CHAPTER IV_Every Step in Canning: The Cold-Pack Method

VEGETABLES

It is practical to can all vegetables, even such difficult ones as

corn, peas and beans, by the cold-pack method of canning without using

any preservatives, if you will follow all directions, instructions and

the time-table accurately. Vegetable canning is a little more

complicated than fruit canning.

TOMATOES

Every one likes canned tomatoes. In many homes more tomatoes are

canned than any other product. The housewife uses them for soups, for

sauces and for seasoning many meat dishes. Some women say: "I can

preserve everything but tomatoes. They always spoil. What do I do

wrong?" If the following directions are followed tomatoes will not

spoil.

Tomatoes really are the easiest vegetable to can, because the period

of sterilization is short, and many jars may be canned in a day, or if

one is very busy a few jars may be canned daily without the

expenditure of a great deal of time.

The best tomatoes for canning are those of moderate size, smooth and

uniformly ripe. When a tomato ripens unevenly or when it is misshapen,

it is difficult to peel, and the percentage of waste is high. Tomatoes

should not be picked when they are green or partly ripe, for the

flavor will not be so good as when they are allowed to remain upon

the vines until fully ripe. Care should be taken, however, not to

allow them to become overripe before canning.

In no instance should a tomato with a rotten spot be canned, even

though the spot is cut out, for the occasional spoiled jar resulting

from this attempted saving will cost more than the partly spoiled

tomatoes are worth. If the housewife will can only uniformly ripe,

sound tomatoes, saving the small, uneven but sound fruit for tomato

_purée_, she will have a much better-looking pack and greater food

value at the close of the season. Yellow tomatoes may be canned in the

same manner as are the more common red varieties, except that it is

not necessary to remove the cores.

First of all, grade for ripeness, size and quality; this is to insure

a high-grade product. We could, of course, can different sizes and

shades together, but uniform products are more pleasing to the eye and

will sterilize much more evenly. If the products are of the same

ripeness and quality, the entire pack will receive the proper degree

of cooking.

Wash the tomatoes. Have ready a kettle of boiling water. Put the

tomatoes in a wire basket, or lay them on a piece of cheesecloth or a

towel, twist the ends together to form a sack, and let this down into

the kettle. It is a good plan to slip a rubber band round the neck of

this sack to hold the ends in place. The ends should be long enough to

stand up out of the water and so avoid danger of burning the fingers

when removing the product.

Have the water boiling hard. Lower the tomatoes into the boiling

water. This is called scalding the tomatoes. We scald the tomatoes to

loosen the skin. If the tomatoes are very ripe, one minute scalding

will be sufficient. The average length of time for tomatoes, just

perfect for canning, is one and a half minutes. Do not leave the

tomatoes in the hot water until the skins break, as this gives them a

fuzzy appearance.

The scalding kettle always should be covered, to keep in all the heat

possible. Begin to time from the minute the product is immersed in the

boiling water. If you wait until the water comes back to a boil, you

will scald the product too long and have mushy tomatoes.

Lift the tomatoes out of the hot water and plunge them immediately

into cold water, or hold them under the cold-water faucet. The

cold-dip makes them easier to handle, separates the skin from the

pulp, firms the texture, and coagulates the coloring matter so it

stays near the surface, giving them a rich, red color. Then the shock

due to the sudden change from hot to cold and back to hot again seems

to help kill the spores. Do not let the product stand in the cold-dip.

The water becomes lukewarm, softens the product and allows bacteria to

develop.

Take the tomato in the left hand and with a sharp knife cut out the

core. Be careful not to cut into the fleshy portion or seed cells, for

this will scatter the seeds and pulp through the liquid, injuring the

appearance of the product. Cut out the core before removing the skin,

for the skin will protect the pulp and there will be less danger of

breaking the tomato. If the tomatoes are ripe and have been scalded

properly, the skin can be slipped off with the fingers.

The jars, rubbers and tops should be ready. Glass jars should be hot,

so there will be no danger of breakage in setting them in the hot

water, and so they will not cool the water in the cooker below the

boiling point.

