EVERY STEP IN CANNING: THE COLD-PACK METHOD TEXT

absolutely unfit for food. If you are in doubt about the quality of any eggs you are candling break a few of them into a dish and examine them. This is an excellent way to learn to know how good and bad eggs look when they are being candled. Discard all eggs that have shrunken, loose contents, a watery appearance, cracked and thin shells. Eggs of this description will not keep and are apt to spoil the eggs close around them. Any egg that floats in the solution should be discarded. When packing eggs whether in salt, oats, or in solution place them with small end down. When packing them in salt, oats, etc., do not allow any two eggs to touch. PACKING THE EGGS One gallon of water glass as purchased will make enough preservative to preserve from 75 to 100 dozen eggs. Three gallons of either water glass solution or limewater solution will preserve from 200 to 240 dozen eggs according to the size of the eggs and the shape of the container. The cost of preserving eggs by the water glass method is about one cent per dozen eggs, not considering the cost of the container. The lime water method is still cheaper. The following gives the sizes of jars with approximate capacity for eggs and the amount of water glass solution required to cover the eggs: 1 gallon jar--40 eggs, 3½ pints of solution or 1¾ qt. 2 gallon jar--80 eggs, 8 pints of solution or 2 quarts. 3 gallon jar--120 eggs, 11 pints of solution or 5½ quarts. 4 gallon jar--160 eggs, 14½ pints of solution or 7¼ quarts. 5 gallon jar--200 eggs, 18 pints of solution or 9 quarts. 6 gallon jar--216 eggs, 22 pints of solution or 11 quarts. 10 gallon jar--400 eggs, 36 pints of solution or 18 quarts. HOW TO USE PRESERVED EGGS When the eggs are to be used, remove them as desired, rinse in clean, cold water, and use immediately. Eggs preserved in water glass can be used for soft boiling or poaching up to November. Before boiling such eggs prick a tiny hole in the large end of the shell with a needle to keep them from cracking, as the preservative seals the pores of the shell and prevents the escape of gases, which is possible in the strictly fresh egg. They are satisfactory for frying until about December. From that time until the end of the usual storage period--that is until March--they can be used for omelettes, scrambled eggs, custards, cakes and general cookery. As the eggs age, the white becomes thinner and is harder to beat. The yolk membrane becomes more delicate and it is correspondingly difficult to separate the whites from the yolks. Sometimes the white of the egg is tinged pink after very long keeping in water glass. This is due, probably, to a little iron which is in the sodium silicate, but which apparently does not injure the eggs for food purposes. CHAPTER XVIII HOME STORAGE OF VEGETABLES Towards the end of the canning season most housewives have used every available glass jar and tin can and hesitate about purchasing a new supply. They have dried and brined many products and yet they feel, and rightly so, that they would like still more vegetables for winter use. There still remains another method that they may employ to provide themselves with a plentiful supply of vegetables and these vegetables can be in the fresh state too. Neither canned, dried, pickled or salted but fresh. Canning, drying, pickling and salting are essential and necessary but they can not take the place of storage. To keep vegetables in their natural state is the easiest and simplest form of food preservation. Of course, you must take proper precautions against freezing and decay. If you do this you can have an abundant supply of many kinds of fresh vegetables all winter, where climatic and living conditions will permit. Storage costs but little money and little effort and yet it is very satisfactory. There are many vegetables that can be stored to good advantage. They are: Beets, Brussels Sprouts, Beans, Celery, Carrots, Chicory or Endive, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohl-rabi, Lima Beans, Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Squash (Winter), Salsify or Vegetable Oyster, Tomatoes, Turnips. To get good results in any kind of storage, you must observe four things: 1. Proper ventilation. 2. Proper regulation of temperature. 3. Sufficient moisture. 