CANNING THE GARDEN SURPLUS FOR WINTER USE
The fullest measure of benefit from the garden has not been obtained
unless one has preserved for future use the more succulent forms of
vegetables that are not susceptible to preservation through winter in
the usual form of cold storage.
Those early vegetables which are so keen an incentive to the planting
of a garden—young beets, spinach greens, string beans, limas, peas,
tomatoes and the like must be preserved in a cooked form, hermetically
sealed from the air to preserve them from spoiling. This the commercial
canners have done for years and we have been content to let them do
this work for us at a price that has added materially to the high cost
of living, while our own garden product, often of a far better quality,
has gone to waste. Market gardeners who supply the canneries grow
vegetables with a keen eye to their productiveness. If one vegetable
will produce a half or a third more to an acre than another variety
somewhat better, it is only human to grow that one, but the private
garden is not, as a rule, grown with a sole idea of profit; it is
quality and the enjoyment of the product that is looked for and only
those vegetables that will produce a high grade product will be grown.
The home canning of vegetables has been neglected owing to the
uncertainty of results. Occasionally one found a housekeeper who could
can corn successfully, but the results usually were unsatisfactory,
all this, however, is changed since the government experts of the
Agricultural Department have, by careful experiments along the lines of
all sorts of vegetable products, worked out canning schedules that only
require careful following to insure success.
The government bulletins give explicit instructions as to necessary
equipment, method of handling each separate vegetable and try, in all
possible ways, to insure success for the worker.
At first glance the amount of equipment seems burdensome and some of
the requirements unnecessary, but I have found that it is not safe
to slight any one of them, but that there are short cuts in the work
that materially lessen the labor. It will not always be convenient to
supply oneself with a canning outfit involving much expense; especially
will this be the case in the small family where only a moderate amount
of canning is to be done, though the regular canning outfits greatly
simplify and ease up the work. A home-made outfit will, however, take
care of all the surplus from the small home garden, especially where
there are but two or three cans to be handled at one time. There are
always vegetables that mature their fruits sparingly—too many for
immediate use, but not enough to sell. However, in order that the vines
or plants should continue to bear heavily, all such products as string
and lima beans, tomatoes, green corn and the like should be gathered
as each reaches its most perfect stage. This often involves some waste
unless it can be utilized in some way and here is where the canning is
effective, as the continual canning of only one or two cans at a time
results in the course of a summer in a well-filled cupboard that will
insure one against any serious food shortage that may arise during the
winter.
There are five types of canning outfits: _Homemade outfits_,
constructed of such utensils as wash boilers, tin pails, milk cans,
metal wash tubs and lard pails. The lard pails are especially usable
and cream pails are excellent where only a few cans are to be processed
at once; even a teakettle can be made to do duty where only one or two
pint cans are to be cooked. Any metal vessel that will allow the water
to come at least an inch above the tops of the cans will do.
_Hot-Water-Bath Commercial Outfits_ are constructed usually for outdoor
work, with a sterilizing vat, lifting-trays, firebox, and smokepipe,
combined in one piece. They are light and convenient. They may be moved
about as desired, even carried to the orchard or garden where apples
and corn are to be canned in quantity, but are more adapted to clubs
and neighborhood cooperative work than to the needs of a small family.
_Water-Seal Outfits_ consist of a double-walled bath and cover which
projects down into the water between the outer and inner walls, thus
making three metal walls and two water-jackets between the sterilizing
vat and the outside of the canner. A high temperature can be maintained
more uniformly than with the hot-water-bath outfit, since the escape of
steam is prevented and a slight steam pressure is maintained.
_Steam-Pressure Outfits_ are made to carry from five to thirty pounds'
pressure and are equipped with steam-tight sterilizer, lifting crate,
thermometer, or pressure gauge, safety valve and steam petcock; they
are, of course, the most perfect equipment and economical of labor and
fuel.
_Aluminum Pressure Cookers_ are combination outfits for cooking and
canning and have the advantage of being useful all the year around.
They are light in construction, economical of heat and will carry as
high as thirty pounds steam pressure; they are equipped the same as
steam-pressure outfits.