Pack the tomatoes whole, pressing and shaking them well down together,

but not using force enough to crush them.

Now we come to a point where tomatoes are different from most

vegetables. Beans, carrots, peas, and so on, have hot water added to

them. But as a large part of the tomato is water, no more is needed.

Another exception where no water is needed is with the "greens

family." So with tomatoes we add no water, but add one teaspoonful of

salt and one teaspoonful of sugar, just for seasoning, to every quart

jar. I think that tomatoes always are improved by the addition of a

little sugar, but this is not necessary and can be omitted, as also

can be the salt.

The salt in canning does not act as a preservative, but as seasoning;

so if for any reason you forget the salt, do not be alarmed. Your

products will keep perfectly without the salt.

THE WAY TO SEAL

The products are in the hot jars now. The jars do not need to be full

in order to keep. If you were canning by the "open-kettle" method, the

air in the partly filled jar would not have been sterilized, and might

contain the bacteria which cause the product to ferment or mold. But

by the cold pack, the air in the can is sterilized while the product

is being sterilized; and if the can is closed immediately after

cooking, a single spoonful may be canned in a two-quart jar and the

product will keep indefinitely.

Place Rubber and Cover on Jar. Fit the rubber. Use good rubbers and

see that they lie flat and fit close up to the can. Put the covers in

place.

Do Not Seal Glass Jars Tight. If using screw-top jars screw each

cover down until it catches, then turn a quarter of a round back; or

screw down with the thumb and little finger, not using force but

stopping when the cover catches.

If using vacuum-seal jars put the cover on and the spring in place.

The spring will give enough to allow the steam to escape.

If using glass-top jars, with the patent wire snap, put the cover in

place, the wire over the top and the clamp up.

The cover on a glass jar must not be tight while processing, because

the air will expand when heated, and if the cover is not loose enough

to allow the steam to escape, the pressure may blow the rubber out or

break the jar.

When canning in tin we cap and tip the cans at once. The tin will

bulge out, but is strong enough to withstand the pressure, and when

the contents cool the can will come back into shape.

The jars are now ready for the canner. Tomatoes sterilized under

boiling water require twenty-two minutes; in condensed-steam cooker,

twenty-two minutes; in water-seal, eighteen minutes; in

steam-pressure, with five pounds, fifteen minutes, and in the pressure

cooker, at ten or fifteen pounds, ten minutes.

If you use the homemade outfit or any water-bath outfit be sure the

water is boiling when the jars of tomatoes are lowered into the

canner. Time lost in bringing the contents to the point of

sterilization softens the tomatoes and results in inferior goods. Use

the ordinary good sense with which you have been endowed in handling

the jars and you will have no breakage. At the end of the sterilizing

period, remove the jars.

In taking canned goods from boiling hot water, care is needed to see

that they are protected from drafts. If necessary close the windows

and doors while lifting the jars out, for a sudden draft might break

them.

Examine rubbers to see that they are in place. Sometimes, if the

covers are screwed down too tight, the pressure of the steam from the

inside causes the rubber to bulge out. Simply loosen the cover a

thread or two, push the rubber back into place and then tighten. In

case the rubber does not seem to fit well or seems to be a poor

rubber, it should be replaced by a new one and the jar returned to the

cooker for five minutes.

The jars should be sealed tight--covers screwed down, clamps put in

place--immediately after they are removed from the cooker.

Invert to test the joint and cool. If the seal is not perfect, correct

the fault, and return the jar to the cooker for five minutes if hot,

ten minutes if jar is cold.

Do not invert vacuum-seal jars. These should be allowed to cool and

then tested by removing the spring or clamp and lifting the jars by

the cover only. Lift the jar only a half inch, holding it over the

table so that, in case the lid does not hold, the jar and contents

will not be damaged. Or, better still, tap round the edge of the

cover with a ruler. An imperfect seal will cause a hollow sound.

