Directions for Cold-pack Method.

1. Select sound vegetables and fruits. (If possible can them the same day they are picked.) Wash, clean and prepare them.

2. Have ready on the stove a kettle of boiling water.

3. Have ready on the stove a kettle of boiling water, dipping and blanching them in the boiling water.

4. Put them into the boiling water. (See timetable for blanching.) After the water begins to boil begin to count the blanching time.

5. The blanching time varies from two to twenty minutes. When the blanching is complete, remove the vegetables or fruit from the boiling water and plunge them a number of times into cold water to harden the pulp and check the flow of coloring matter. Do not let them stand in cold water.

6. The jars should be thoroughly clean. It is not necessary to sterilize them in boiling water before filling them for the reason that in the cold-pack process both the inside of the jars and the contents are sterilized. Heat the jars slightly before filling them to avoid breakage.

7. Pack the product into the jars leaving about one half centimeter space at the top.

8. With vegetables, add one level teaspoon of salt to each quart jar and fill with boiling water. With fruits use syrups. (See syrup proportions for cold-pack method.)

9. With glass jars use new rubbers. Fit on the rubber and put the lid in place. If the jar has a screw top do not screw up as tight as possible, but use only the thumb and little finger in tightening it. This makes it possible for steam generated within to escape and prevent breakage. If a glass top jar is used, snap the top bail only, leaving the lower bail loose during sterilization. Tin cans should be completely sealed.

10. Place the filled and capped jars on the rack in the sterilizer. Enough water should be in the sterilizer to come at least two centimeters above the jars, and the water in boiling out should never be allowed to drop to the level of these tops. Begin to count processing time when the water begins to boil.

11. Consult the table for the sterilizing period. At the end of this period remove the jars from the sterilizer. Fasten covers on tightly at once, turn the jars upside down to test for leakage, leave in this position until cold then store in a cool, dry, dark place. Be sure that no draft is allowed to blow on the jars while cooling, as it may cause breakage.

Vegetable Canning in Cold-pack.

Vegetable Greens.- - Spinach, all other leaves used for greens, and cabbage should be carefully sorted, and trimmed, the old leaves and coarse stems removed, and the greens then blanched in steam from fifteen to twenty minutes. After blanching, they should be plunged into cold water. They are then packed tight in cans. Add hot water to fill up the crevices and sterilize two hours.

Boot or Tuber Vegetables. - This class includes carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, and sweet potatoes. After being thoroughly washed and scrubbed, they should be scalded long enough to loosen the skin. Plunge them immediately into cold water for a moment then scrape or pare off the skin. They may be packed in the jars whole or cut into cubes. Fill the jars with boiling water, adding one teaspoon of salt to the quart. Screw on the tops lightly and sterilize for ninety minutes. Remove from the sterilizing kettle, fasten covers tightly, cool, and store.

Tomatoes. - Scald the tomatoes enough to loosen the skin. Then plunge them into cold water, core and skin them and pack them whole. Do not put any hot water in the jars, but add one teaspoon of salt to each quart jar. Loosely seal and sterilize thirty minutes. Tighten covers, invert jars to cool and test, store.

Com off the cob. - After blanching, slice the corn from the cob with a thin sharp knife. Pack the sliced corn in jars, add a teaspoon of salt to each quart, fill with hot water and sterilize for three hours.

Squash. - Cut squash into small pieces, blanch for ten minutes, dip into cold water, pack in jars, fill each jar with boiling water and add one teaspoon salt to each quart. Sterilize for ninety minutes.

Pod Vegetables. - Such vegetables as lima beans, string beans, peas, and okra should be blanched in boiling water from two to five minutes, plunged into cold water and packed. Fill jars with boiling water, adding a teaspoon of salt to each quart. Sterilize two hours. Remove from kettle, screw on tops securely, invert jars to cool and test, then store.

Fruit-canning in cold-pack.

Fruits may also be canned by this method. Not all fruits are blanched. Sugar syrups are poured over the fruits instead of hot water. Different grades of syrups are mentioned in the directions. In making these syrups use three cups of sugar to two cups of water, the various densities being gained by shorter or longer boiling.

Thin syrup is sugar and water boiled so that all the sugar is dissolved but the syrup is not sticky.

Medim thin syrup is that which has begun to thicken and is sticky when cooled on a spoon.

Fruit-canning Directions for the Cold-pack Method. Soft Fruits. These are fruits such as ripe mangoes, pineapples, lanzones, and Benguet strawberries. Pare, peel, seed or stem as the case requires and pack them immediately in jars. Then fill with boiling thin syrup and screw covers on lightly. Sterilize sixteen minutes, remove from the sterilizing kettle, tighten covers, invert jars, to cool and test for leakage, wrap in paper and store in a cool, dry, dark place.

Note. - Remove the outside skin of lanzones, separate the fruit into sections, remove all membrane and seeds.

Hard fruits, santols, Chinese pears, and other hard fruits should be blanched for two minutes. Plunge them quickly into cold water, core, pit or remove skins as necessary and put them up quartered or sliced. Fill the cans with boiling medium thin syrup. Put on tops and sterilize twenty minutes, remove, tighten covers, invert to cool and test, wrap in paper and store.

Sliced oranges. - Divide into natural sections or slice with a knife. Do not blanch. Pack jars closely and fill with boiling thin syrup. Sterilze the partially sealed jar ten minutes. Remove, tighten covers, invert to cool and test, wrap in paper and store.

Some Precautions. Care must be used in sealing. Mold is apt to develop if the sealing is defective. It is unsafe to keep jars in a damp place where the rubbers may decompose. Another thing to guard against is improper or inadequate blanching and cold dipping. Care should be taken to follow the instruction on this point.

Careless packing should be avoided. Vegetables and fruits should be packed closely in jars and after this has been done, the jars should be filled with hot salted water in the case of vegetables and syrup in the case of fruit. If the packing is not carefully done shrinkage may take place during sterilization.

In canning green vegetables like spinach, it is important that the mineral salts and volatile oils should not be lost. For this reason the greens should never be blanched in hot water. The blanching must be in steam.

It is important that vegetables and fruits should not be allowed to remain too long in the sterilizer. If sterilization is allowed to continue too long the product will shrink. Watch the time and follow the schedule as given in the table.