The purpose of this chapter, however, is not to go into the methods
necessary for caring for large quantities of vegetables at one time nor
the expenditure of any considerable sum in effecting the conservation
of garden food; rather it is intended to help the housewife to save,
cheaply and easily, her garden surplus as it accumulates day by day.
Fuller details than are in the scope of this chapter can be gained
through the canning and food preservation bulletins sent out by the
Department of Agriculture at Washington and by the various states.
The same general principles pertain to all fruits and vegetables to be
canned, only the time of processing varying in individual cases.
The vegetables to be canned should always be perfect of their kind and
absolutely fresh; indeed, it is better to have everything ready for
canning before they are gathered, then dress, sterilize and blanch and
get into the cans as rapidly as possible. The Cold Pack Process calls
for, first, the sterilizing of the product by plunging for five or six
minutes in boiling water. This is best accomplished by either a wire
basket, lined with cheese-cloth, if the vegetable is small, like peas
or string beans, or alone for such things as tomatoes, peppers or corn
on cob, or by a large piece of cheese-cloth a yard square at least.
After blanching the vegetables must be plunged at once in cold water,
to set the color and firm the surface. They are then packed at once in
the cans, a teaspoon of salt added to each quart and the can filled
with boiling water, rubber and top put in place, but not screwed tight,
and the cans placed in the container, the water of which must come at
least an inch above the top of the cans, and cooked, or processed, for
the time indicated for each product. Before using the cans they should
be sterilized by boiling, or at least thoroughly heating to obviate
danger of cracking when plunged into the hot container.
The government directions state quite emphatically that the cans should
be boiled but after putting up several hundred cans of vegetables of
all sorts, without this precaution, all of which kept perfectly, I have
come to the conclusion that it cuts out a lot of unnecessary time and
equipment, for the necessity of having one large container to sterilize
cans, another to sterilize the vegetables, a kettle of boiling water
to fill up the cans, and the container for processing, entails a large
amount of working space and an unnecessary amount of fuel. If any short
cuts can be achieved it is certainly that much to the good, so I have
been able to shorten the work so that much of my own canning has been
done on a one-burner oil stove with one vessel of boiling water for
processing, blanching, sterilizing jars, etc., and one pail of cold
water for blanching and a good, big table for handling the vegetables.
In handling the work I have everything ready before gathering the
vegetables. For a few pint or quart cans I use a cream-pail which will
hold four pints or three quarts. In this I have boiling plenty of
water. I place the cans in a pan adding a little hot water, turning
them carefully until warm through and then fill up and cover. Put the
vegetables in the wire basket or cheese-cloth, dip them in the boiling
water the specified time, plunge into cold water for an instant, take
out cans, one at a time, being careful not to touch the tops with
the hands, place rubbers, first dipped in the hot water, fill cans
with vegetables, with a teaspoon of salt for the quart size, half a
teaspoonful for pints, fill with the boiling water from the container,
place caps—which have also been sterilized—on, screw down, but not
tight and place in container, being sure that there is abundance of
water, for the long cooking lowers the water materially and unless
there is another kettle of boiling water available for filling up the
water may go below the top of the can and the result will be blown out
rubbers which will have to be replaced. This is one of the serious
handicaps of canning by the cold-pack method. The remedy, however, is
simple. Remove the can, remove the cap and put a fresh rubber in place,
replace the cap and plunge again in the container and boil for five
minutes longer. The changing of the rubber should be done as quickly as
possible and care should be taken to avoid touching the edge of the
top of the can or the inside of the cap while doing so. If there is any
delay in replacing the rubber it will be better to boil ten instead of
five minutes.
When the canning is done on the kitchen range or on a three-burner gas
or oil stove it will be better to fill the cans with water from the
teakettle and to sterilize the cans in a dishpan, allowing them to
heat on the stove until required, but excellent results will follow
the shorter method. Pint cans are most desirable for such vegetables
as string beans, peas, lima beans and the like—things which are used
alone and not combined with other foods as tomatoes and corn. Pint
cans, however, have about disappeared from the market and even quarts
have been at a premium. And one should take unusual care in cleansing
cans and tops as soon as emptied, and placing them in a dry place until
wanted for another year's canning. A cellar is not a suitable place
to store cans, it is far too damp and conducive to mould. If cans are
properly cleansed and dried and the tops adjusted and stored in a dry
upstairs closet they will need far less sterilizing when required for
use.
