Enough salt to prevent all bacterial action must be added. Wash and weigh
the vegetables. Mix with them thoroughly one-fourth their weight of salt.
If after the addition of pressure there is not enough brine to cover the
product, add brine made by dissolving 1 pound of salt in 2 quarts of
water. As soon as bubbling ceases, protect the surface by covering with
paraffin. This method is especially well adapted to vegetables in which
the sugar content is too low to produce a successful fermentation, such
as chard, spinach, and dandelions. Corn can also be well preserved in
this way. Husk it and remove the silk. Cook it in boiling water for 10
minutes, to set the milk. Then cut the corn from the cob with a sharp
knife, weigh it, and pack it in layers, with one-fourth its weight of
fine salt.
The methods of preservation outlined are not limited to vegetables. Solid
fruits, like clingstone peaches and Kieffer pears, can be preserved in
an 80° brine for as long as six months. After the salt has been soaked
out, they may be worked up into desirable products by the use of spices,
vinegar, sugar, etc. Soft fruits, like Elberta peaches and Bartlett
pears, are best preserved in weak vinegar (2 per cent acetic acid).[3]
[3] Report of an investigation in the Bureau of Chemistry on the
utilization of brined products, by Rhea C. Scott, 1919.