Important: Safety Warning
This page describes home-canning methods from before the causes of botulism were understood. Canning low-acid foods without a pressure canner, as described here, can allow the growth of Clostridium botulinum, whose toxin is among the deadliest known. Follow current USDA home-canning guidelines instead.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › Preserving › Blanching
Blanching
String beans are made more delicate by being blanched before packing into the jars. Let boil five minutes in the open kettle, drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, pack in jars, and set into the canning outfit to cook until ready for the table; then fill to overflow with boiling water and seal.
Asparagus and carrots may be packed more solidly in the jars after blanching. Let cook three minutes in boiling water, then drain and rinse in cold water. Pack asparagus in the jars at once. Scrape or peel the skin from carrots and then pack in the jars. The hot water makes the vegetables pliable, the cold water puts them into a condition to be handled.
Peaches and tomatoes are plunged into hot and then into cold water to facilitate the removal of the skins. See page 18.
From U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.