_Canned Tomatoes_
(Open-kettle Method)
Scald and peel the tomatoes. Boil gently for 20 minutes. Sterilize the
jars, covers, and rubbers. Stand the jars on a cloth in a pan of hot
water or on a board or wooden table. Fill the jars with hot tomatoes,
being careful to fill to overflowing and to expel all air bubbles from
the jar. Adjust the rubbers and covers. Seal and allow to cool. Test,
label, and set away in a cool, dry, dark place.
(Cold-pack Method)
Scald in water hot enough to loosen the skins. Plunge quickly in cold
water and remove the skins. Pack whole or in pieces in the jars. Fill
the jars with tomatoes only. Add 1 level teaspoonful of salt to each
quart. Place the rubber and cover in position. Partially seal, but not
tightly. Place the jars on a rack in a boiler. Pour sufficient warm
water into the boiler to come half-way up the jars. Place the filled
jars on the rack so as not to touch one another, and pack the spaces
between them with cotton, to prevent the jars striking when the water
boils. Sterilize for 22 minutes after the water begins to boil. Remove
the jars from the boiler. Tighten the covers. Invert to cool, and test
the joints. Wrap the jars in paper to prevent bleaching and store in a
cool, dry, dark place. This method of cooking is also called "The Hot
Water Bath".
_Canned Grapes_
(Open-kettle Method)
6 qt. grapes
1 qt. sugar
1/2 c. water
Pick over, wash, drain, and remove the stems from the grapes. Separate
the pulp from the skins. Cook the pulp 5 minutes and then rub through a
sieve that is fine enough to hold back the seeds. Put the water, skins,
and pulp into the preserving kettle and heat slowly to the
boiling-point. Skim the fruit and then add the sugar. Boil 15 minutes.
Put into jars as directed.
Sweet grapes may be canned with less sugar; very sour grapes will
require more sugar.
_Canned Peaches_
Choose firm, solid fruit. Scald long enough to loosen the skins. Peel
and cut in halves. If clingstone peaches are used, they may be canned
whole. Pack the fruit into sterilized jars, fill with boiling syrup (1
c. sugar to 1-1/2 c. water). Then put on the covers loosely and place on
wooden racks in the boiler. Sterilize in hot water bath for 20 minutes.
Remove the jars and tighten the covers. Invert to cool, and test the
joints. Wrap the jars in paper to prevent bleaching; then store.
_Canned Beets_
(Single Process)
Wash the beets and boil them until they are nearly tender and the skins
come off easily. Remove the skins and carefully pack the beets in a jar.
Cover with boiling water, to which one tablespoonful of salt is added
for each quart, and put the cover on the jar, but do not fasten it down.
Place the jar on a rack or a folded cloth in a large kettle that can be
closely covered. Pour enough water into the kettle to reach within two
inches of the top of the jar, cover the kettle, bring the water to the
boiling-point, and boil from one and one-half to two hours. As the water
around the jar boils down, replenish with boiling water, never with
cold. Remove the jars and tighten the covers. Invert to cool, and test
the joints. Wrap the jars in paper to prevent bleaching; then store.
_Note._--In canning beets, if vinegar is added to the
water in the proportion of one part vinegar to four parts
water, the natural bright colour will be retained.
_Canned String Beans and Peas_
(Intermittent Method)
Can on the same day that the vegetables are picked. Blanch in boiling
water from 2 to 5 minutes. Remove, and plunge into cold water. Pack in
sterilized jars. Add boiling water to fill the crevices. Add 1 level
teaspoonful of salt to each quart. Place rubbers and covers in position.
Set the jars on the rack in the boiler and bring gradually to boiling
heat. At the end of an hour's boiling, remove the jars from the boiler.
Tighten the clamps or rims and set the jars aside to cool until the
following day. Do not let the vegetables cool off in the boiler, as this
results in over-cooking. On the second day, loosen the clamps or unscrew
the rims, place the jars in warm water, heat again to boiling
temperature, and boil for an hour; then remove them again. On the third
day, repeat the hour's boiling, as on the preceding day.
Corn may be canned successfully in the same way.
_Dried Corn_
Pick the corn early in the morning. Immediately husk, silk, and cut the
corn from the cob. Spread in a very thin layer on a board, cover with
mosquito netting which is kept sufficiently elevated so that it will not
come in contact with the corn, place in the hot sun, and leave all day.
Before the dew begins to fall, take it into the house and place in an
oven that is slightly warm. Leave in the oven overnight and place out in
the sun again the next day. Repeat this process until absolutely dry.
_String Beans_
String beans are hung up to dry and kept for winter use.