A New Way to Can Vegetables
By M. M. Telford
ANY woman can preserve vegetables as successfully as fruits. But the process is not the same: a little more time and labor are necessary. The difficulty in former days arose because the cause of fermentation was not well known, so the remedy could not be applied with certainty. Vegetables in general contain very little of the acids that discourage bacteria; on the other hand, they contain large amounts of protein, the food most hospitable to bacteria. Moreover, the bacteria always present in corn, beans, and other vegetables have a peculiar life history that makes them extremely resistant to heat. Under favorable conditions they live and multiply as other similar growths, but under unfavorable conditions they form thick-walled bodies called spores, which are able to retain their vitality even if boiled for hours. The Little Spores Work Havoc
It was these spores that worked havoc in the jars of our mothers and grandmothers. Long-continued boiling of the vegetable to be canned failed to kill all present; the few or many that escaped, sooner or later developed into bacteria in the jars, and then multiplication was so rapid as to spoil all the contents. Although the spores are able to resist the temperature of boiling water for a long time, the bacteria that develop from them cannot. Therefore the problem of recent investigators has been to devise a means of making the spores develop into bacteria at canning time, and then to kill these bacteria by boiling. Fortunately a certain means of doing this has been discovered. It was found that boiling does not kill the spores; in fact, it stimulates them so that they develop into bacteria within twenty-four or forty-eight hours. Hence the method now used with com-plete18success in canning vegetables of all kinds in the home without special apparatus is to boil the vegetable for an hour to kill all bacteria present and to stimulate the spores; then to seal the jars and let them stand for twenty-four hours so the spores may develop into easily killed bacteria; and finally to boil the vegetable again for an hour to kill the new crop. Generally the boiling is repeated on the third day to make sure that no spores escape. This method of canning can be used with certainty by any housewife who will observe ordinary cleanliness and follow directions. The method is known by various names. Because the vegetable is put into the jars cold before cooking, it is coming to be called the “cold-pack” method. It is perhaps best illustrated with corn, so directions for canning corn are here given in detail:— The Cold-Pack Method in Canning Corn
Use the best grade of sweet corn. Select ears that are not too hard, and do the canning as soon as possible after the ears are pulled from the stalk, the percentage of sugar is low in hard ears and in ears that have been pulled for some time. Remove the husks and silks; if this work is done carefully, it will not be necessary to wash the corn unless worms are present. Cut and scrape the corn from the cobs with a sharp knife, in order to get all the nutriment possible. Salt the corn slightly; ordinarily a teaspoonful of salt to a quart of corn is sufficient. Have glass jars ready; these are the best, because they can be cleaned more easily than any other kind, and also more thoroughly. Pack the jars full of corn, fill them to the top with cold water, put the covers in place loosely without the rubbers, stand the jars in the wash boiler on a false bottom of cloth or shingles, surround them with a few inches of warm water, put the cover on the boiler loosely, and steam the jars and their contents for an hour by boiling the water. Then put the rubbers on the jars and seal them. After twenty-four hours loosen the covers so they fit loosely, and again boil the water for an hour. Seal the jars, and allow them to stand for another twenty-four hours. Then unseal them, put new rubbers of good quality in place, screw on the covers loosely, and steam the jars the third time for an hour. Screw the covers on tight while the jars are still hot, and the corn will certainly keep; moreover, its flavor is excellent. Shell the beans, blanch them four or five minutes, cool them, and pack them into jars. Fill the jars with cold water, and steam them for an hour on three different days, as in canning corn. It is important to hurry the process after shelling the beans, as Lima beans lose their delicate flavor if allowed to stand after shelling.—M. M. Telford, in the Delineator for August.