WOMAN'S INSTITUTE LIBRARY OF COOKERY. VOLUME 5: FRUIT AND FRUIT DESSERTS; CANNING AND DRYING; JELLY MAKING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING; CONFECTIONS; BEVERAGES; THE PLANNING OF MEALS TEXT

equal parts of sal ammoniac and powdered solder until it is covered with bright solder. Put the cap on the can and apply the hot capping steel covered with the solder. Hold this device firmly, press it downwards, and turn it slowly as the solder melts and thus joins the cap to the can. 48. After the caps are soldered in place, the air inside the cans must be driven out through the small vent, or opening, usually in the center of the cap, and the cans made air-tight. Therefore, place the cans into boiling water to within 1/2 inch of the top and let them remain there for a few minutes. Usually, 3 minutes in boiling water is sufficient. Immediately after _exhausting_, as this process is called, apply a little of the flux as in capping, and, with the tipping iron well heated and a strip of solder, seal the hole in the caps. After this is done, test each can for leaks by submerging it in water. If bubbles arise, it is an indication that the cover is not tight and must be resoldered. 49. The next step consists in processing the cans of food. This may be done either in a water bath or in a pressure cooker. If the cans are to be processed in a water bath, keep them in the boiling water just as long as glass jars of food would be kept there. If a pressure cooker is to be used, keep the cans in it for 6 to 40 minutes, depending on the steam pressure employed, the ripeness of the food or the necessity for cooking it, and the size of the cans employed. For canning meat or fish, processing in a pressure cooker is the most successful, as the high temperature reached in it kills bacteria, which are difficult to destroy at the boiling point. As soon as the cans of food are removed from the water bath or the pressure cooker, plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking and prevent the food from getting soft and mushy. Then label the cans, so that no mistake will be made as to their contents. 50. In another method, the tin cans may be closed without soldering the caps on. The caps used in this case are different from those which must be soldered. They are forced in place by a hand-pressure machine that may be attached to a table. Otherwise the procedure is the same as that just given. OVEN METHOD 51. The OVEN METHOD oven method of canning is thought to be very satisfactory by many housewives, but, as it is necessary to remove the covers after cooking the contents of the jars, food canned in this way is subjected to contamination, just as in the open-kettle method. In addition, the jars are difficult to handle in the oven, owing to the extreme heat that is required to cook the food in the jars. 52. In canning by the oven method, proceed by preparing the food as for the cold-pack canning method; also, fill the jars with fruit or vegetables and with liquid or sirup as in this method. Put the covers on the jars loosely, omitting the jar rubbers. Place the jars in a shallow pan of water, as in Fig. 21, and set the pan containing the jars into a stove oven, which should be only slightly warm. At the same time place the jar rubbers in a pan of boiling water, so that they may be sterilized as the food cooks. When the jars are in the oven, increase the heat gradually until the food in them boils. Then keep up a temperature that will allow the food to boil quietly for a period long enough to cook it soft and sterilize it. Usually, 30 to 45 minutes after boiling has begun will be sufficient. During the cooking some of the liquid in the jars evaporates. Therefore, when the jars of food are ready to be removed from the oven, have boiling water or sirup ready, remove the cover of each jar in turn, and fill the jar brimful with the liquid. Then place a sterilized rubber in place and fasten the cover down tight. The procedure from this point on is the same as in the other canning methods. [Illustration: FIG. 21] * * * * * CANNING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS PREPARATION FOR CANNING 53. In canning, as in all other tasks related to cookery, the housewife's aim should be to do the greatest amount of work, and do it well, with the least effort on her part. The results she gets in canning, then, will depend considerably on the orderly arrangement of the utensils and materials with which she is to do the work. But of greater importance is the preparation she makes to eliminate as much as she can the possibilities of contamination, for, as has been repeatedly pointed out, success in canning depends on the absence of dangerous bacteria. 