4. Good condition of vegetables when stored. There are six different ways to store vegetables. They are: cellar storage, pit storage, outdoor cellar or cave storage, attic storage, sand boxes and pantry storage. CELLAR STORAGE We will first of all consider cellar or basement storage. One of the most convenient places for the storage of vegetables is a cool, well-ventilated and reasonably dry cellar underneath the house. This cellar must have windows or some method of ventilation, must not be too warm and not so cold that food will freeze. If there is proper ventilation there can be some dampness without injury to the vegetables. If your cellar or basement floods easily or has water standing in it anywhere it should not be used for vegetable storage. If there is a furnace in the cellar or basement a small room as far as possible from the heating plant should be partitioned off. Do not build a room in the middle of the cellar, for two sides of the room should consist of outside walls. If possible have two outside windows for proper regulation of the temperature and for good ventilation. If you cannot have two windows have one. A very good arrangement for constant circulation of air consists in having a stove-pipe inserted through one of the lower panes of the window to admit cold air. One of the upper panes of the window can be removed to allow for the escape of warm air. That is, of course, if the window is made of nine or twelve small panes of squares of glass. In severely cold weather this upper pane can be replaced or the opening stuffed up in some way. If you do not have an old stove-pipe you can make a wooden flue of old boards or old discarded boxes. Most cellars and basements are now made with concrete floors. The ideal floor for storage purposes is an earth floor. However, we can put two or three inches of sand on our concrete floors and get good results. Sprinkle the sand with water from time to time. Put the vegetables that are to be stored in boxes, baskets, barrels or crates. Use containers that hold only two or three bushels apiece. If larger boxes or barrels are used there is always danger of heating and decay. Of course, proper precautions should be taken against mice. An excellent way to prevent wilting of crops and shrinkage is to put moist leaves, oak or maple, in the containers with the vegetables. Moist sand is sometimes used but it is much heavier to handle than the leaves. It is no difficult matter to rake the lawn when you are ready to store the vegetables. The vegetables that are adapted for cellar storage are beets, cabbage, carrots, celery, parsnips, potatoes, salsify and turnips. PIT STORAGE There are two kinds of pits that may be used for storage. Those that are not frost-proof and those which are frost-proof. Some vegetables are not injured by being held in a frozen condition during the winter months. Cabbage is not injured by moderate frost. Cabbage and parsnips will stand freezing and a little thawing, so they can be put in pits or better still, boxes or barrels set into the ground may be used. Make the pit mound shaped. If the earth is mounded around the box, barrel or pit, surface water cannot run in. If using this kind of storage do not store the products until both the ground and the products are frozen solid. The idea is to keep the vegetables frozen or to have very few freezings and thawings, and those few should be gradual. After the pit has been made or the box or barrel has been set into the ground and filled with vegetables, it should be covered first with a piece of burlap or carpet, then with a mouse-proof board cover and finally with straw or similar material. When taken from the pit, the vegetables can be thawed out over night in cold water, after which they can be kept in the cellar for a short length of time. The pits for keeping vegetables free from frost must be carefully and thoughtfully made, but they are cheap and are very useful and practical when caves or cellars are not convenient. The frost-proof pit for storing vegetables should always be placed in as well-drained a place as possible. A shallow excavation should be made from one to two feet deep, four feet wide and as long as desired. Line the pit with straw, hay or leaves, then place the vegetables in a conical pile on the straw. Cover the vegetables with six inches of the material used in making the lining. This is covered with three or four inches of earth. The straw is allowed to extend up through the earth at the top of the pile, thus assuring ventilation. When it becomes colder add more covering to the pit by another layer of straw and a layer of earth. In very cold climates a layer of manure or corn stalks will afford protection against frost. It is well to make several small pits rather than one larger one for the reason that when a pit has once been opened it is difficult to protect the remaining vegetables from frost. It is advisable to store several varieties of vegetables in one pit so that when each pit is opened you have a variety of vegetables. If you follow this plan separate the various crops by using straw or leaves. Pits are entered by chopping a hole through the frozen earth at one end, large enough to reach into