Often in canning vegetables it will be found that there is an uneven
quantity—that is, there will be a quantity of one kind left after
filling the cans, but not enough for another full can; if desired this
can be put in a can and cooked with the rest for the family dinner,
or it may be put away with the canned goods, for I have found the
partially filled cans keep quite as well as the full ones and there are
often times when the lesser quantity will be all that is needed for
the meal, or it may be just enough for a salad or to combine with some
other vegetable in a soup or entrée.
In placing the cans in the container there must always be a rack of
some sort to keep the cans from direct contact with the bottom of the
vessel. This should, if possible, be in the form of a wire rack. The
wire trivets to set hot dishes on, which may be obtained at the ten
cent counter of any department store, are excellent for use in cream
cans; they just fill the bottom and as they rest on little half-inch
feet they allow the water to circulate freely beneath the cans, which
is very important and failure to provide for which is sometimes a
cause of blown out rubbers. For canning with large cans—quarts and
two quarts—the twenty-five pound lard-cans are excellent. They are
tall enough to insure plenty of water over the top of the cans and will
accommodate four or five two quart and five or six one quart cans and
seven pints, though some recommend placing two tiers of pints in the
container, but I have always thought that rather risky. The lard-cans
are very light to handle and the lids fit closely, retaining the steam.
Whenever there is an imperfect closing of the lid it will be well to
place a towel over the top of the can before adjusting the lid to
insure the retention of the steam. If this is done the water will not
evaporate so rapidly.
The following schedule of time for processing vegetables is that
suggested by the Department of Agriculture and is authoritative. In
every instance the time for processing must be counted from the time
the water commences to boil after the cans are put in the container,
and the boiling must be continuous.
CANNING DIRECTIONS FOR VEGETABLES
_Asparagus_—The green grasses grown in the home garden do not, as a
rule, can well. They are too tender and delicate and break down under
the long cooking suggested. It might be well to experiment with this,
cooking only a short time and if the asparagus keeps two weeks or
more, open a can and test the flavor and if found acceptable more can
be canned. It requires the tough white asparagus like the Bonvillet
or Argenteuil for canning and those are the kinds used in commercial
canning. Possibly if the green grasses were cut below the ground as is
done with the French grasses it would stand up better under cooking.
The directions follow.
_Asparagus_—Gather and clean at once, scraping off the scales on the
sides, and cut to equal length. It takes about three bunches for a pint
can as they shrink in blanching. Blanch five minutes, plunge at once
in cold water. Pack in cans, sliding the stalks in carefully, butts
down, fill with hot water, add one teaspoonful of salt to a quart,
place rubber and cap in position but do not screw down tight. Place in
container as fast as filled and boil 90 minutes. Remove and stand can
on cap to cool.
_Beets_—Select young beets about an inch and a quarter in diameter as
the small beets retain their color better than larger ones. About an
inch of the top may be left on. Wash very carefully but do not break
the skin or remove the tap-root. Blanch four to five minutes, plunge at
once in cold water. Remove skins by slipping them off with the hand,
avoid the use of knife if possible and pack at once in cans. Fill with
hot water adding one teaspoonful of salt to the can and place rubber
and cap in place, place in container and boil 90 minutes.
_Beans, String_—String or hull, blanch in hot water from five to ten
minutes, or cut in half inch lengths and steam for five minutes—for
small quantities a wire flour sieve over a teakettle will answer
admirably—dip quickly in cold water, pack in cans. Fill with hot
water, adding one teaspoonful of salt to the quart. Place rubbers and
caps in position, cook for 120 minutes, remove and invert to cool and
test the joint.
_Beans, Lima_—Shell and plunge in boiling water for five to ten
minutes, plunge immediately in cold water. Pack at once in cans,
handling very carefully. Put rubbers and cap in position but not tight.
