well
come, especially II transportation
difIiculties should make citrus fruits
hard to get. The body cannot store
vitamin G, and 1t is necessary Tor
that reason to get the daily require
ment every day.
For the inexperienced, here's the
"how" of tomato canning, so that
she will have more on her SIDE tnan
mere beginners luck.
Even for the experienced Gamer a
few reminders may still serve well,
for even the best memories slip now
and then. Home economists of the
Department OF Agriculture offer
these reminders.
For any type of canning, have in
structions close at hand. A new
Government folder, Wartime Cam
ming of Fruits and Vegetables" has
Just been issued by the Bureau Of
Human Nutrition and Home Eco
nomics. You can obtain q copy free
from the once OF Information,
United States Department of Agri-
culture.
Next on the list is to check can
ming equipment.
For tomatoes you need boiling
water bath Gamer. Any clean YES
Sci will do. provided 1t has . good
nd and is big enough to hold con-
venient number of jars and deep
enough to allow covering tops Of
jars with at least l or inches OF
water
Then you'll need a wood or wire
rack that will At into the Gamer
to hold the Jars off the bottom. You
can make a rack Of wood that will
do nicely.
Check over your jars and jar
closures. Use only sound jars. No
hicks or cracks.
Some OF this years caps are rub
ber-savers and metal savers, made
in two of three pieces. One Of the
two-piece caps is metal screw
band and 4 metal disk with rubber
made on" Be sure that your clos
ures give an alright seal. Know
the type Of closure that you have,
for some of them are completely
scaled before the food is processed
and some are only partially sealed
and completed after processing. Un-
less you follow the correct method
Of sealing, you run the risk Of spoil
ing your canned food.
Tongs are useful If you have them
and 50 is a wire basket or colander
for scalding tomatoes.
You'll want . funnel. A measur-
ing spoon for measuring salt. A
ladle or cup. Three containers, one
for sterilizing the jars and caps, one
for dipping the tomatoes to loosen
skins, and one for precooking them.
Have plenty of clean cloths on
hand.
Homegrown tomatoes are best
for canning-fine II you can get
them from your Victory garden,
but good, too. If they come from
garden or farm nearby.
Budget your time 50 that you'll be
ready to can as soon as you get the
tomatoes. If the unexpected hap
pens and you have to delay can
ming, keep the tomatoes cool and
well ventilated while they wait.
If you are canning tomatoes from
your Victory garden, don't hold
part Of them while you wait for
more to ripen. Can in small amounts
when each batch Of tomatoes is at
its best and fit the job into your
daily routine.
Wash everything clean in hot
auos-jars, caps. rubbers, kettles,
utensils.
Then place jars, tops and rubber
Jar rings in a pan Of warm water
with 4 rack or cloth in the bottom
to prevent humping of the jars.
Bring water to boiling shortly be-
fore time to fill the jars so that all
equipment will be hot and steriliZed
when needed-but don't boil metal
disks with rubber compound made
on them. Dip the disks quickly into
hot water just before sealing the
jars.
Now for the tomatoes. Sort for
size and ripeness. Tomatoes of
about the same size will cook more
evenly. Use only firm. ripe toma-
toes, remembering that "one spot
Of rot" can spoil the whole batch
A bushel of tomatoes will give IS
to 20 quarts of canned food. Two
and one half to 81 pounds-about
8 to 10 tomatoes-will give one
quart.
To keep most of the vitamins.
prepare the tomatoes in small
patches, enough to fill the jars for
one Gamer load.
Wash the tomatoes clean, but
don't soak them, and handle care
fully 50 as not to bruise. Put the
tomatoes into a wire basket, a thin
cloth, or a colander and dip them
quickly into boiling water for about
one minute. Plunge them into cold
water for an instant. Then drain,
core and peel them promptly.
Use the hot-pack method. That
is, precook the tomatoes to drive
some air out of the tissues, shrink
the food so that you can pack more
economically and shorten the time
for processing in the Gamer.
Whole tomatoes have eye appeal
IN the jar, but in these days jar
space is needed space. So quarter
your tomatoes to pack more in each
jar.
Put them quartered in kettle
and bring to boil. Pack them hot
into hot jars, using funnel and a
ladle or cup. Ease knife blade
down into the jar to let out air bub-
bles. Fill the jar with solids and
Juice to one-half inch of the top.
Ductless Glands
ReC,,1ate R0dv