or crawl into. After the vegetables have been obtained keep the hole stuffed and covered most carefully and deeply with old sacks and straw. If the smaller pits are used, a decidedly better arrangement, take out all the vegetables in the pit and those that are not needed for immediate consumption can be placed in the cellar storage room, or other cool place, until needed. Do not use those pits if you live where winter rains are abundant as the pits will become water soaked and the vegetables will suffer more or less decay. OUTDOOR CELLAR STORAGE Outdoor cellars or caves may be cheaply built for more or less temporary use or they may be very expensively built of concrete, brick, or clay blocks. Of course, the latter are permanent storing places and offer perfect storage for potatoes, carrots, cabbages, parsnips, beets, turnips and salsify. The objectionable features of indoor cellar storage is that such storage does not furnish ideal conditions for keeping the vegetables fresh for any great length of time. The objectionable feature to the pit storage is the inaccessibility to these pits during severe weather. The outdoor cellar or cave overcomes both these objections. The outdoor cellar or cave is an underground structure, preferably built in a hillside and fully covered with earth except at one end only where the entrance is located. If there are doors at both ends it is almost impossible to prevent freezing in very cold weather. The cave door should fit perfectly and there should be a hatchway or door over the steps leading down to the cave door. A very satisfactory inexpensive cellar can be made by digging an excavation about 5 ft. deep and in this erecting a frame by setting posts in rows near the dirt walls. Saw these posts off at uniform height and place plates on their tops. On these plates place rafters. Board up completely with the exception of the entrance. Cover the whole with dirt or sod and in cold climates add a layer of straw or fodder. A ventilation must be provided in the roof at the back end. A sewer tile with the bell end up makes a very good flue. A dirt floor is satisfactory as it contains moisture. If there is any seepage use a drain tile to carry it off. The more pretentious permanent cellars are provided with air spaces to furnish insulation; are provided with large ventilation shafts through the roof and cold air intakes under the floor. Thorough drainage is obtained by placing a line of tile around the outside wall and also by having the air intake serve as a drain for surplus water that might get into the cave. The floor is cement or concrete. Such a cave is expensive but is a permanent structure and a good addition to any farm or estate. If properly made it is possible to maintain a temperature of 34 to 38 degrees without much fluctuation during the winter months. This kind of storage is not only adapted for vegetables but apples as well. It is better adapted to the Northern, Eastern and Western States than to the Southern States, where it is likely to be warm at the time the vegetables are ready for storage. When making the cave, have it as near as possible to the kitchen door. Sometimes caves are made so that they can be entered from the house, cellar or porch. ATTIC STORAGE Some vegetables such as onions, squashes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins can be stored in the attic in crates which allow free circulation of air. They must be absolutely free from bruises and must be well ripened and cured. To cure the vegetables expose them to the air for a few days in the shade. Remove the tops of onions before storing. The attic is much better for storing onions than the basement. Squashes are susceptible to cold and moisture, so are suitable for the attic. Be very careful in handling the squashes to prevent breaking the stems off. Watch pumpkins and squash carefully and at the first sign of decay, use immediately or can. SAND BOX STORAGE Sand boxes in cellars, pits or caves are desirable for beets, turnips, kohl-rabi, carrots, winter radishes and rutabagas. The sand keeps them cold and prevents evaporation. Kohl-rabi should be tender when stored. PANTRY STORAGE Where there is no attic or where it is inconveniently reached, the products that are adapted to a very dry place can be stored on the pantry shelves or in a dry cellar near the furnace. They are onions, squashes, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. The keeping qualities of all these vegetables, no matter what storage is used, depends chiefly upon their condition when placed in storage. All products to be stored must be mature, but not overgrown. Root crops should be dry while the ground is in good working condition. All vegetables should be allowed to become surface dry before