Tomato Purée. Small, misshapen, unevenly ripened tomatoes may be

converted into tomato _purée_. The tomatoes should be washed, run

through a colander to remove skins and cores, concentrated by cooking

to about half the original volume, and packed in the jars. Rubbers and

tops should then be placed in position and the product sterilized for

the same length of time as for canned tomatoes. _Purée_ even may be

kept in bottles sealed with sterilized corks and dipped several times

in paraffin.

HOW OTHER VEGETABLES ARE CANNED

All other vegetables are canned exactly like tomatoes, with two

exceptions. Tomatoes are scalded. All other vegetables are blanched.

We scald tomatoes to loosen the skins and to start the flow of the

coloring matter, which is later arrested or coagulated by the

cold-dip.

Blanching is scalding, only for a longer time. Scalding is never for

more than two minutes. Blanching covers from three to thirty minutes.

We blanch beans, peas, corn, cabbage, carrots, beets, turnips, and so

on, for three to ten minutes. We blanch these vegetables to eliminate

any objectionable acids or bitter flavors which may be present, and

thus improve the flavor; to reduce the bulk so we can pack closer; to

start the flow of the coloring matter; to improve the texture of the

vegetables by making them more tender, and to improve the appearance

by helping to make clear the liquid in the jar. Blanching is what

makes for success in the cold-pack method of canning. Blanching is

_very_ important and must be carefully and accurately done.

Let me repeat about blanching: Have the kettle of blanching water

_boiling vigorously, completely immerse_ the product in the boiling

water, cover the kettle _immediately_ and begin to time the product.

Do not stand with the cover in hand and wait for the water to come

back to the boil, for, of course, it stopped boiling for a second when

you lowered into it the cold product. If you cover the kettle the

water will quickly reboil. Do not keep wondering if it is boiling and

take off the cover to see. All these may seem foolish precautions, but

it is necessary to follow directions accurately.

And remember, all things that are scalded or blanched must be followed

immediately by a cold plunge or "cold-dip." The scalding or blanching

is the "hot-dip," and this must be followed by the "cold-dip." You may

be asking, what is the point of this "cold-dip"? It is a very logical

question.

We "cold-dip" a product to harden the pulp under the skin and thus

permit the removal of the skin without injury to the pulp; to

coagulate the coloring matter and make it harder to dissolve during

the sterilization period and to make it easier to handle the products

in packing, and to subject the product to a sudden shock by quick

change in temperature.

STEPS IN CANNING VEGETABLES

If you will follow these steps for all vegetable canning you cannot

help but be successful:

1. Clean jars and test rubbers. If rubbers do not return to normal

shape after stretching, do not use.

2. Prepare material to be canned, according to directions given on

chart.

3. Hot-dip--blanch or scald--the prepared food. This process consists

of immersing the prepared product in boiling water for different

lengths of time, according to the material to be canned. See chart.

Hot-dipping shrinks the product and enables one to pack more material

in a jar.

4. Cold-dip the material. This process consists of plunging the

blanched or scalded food into cold water, which makes it more easily

handled. Be sure the water is cold; the colder the better.

Take the product out immediately and let it drain. _Don't let any food

soak in the cold water._

From this point on, speed is highly important. The blanched vegetables

which are slightly warm must not be allowed to remain out of the jars

a moment longer than is necessary.

Remove skins when required, and as each article is pared cut it into

pieces of proper size and

5. Pack directly into the clean, scalded cans or jars. Pack as solidly

as possible, being careful not to bruise or mash soft products. Pack

the product to within three-eighths of an inch of the top. Lima beans,

navy beans, peas, corn, pumpkin and sweet potatoes swell, so pack them

within only one inch of the top of the jar.

6. Add seasoning. One teaspoonful salt to every quart jar of

vegetables, and an equal amount of sugar to tomatoes, corn and peas if

desired.

7. Add boiling water to within a quarter inch of top to all

vegetables, except tomatoes and greens. Tomatoes contain ninety-four

per cent water, so none should be added. Tomato juice can be used if

desired. Greens are canned in just the water that clings to the

leaves after the cold-dip.

8. Adjust rubber rings and the covers of the jars; partially seal.

9. Sterilize--see time-table on pages following.

10. Remove from canner and completely seal. Test for leaks. Cool jars

as rapidly as possible, without drafts striking them.