54. From what has just been mentioned, it is essential that everything about the person who is to do the work and the place in which the work is to done should be clean. Clean dresses and aprons should be worn, and the hands and finger nails should be scrupulously clean. The kitchen floor should be scrubbed and the furniture dusted with a damp cloth. Any unnecessary utensils and kitchen equipment should be put out of the way and those required for canning assembled and made ready for the work. The jars should be washed and the covers tested by fitting them on without the rubbers. If a glass cover rocks, it does not fit correctly; and if a screw cover will not screw down tight, it should be discarded. Without the rubber, there should be just enough space between the cover and the jar to permit the thumb nail to be inserted as is shown in Fig. 3. The edge of each jar and each glass cover should be carefully examined every time it is used, so that none with pieces chipped off will be used, as these will admit air. This examination is made by running the finger over the edge of the jar and the cover, as is shown in Fig. 4. The jars, covers, and rubbers should be put into pans of cold water, and the water should be brought to the boiling point and allowed to boil for 15 minutes or more while the fruit or vegetables are being prepared for canning. They should be kept in the hot water until the food is ready to be placed in them. In the one-period cold-pack method, it is not necessary to boil the jars, rubbers, and covers, but this may be done if desired. To produce good-looking jars of food, the fruit or vegetables to be canned should be graded to some extent; that is, the finest of the fruits or vegetables should be separated and used by themselves, as should also those of medium quality. Often it is wise to use the poorest foods for purposes other than canning. The food may then be canned according to the chosen method, but by no means should methods be mixed. In handling the product after it has been cooked by the open-kettle method, any spoon, funnel, or other utensil must be thoroughly sterilized in the same way as the jars and their covers and rubbers; indeed, no unsterile utensil should ever be allowed to touch the food when a jar is being filled. [Illustration: FIG. 22] 55. It is by the observance of such precautions as these, some of them seemingly unimportant, that the housewife will be repaid for her efforts in canning and be able to produce canned fruits and vegetables like those shown in color in Fig. 22. This illustration shows, with a few exceptions, such foods canned by the one-period cold-pack method, and merits close inspection. As will be observed, the jars are full and well packed and the color of each food is retained. Each can of food indicates careful work and serves to show the housewife what she may expect if she performs her work under the right conditions and in the right way. This illustration likewise serves to demonstrate that any food may be successfully canned by the one-period cold-pack method, a claim that cannot be made for the other canning methods. In fact, some of the foods illustrated, as, for instance, peas and corn, cannot be canned successfully by any other method. DIRECTIONS FOR CANNING VEGETABLES 56. CLASSIFICATION OF VEGETABLES.--To simplify the directions here given for the canning of vegetables, this food is divided into four groups, as follows: 1. _Greens_, which include all wild and cultivated edible greens, such as beet greens, collards, cress, dandelion, endive, horseradish greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, New Zealand spinach, and Swiss chard. 2. _Pod and related vegetables_, which include asparagus, beans, both string and wax, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, peppers, both green and ripe, summer squash, and vegetable marrow. 3. _Root and tuber vegetables_, which include beets, carrots, kohlrabi, parsnips, rutabagas, salsify, sweet potatoes, and turnips. 4. _Special vegetables_, which include beans, both Lima and shell, corn, mushrooms, peas, pumpkin, sauerkraut, squash, succotash and other vegetable combinations, and tomatoes. The convenience of this plan will be readily seen when it is understood that, with the exception of the special vegetables, the same method of preparation and the time given for the various steps in the canning process apply to all vegetables of the same class. Thus, if directions for a vegetable belonging to a certain class are not definitely stated in the text, it may be taken for granted that this vegetable may be canned in the manner given for another vegetable of the same class. 57. GENERAL DIRECTIONS.