placing them in storage. White or Irish potatoes, especially, should not be exposed to bright sunlight any length of time. Only vegetables free from disease or injury should be stored. Any that are damaged can be used immediately, or can be canned or dried. Further particulars for the storing of fresh vegetables are given in the following tables. TABLE FOR VEGETABLE STORAGE VEGETABLES |HOW BEST STORED | |PREPARATION FOR STORAGE | | |AMOUNT FOR FAMILY OF TWO | | | |REMARKS | | | | Irish Potatoes |Must be kept cool with a slight degrees of moisture. Use |either cellar or cave methods. No potato should be more than |four ft. from air if stored in barrels, boxes, crates or |bins. | |Potatoes must be dug before the ground is crusted with | |frost. Frosted potatoes will spoil, one after another. | |Impossible to sort out frosted potatoes. | | |10 to 15 bus. | | | |Remember Irish potatoes are ruined by | | | |freezing. Potatoes should be kept absolutely | | | |dark to prevent greening by light. Never buy | | | |potatoes in sacks that show wet places due to | | | |a frosted potato. | | | | Sweet Potatoes |Require warmth and dryness. In crates or on shelves in warm |dry room. Can be spread on the floor in the room above the |kitchen where they will have plenty of heat, especially for |the first 2 or 3 weeks after they are dug. | |When the sweet potatoes are dug they should be allowed | |to lie in the sun and wind for 3 or 4 hours so as to | |become perfectly dry. They must be well ripened and free | |from bruises. Can be kept on shelves in a very dry place | |and they need not be kept specially cold. Sweet potatoes | |keep best when they are showing just a little | |inclination to sprout. However, if they start growing | |the quality is greatly injured. | | |2 to 3 bus. | | | |If you are in doubt as to whether the sweet | | | |potatoes are matured enough for storage, cut | | | |or break one end and expose it to the air for | | | |a few minutes. If the surface of the cut or | | | |break dries, the potato is mature. But if | | | |moisture remains on the surface, it is not | | | |fully ripened. In places where there are early | | | |frosts, sweet potatoes should be dug about the | | | |time the first frost is expected, without | | | |considering maturity. | | | | Carrots |Are best stored in sand in cellars, caves or pits; or in |tightly covered boxes or crocks. Must be kept cold and |evaporation must be prevented, for otherwise they become |wilted. | |Can remain in the ground until the weather is quite | |cool; then be pulled, the tops cut off and then stored. | | |1 to 3 bus. | | | |If you store carrots in the cellar and it is | | | |extremely dry cover them with a little | | | |moistened sand. | | | | Celery |May be rooted in earth in a cellar or cave and if watered |occasionally will keep fresh until Christmas. The soil, earth |or sand, in which the celery is set should be 2 or 3 inches |deep. This soil must not be allowed to become dry. | |Can remain in the ground until the weather is quite | |cool. | | |5 dozen good plants or bunches. | | | |Another way to store celery is to bank it to | | | |the top with earth; cover the tops with | | | |boards, straw, or leaves and allow it to | | | |remain where it has grown until wanted for | | | |use. Another way is to dig a trench 12 inches | | | |wide and deep enough to correspond with the | | | |height of the celery, then lift the celery and | | | |pack it in this trench with some soil about | | | |the roots. When the weather becomes colder, | | | |cover the trench with boards nailed together | | | |in the form of a _V_ shaped trough and over | | | |this inverted trough put a layer of soil. The | | | |ends of this trough should be left open for | | | |ventilation until freezing sets in, then close | | | |these openings with straw, old bags or soil. | | | |If the freeze ceases and there is a spell of | | | |warmer weather open the ends slightly for | | | |ventilation. When the celery is first stored | | | |in the trenches the soil about the roots of | | | |the celery should be watered and and if the | | | |weather is dry after the celery is put in the | | | |trenches, pour some water around the roots to | | | |keep the celery crisp and fresh. | | | | Cabbage |Can be wrapped in paper with the outer leaves left on for |immediate use and stored in ventilated barrels or large |crates in the cellar. But as few cellars are cool enough to |keep cabbage in good condition it is more advisable to store |it in a long shallow pit in the garden. | |Is not injured by moderate frost while in the pit but | |should not be disturbed while frozen. The pit should be | |long and narrow. Pull the cabbage, stem, root and all, | |and then laid with heads down about 3 heads in width can