Rapid cooling of the product prevents overcooking, clarifies the

liquid and preserves the shape and texture of the product.

SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR VARIOUS VEGETABLES

Greens. No water is added to greens. Ninety percent of greens is

water. They are high in mineral matter and we must preserve that.

Asparagus. Remove string before packing in jar. Can or dry tough ends

for soup. If asparagus is packed in jars as whole stalks, pack with

the tips up.

Tomatoes. Remove skins before packing. Tomatoes may be canned whole or

in pieces. Skin, cook and strain imperfect tomatoes. Use this for

liquid; as 94 per cent of the tomato is water, no water is needed.

Eggplants. Make slices about ½ to ¾ of an inch thick. Do not add salt,

as it causes eggplants to turn dark.

Pumpkin and squash. If you do not wish to scrape out of the shells you

can remove seeds, pare and cut into small blocks of uniform size. Then

blanch.

Sweet corn. Corn expands a little in processing, and for this reason

jars should not be filled quite full. Corn that has reached the dough

stage before being packed will have a cheesy appearance after

canning. Corn should never be allowed to remain in the cold-dip water.

Field corn. This product is commonly known as corn-club breakfast

food. The corn should be selected between the milk and the dough

stage. Wide-mouthed glass jars or tin cans should be used for canning

this product. Avoid packing container too full, as the product swells

during the sterilization period. The corn should be canned the same

day it is picked from the field if possible. After this product has

been sterilized and cooked and stored away it will form a solid,

butter-like mass which may be cut into convenient slices for toasting,

frying and baking purposes.

Mushrooms. Do not fail to blanch and cold dip. After opening

containers remove the mushrooms immediately and use them as quickly as

possible.

Sweet peppers. Place the peppers in the oven and bake them until the

skins separate from the meat. Remove the skin. Pack in hot jars. Add 1

teaspoonful of salt to a quart. Add boiling water.

Lima beans. Lima beans can be either blanched or steamed. If blanched

allow 5 minutes; if in live steam allow 10.

Wax or string beans. Beans can be canned whole or cut into uniform

pieces.

Cabbage and cauliflower. Cabbage and cauliflower should be soaked in

cold brine (½ lb. salt to 12 quarts water) for one hour before

blanching.

Brussels sprouts. Use small solid heads.

Peas. A cloudy or hazy appearance of the liquid indicates that the

product was roughly handled in blanching and cold dipping, or that

broken peas were not removed before packing.

Carrots and parsnips. Carrots can be packed whole, in slices or in

cross-section pieces. Skin of parsnips can be scraped off after

blanching and cold dipping.

Beets. Small beets that run 40 to a quart are the most suitable size

for first-class packs. Well-canned beets will show a slight loss of

color when removed from the canner, but will brighten up in a few

days.

Turnips. Scrape skin after blanching and cold dipping.

Corn and tomatoes. Add 1 teaspoonful of salt to every quart of

mixture. Mix 2 parts of tomatoes with 1 part corn. One teaspoonful of

sugar improves the flavor.

Corn, tomatoes and string beans. Use 1 part of corn, 1 part of green

string beans and 3 parts of tomatoes. Add 1 teaspoonful of salt and 1

teaspoonful of sugar to every quart jar.

CHARTS FOR CANNING ALL VEGETABLES AND GREENS

[A] SCALDING OR BLANCHING MINUTES

[B] IN BOILING WATER OR HOMEMADE OUTFIT (212°F.)