Place in container and cook 180 minutes.
_Cauliflower_—Lay the heads in salted water half an hour to free from
any insects that may have lodgment in the head. Break the head into
convenient sized pieces and blanch in boiling water five minutes,
plunge at once into cold water, pack in cans, fill with boiling water,
add one teaspoonful of salt to the quart and place rubber and cap in
position but not tight, place in container and cook 60 minutes. This is
the government time but I have found it overcooks the cauliflower.
_Corn_—This seems to give home canners more trouble than any other
vegetable. This is probably caused by delay in the operation. The
canning of corn involves more labor than any other vegetable and it is
difficult for one person alone to handle it successfully. Two working
together, one cutting the corn from the ear and the other packing it
in the can, will insure a better result. The corn to be canned should
be of the sweetest variety—Golden Bantam or Bantam Evergreen being
excellent sorts. It should be picked at just the right stage—between
the milk and the dough stage, or when the milk that flows when the
grain is broken with the thumb nail looks milky and not watery. It is
better to do one can at a time, blanching and dipping in cold water and
packing the corn in the can, allowing a half inch at the top for the
swelling of the corn, adding a teaspoonful of sugar and one of salt
for every quart and filling with hot water, capping and placing in the
container before going on with the next canful. The first can put in
will not be injured by the extra cooking. Waterlogged or soaked corn is
an indication of slowness in packing. If it is desired to can corn on
the ear, blanch, plunge into cold water and pack at once in cans large
enough to hold several ears. The two quart economy jars are excellent
for canning corn on the ears. Whole corn is a little difficult to pack
economically, but it can be packed closely if the jar is laid on the
side when packing and the corn slid in, the first row being put in butt
down and the second tip down. Add a tablespoonful of sugar to each
quart can and do not fill more than one-third full with boiling water.
When the can is filled with water the flavor of the corn is impaired,
and it is more or less water-soaked. The big Stowell's Evergreen Corn
is beautiful when canned whole; indeed so fine is its appearance that
it is almost worth while to can it just for its appearance on the
shelves of the fruit cupboard. Dipping the tops of the cans in paraffin
aids in preserving the contents. When heating for use in winter, place
in oven instead of hot water as this will render it more dry.
_Okra_—Gather the pods while still tender, wipe clean, plunge into
boiling water five minutes, plunge immediately in cold water, remove
and cut into half-inch rings. Pack in can, adding one teaspoonful of
salt to the quart. Fill with boiling water, place rubber and cap in
position, tighten and put at once in container and cook 120 minutes.
Remove, tighten cap and reverse to cool and test seal.
_Peas_—Should always be freshly gathered, shell and steam over boiling
water for ten minutes, blanch and pack at once into cans, adding one
teaspoon of salt and one of sugar to each quart. Put rubber and cap
in position, but do not tighten. Place in container and sterilize 180
minutes. Peas should be very carefully handled. A cloudy appearance of
the water is an indication of rough handling or broken peas.
_Tomatoes_—Scald until skin loosens sufficiently to remove easily,
cold dip, empty the seed cavities and cut in small pieces. Pack at once
in cans, pressing the tomato down full. Add one teaspoonful of salt
to the quart but no water. Place rubber and cap and put in container
and cook 22 minutes. Remove, reverse to cool and test seal. Tomatoes
cooked in the open-pan method so long customary are so satisfactory
that it is scarcely worth while to change the method, unless one finds
the cold-pack way more convenient and agreeable. If preferred tomatoes
may be canned whole or simply cut in two and the seed cavities emptied.
Smaller or broken tomatoes may be cooked and passed through a sieve to
remove the seeds and the purée thus formed used to fill in between the
slices in the can; this makes a very fine product.
It is not advisable to can vegetables that can be stored successfully
in cellar or store rooms; such products should not deplete the already
scanty store of cans; but in the case of people living in flats or
apartments where there are no storage facilities squash and pumpkins
for pies may be utilized in this way to advantage.