--The canning of vegetables may be most successfully done by the one-period cold-pack method. Tomatoes, however, because of the large quantity of acid they contain, may be canned and kept with little difficulty by the open-kettle method, but they will be found to keep their shape better if the cold-pack method is employed. The time required for cooking any vegetable after it is packed in jars depends on the kind and the age. Therefore, if a vegetable is hard or likely to be tough, it may be necessary to increase the time given in the directions; whereas, if it is young and tender or very ripe, as in the case of tomatoes, the time for cooking may perhaps have to be decreased. Because, in altitudes higher than sea level, the boiling point of water is lower than 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the length of time for boiling foods in the water bath must be increased after an altitude of 500 feet is reached. Therefore, for every additional 500 feet over the first 500 feet, 10 per cent. should be added to the time given for the boiling in water. In case a pressure cooker is used, however, this is not necessary. The canning directions here given are for 1-quart jars. If pint jars are to be used, decrease the salt proportionately; also, decrease the time for cooking in each case one-fifth of the time, or 20 per cent. If 2-quart jars are to be used, double the amount of salt and add to the length of time for cooking one-fifth, or 20 per cent. For instance, if a 1-quart jar of food requires 90 minutes, a pint jar of the same food would require 72 minutes and a 2-quart jar, 108 minutes. GROUP 1--GREENS 58. In canning greens, or vegetables belonging to the first group, select those which are fresh and tender. Greens that are old and inclined to be strong and tough may require longer blanching and cooking. Look the greens over carefully, rejecting all leaves that are wilted or otherwise spoiled. Cut off the roots and drop the leaves into a pan of cold water. Wash these thoroughly a number of times, using fresh water each time, in order to remove all sand and dirt that may be clinging to them. Then proceed to blanch them for 10 to 15 minutes in steam, suspending the greens over boiling water in a piece of cheesecloth, a colander, or the top of a steamer. After blanching, dip them quickly into cold water. Then pack the greens tightly into jars and add 1 teaspoonful of salt to each jarful. No water has to be added to greens, because the leaves themselves contain sufficient water. When the jars are thus packed, adjust the covers and proceed to sterilize and cook the greens according to the directions previously given. If the water bath is to be used, boil them in it for 1-1/2 to 2 hours; but if the pressure cooker is to be employed for this purpose, cook them at a 5-pound pressure for 60 minutes or at a 10-pound pressure for 40 minutes. GROUP 2--POD AND RELATED VEGETABLES 59. The best results in canning vegetables belonging to the second group will be derived when those which are fresh and tender are selected. As has been mentioned, the sooner vegetables are canned after they are taken from the garden, the better will be the canned product. Directions for practically all vegetables included in this group are here given. 60. ASPARAGUS.--Select tender asparagus, and proceed with the canning no later than 5 hours after it has been taken from the garden. Remove the hard portions at the ends of the stems, and cut the trimmed stems into pieces the length of the jars into which they are to be placed. If preferred, however, the asparagus may be cut into small pieces. Wash the cut asparagus thoroughly in cold water, and then sort out the uneven pieces that were cut off in making the stems even in length. These may be canned separately for soup. Lay the stems of asparagus in an orderly pile in a colander or a wire basket, cover it, and place it into a large vessel where it may be kept completely covered with boiling water for 5 minutes. Then cold-dip the asparagus quickly, and pack it neatly into the jars, keeping the tip ends up. Add 1 teaspoonful of salt to each jarful and pour boiling water into each jar until it is completely full. Adjust the covers and proceed to sterilize and cook the jars of food. Cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours in the water bath, or, in the pressure cooker, cook for 60 minutes at a pressure of 5 pounds or for 40 minutes at a pressure of 10 pounds. 61. BRUSSELS SPROUTS, CABBAGE, AND CAULIFLOWER.--In canning Brussels sprouts, cabbage, or cauliflower, first prepare each vegetable as if it were to be cooked for the table. When thus made ready, blanch it with the aid of a square of cheesecloth or a colander in live steam, over boiling water, for 10 to 15 minutes. Then cold-dip it and pack it tightly into the jars. Add 1 teaspoonful of salt to each jarful and fill each jar with boiling water. Proceed next to sterilize and cook it according to the method selected. Boil for 90 minutes in the water bath; in the pressure cooker, cook for 60 minutes at a 5-pound pressure or for 40 minutes at a 10-pound pressure. 62. EGGPLANT AND SUMMER SQUASH.--Both eggplant and summer squash are canned in the same way, because the consistency of these vegetables is much alike. Select firm vegetables with no decayed spots. Blanch for 3 to 8 minutes in boiling water; cold-dip quickly; remove the skins; cut into pieces of a size that will fit into the jars; pack into the jars; and add 1 teaspoonful of salt to each jarful. Next, adjust the jar lids and proceed according to the directions given for the method selected. In the water bath, boil for 1-1/2 hours; in the pressure cooker, cook for 60 minutes at a pressure of 5 pounds or for 40 minutes at a pressure of 10 pounds. Eggplant or summer squash so canned may be rolled in egg and crumbs and sautéd or fried, the same as fresh vegetables of this kind. 63. OKRA AND GREEN PEPPERS.