[C] IN CONDENSED STEAM OUTFIT

[D] IN WATER-SEAL OUTFIT 214°F

[E] IN STEAM PRESSURE 5 TO 10 POUNDS

[F] IN PRESSURE COOKER 10 POUNDS

VEGETABLES/ NUMBER OF MINUTES TO STERILIZE

PREPARATION | [A] | [B] | [C] | [D] | [E] | [F]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class 1--Greens, Domestic and Wild

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALL GREENS--SPINACH, |Steam in | 120 | 120 | 90 | 60 |40, at

BEET TOPS, CHARD, |colander or | (2 hr)| (2 hr)|(1½ hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class 2 --Special Vegetables

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASPARAGUS |Blanch tough| 90 | 90 | 60 | 50 |25, at

Wash, remove woody |ends 4 |(1½ hr)|(1½ hr)| (1 hr)| |10 lbs.

| | | | | |

TOMATOES Select | Scald 1½ | 22 | 22 | 18 | 18 |10, at

fresh, ripe, firm | | | | | |10 lbs.

| | | | | |

EGGPLANTS Remove skin| Blanch 3 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 45 |30, at

after blanching | | (1 hr)| (1 hr)| | |10 lbs.

| | | | | |

PUMPKIN AND SQUASH | Blanch 5 | 120 | 120 | 90 | 60 |40, at

Cut into sections; | | (2 hr)| (2 hr)|(1½ hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

CORN--SWEET | 5 on cob | 180 | 180 | 120 | 90 |60, at

Cut corn from cob, | | (3 hr)| (3 hr)| (2 hr)|(1½ hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

CORN--FIELD | 10 | 180 | 180 | 120 | 60 |50, at

Remove husk and | | (3 hr)| (3 hr)| (2 hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

MUSHROOMS If small, | 5 | 90 | 90 | 80 | 50 |30, at

can them whole; if | |(1½ hr)|(1½ hr)|(1-1/3 | |10 lbs.

large they may be | | | | hr) | |

| | | | | |

SWEET PEPPERS Use | .. | 90 | 90 | 75 | 60 |40, at

either green or red| |(1½ hr)|(1½ hr)|(1¾ hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class 3--Pod Vegetables and Other Green Products

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEANS--LIMA | 5 to 10 | 180 | 180 | 120 | 60 |40, at

Shell and wash. | | (3 hr)| (3 hr)| (2 hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

BEANS--WAX OR STRING | 5 to 10 | 120 | 120 | 90 | 60 |40, at

Wash and string. | | (2 hr)| (2 hr)|(1½ hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

CABBAGE Use small | 5 to 10 | 120 | 120 | 90 | 60 |40, at

solid heads of | | (2 hr)| (2 hr)|(1½ hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

CAULIFLOWER Use | 3 | 60 | 60 | 40 | 30 |20, at

flowered portion of| | (1 hr)| (1 hr)| | |15 lbs.

| | | | | |

BRUSSELS SPROUTS | 5 to 10 | 120 | 120 | 90 | 60 |40, at

Cut into sections | | (2 hr)| (2 hr)|(1½ hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

PEAS | 5 to 10 | 180 | 180 | 120 | 60 |40, at

Shell and wash. Add| | (3 hr)| (3 hr)| (2 hr)| (1 hr)|10 to

1 teaspoonful of | | | | | |15 lbs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class 4--Roots and Tuber Vegetables

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

CARROTS, PARSNIPS, | 5 | 90 | 90 | 80 | 60 |40, at

SALSIFY | |(1½ hr)|(1½ hr)| (1-1/3| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

Remove skin by | | | | hr) | |

| | | | | |

BEETS | 5 | 90 | 90 | 80 | 60 |40, at

To retain the color| |(1½ hr)|(1½ hr)| (1-1/3| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

of beets leave 3 or| | | | hr) | |

| | | | | |

TURNIPS | 5 | 90 | 90 | 80 | 60 |40, at

Wash thoroughly | |(1½ hr)|(1½ hr)| (1-1/3| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

with a vegetable | | | | hr) | |

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class 5--Vegetable Combinations

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CORN AND TOMATOES | | 120 | 120 | 120 | 60 |45, at

Prepare individual | | (2 hr)| (2 hr)| (2 hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

| | | | | |

Corn | 3 | | | | |

Tomatoes | 1½ | 120 | 120 | 120 | 60 |45, at

String beans | 5 | (2 hr)| (2 hr)| (2 hr)| (1 hr)|10 lbs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Count from time when water begins to boil (bubbles all over). This

time schedule is for both pint and quart jars. Add 30 minutes to time

of sterilizing for 2-quart jars.