_Squash and Pumpkins_—Prepare and cut into convenient sections, blanch
three minutes, cold dip. Pack closely in hot jars or cans. Fill with
boiling water, add teaspoonful of salt to each quart. Put rubbers and
caps of jars into position but do not tighten. Put in container and
sterilize 120 minutes. Remove, tighten caps and reverse to cool and
test seal.[4]
_Soups_—Odds and ends of vegetables that occur during the summer
may be utilized for vegetable soups. It often happens that tomatoes
are picked by the chickens so that they are unsalable, but otherwise
sound, or they may be spotted in a way that does not preclude the use
of the uninjured portion; such tomatoes may be used for canning if
the injured portion is carefully removed. Okra that is getting too
large to be left ungathered, a few string or lima beans, carrots that
are crowded—anything in the vegetable line that lends itself to the
concoction of a palatable soup may be utilized and so make the garden
just that much more remunerative. If possible the amount of tomato
should nearly or quite equal that of the other vegetables combined.
The tomatoes should be scalded, cold dipped, the seed cavities emptied
and the pulp cooked until it will pass through a wire sieve to free it
from the seeds. The other vegetables should be blanched, plunged into
cold water and put through the meat chopper and added to the tomato and
the cans filled, but no water added, the juice of the vegetables, and
especially of the tomato, being sufficient. The following combination
makes an excellent soup: When the cans are opened for use in winter
beef stock to give the proper consistency should be added, or one
bouillon cube to each portion to be served and sufficient water may be
substituted or a cream soup may be prepared by using milk and adding
rolled crackers.
_Vegetable Soup_—½ bushel tomatoes, three stalks of celery or one
teaspoonful of celery seed, one head cabbage, six carrots, three
turnips, six ears corn cut down through each row of kernels and the
kernels sliced off the ear, ½ peck string beans, two quarts shelled
lima beans, one dozen onions, three red peppers, six salsify roots, one
pint of okra pods (sliced) one cup salt, one tablespoon black pepper.
Prepare tomatoes as suggested above, cut all the other vegetables fine
and add to the tomatoes. Separate into two parts. To one part add one
cup of rice, cooked till tender, to the remainder an equal amount of
cooked barley. Fill in cans and process two hours. Soups can scarcely
be cooked too much, as unless the vegetables are thoroughly softened
the product is unsatisfactory. The cabbage and turnips may be omitted
if their flavor is not liked.
The government bulletins give a number of formulas for soups and camp
rations which are worth considering when conserving one's garden
supplies, if one already has cans and tops. (The pint cans are best as
the soup is in solid form and a pint is sufficient for a family, when
reduced with broth, water or milk.) The cost of the soup per can will
not exceed two or three cents as against ten for the much smaller cans
purchased at the grocery.
_Sweet Corn Dried_—As corn is more trouble to can than any of the
other vegetables and more uncertain in its results, many housekeepers
prefer to dry it, and a way that is very highly recommended is as
follows: The corn is gathered when still in the milk stage, somewhat
younger than for canning. It is necessary for two to handle the product
as it must all be finished in one operation—that is, it is a one-day
job, and a rather strenuous and busy one, too. As in canning, the
corn is blanched, plunged in cold water, the grains scored through
the center and sliced from the cob, care being given that no part of
the cob is included. It is then placed on plates or tins with a small
amount of butter or butter substitute added—just enough to prevent the
corn sticking to the plates—and placed in the oven and on top of the
stove to dry. It must be stirred almost continuously to prevent burning
or sticking. Only as much corn must be prepared at one time as can be
accommodated on the stove or in the oven and one person must prepare
and cut the corn while the other stirs and dries it. The dry corn is
then stored in paper bags or paper cartons until wanted, and is said to
be a very delicious product, much better liked than canned corn.
_Bulletins for Drying Fruit and Vegetables_ are sent out by the
Department of Agriculture on request and should be very helpful to the
housewife.
[Footnote 4: Or—cut in large pieces and steam or bake until soft,
remove from shell and mash smooth. Fill cans, pressing down evenly with
a wooden spoon or potato masher, place rubber and caps and plunge in
container for one hour.]