--Both okra and green peppers may also be canned in the same way. Prepare these vegetables for canning by washing fresh, tender pods of either vegetable thoroughly. Blanch for 5 to 15 minutes in boiling water and cold-dip quickly. Pack the pods into the jars, add a teaspoonful of salt to each jarful, and fill the jars with boiling water. Adjust the lids and proceed according to directions for the method selected. In the water bath, boil for 1-1/2 to 2 hours; in the pressure cooker, cook for 60 minutes at a pressure of 5 pounds or for 40 minutes at a pressure of 10 pounds. 64. STRING BEANS.--String beans of any variety should be canned as soon as they are gathered. If the beans to be canned are not of the stringless variety, prepare them by stringing them, following the directions given in _Vegetables_, Part 1. Stringless beans should be selected if possible, to avoid this part of the work. Cut out any rusted portions, cut each end from the beans, and, if preferred, cut the beans into inch lengths. When thus prepared, blanch them for 10 to 15 minutes in live steam, cold-dip quickly, and pack tightly into the jars. Add a teaspoonful of salt to each jarful, fill the jars with boiling water, adjust the lids, and cook according to the method preferred. In the water bath, boil for 1-1/2 to 2 hours; in the pressure cooker, cook for 60 minutes at a pressure of 5 pounds or for 40 minutes at a pressure of 10 pounds. GROUP 3--ROOT AND TUBER VEGETABLES 65. Only the small, young, and tender vegetables included in the third group lend themselves readily to canning. As a rule, such vegetables are allowed to mature, when they can be stored for winter use without canning them. However, many housewives like to can some of them for the variety they offer in the preparation and planning of meals. 66. BEETS.--For canning, select small, young beets. Prepare them by cutting off the tops, which may be cooked as greens or canned separately, and all but about an inch of the stems and an inch of the roots. Scrub the trimmed beets well, and then blanch them in boiling water for 5 to 15 minutes or until the skins may be easily scraped off with a knife. Plunge them quickly into cold water and draw them out again. Then scrape off the skins and remove the roots and stems. The roots and stems are left on during the blanching and cold-dipping to prevent them from bleeding, or losing color. When thus prepared, pack the beets into jars, add 1 teaspoonful of salt to each jarful, and fill the jars with boiling water. Then adjust the jar tops and proceed to sterilize and cook the jars of beets according to the directions for any preferred method. In the water bath, cook them for 1-1/2 hours; in the pressure cooker, cook them for 1 hour at a pressure of 5 pounds or for 40 minutes at a pressure of 10 pounds. 67. CARROTS, PARSNIPS, AND TURNIPS.--Young parsnips and turnips are canned in exactly the same way as young carrots. Therefore, directions for the canning of carrots will suffice for all three of these vegetables. Prepare the carrots for canning by cutting off the tops and the roots and scrubbing them well. Blanch them for 10 to 15 minutes in boiling water, so that the skins may be easily removed, and cold-dip them. Then remove the skins by scraping, pack the carrots into the jars, add 1 teaspoonful of salt to each jarful, and fill the jars with boiling water. Adjust the jar tops next, and proceed to sterilize and cook the jars of carrots according to the method selected. In the water bath, cook for 1-1/2 hours; in the pressure cooker, cook for 1 hour at a pressure of 5 pounds or for 40 minutes at a pressure of 10 pounds. GROUP 4--SPECIAL VEGETABLES 68. Vegetables of the fourth group, which include those which cannot well be classified in the other groups, lend themselves readily to combinations, such as succotash, that make for variety in food. As is true of the other vegetables, special vegetables must be fresh and sound if good results in canning are expected. 69. LIMA AND OTHER SHELLED BEANS.--For canning, only tender beans, whether Lima or some other variety, should be chosen. Prepare them for immediate canning by shelling them--that is, taking them from the pods--blanching them for 5 to 10 minutes in boiling water, and then cold-dipping them quickly. Pack the jars to within 1/2 inch of the top, add 1 teaspoonful of salt to each jar, and fill the jars with boiling water. Adjust the covers and proceed to sterilize and cook them. In the water bath, boil for 2-1/2 to 3 hours; in the pressure cooker, cook for 1-1/2 hours at a pressure of 5 pounds or for 1 hour at a pressure of 10 pounds. 70. GREEN CORN.--For canning purposes, only corn that is young and milky should be selected. Get it ready for canning by husking it and removing the silk. Then blanch it for 3 to 5 minutes in boiling water and