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Canning Vegetables

1. Make a false bottom to fit inside an ordinary wash-boiler. This bottom may be a piece of heavy wire netting or a wooden grating. 2. Prepare the vegetables as for cooking and in convenient form for placing in the cans. Root vegetables should be brushed clean, peeled and cut into convenient slices or pieces. Green beans should have their strings removed and then be cut into short lengths. Peas should be shelled. Corn should be cut off the cob. Squash should be peeled.

Peppers should be scalded and the skins and seeds removed, and the flesh cut up into small pieces. Asparagus should be blanched or parboiled by dipping into boiling water for about three minutes immediately before canning. Artichokes should have some of the outside bracts removed and the hard tip cut off with a sharp knife. 3. The prepared vegetables are packed tight into the jars or cans which are then completely filled with brine containing three ounces of salt to a gallon of water. Before using, this brine should be acidified with lemon juice or vinegar.

For corn ten fluid ounces (about one and one-half teacups) of lemon juice should be used to a gallon of brine, for beans and peas seven fluid ounces (about one teacup), and for other vegetables five fluid ounces (about three-fourths of a teacup). If ordinary vinegar is used, about twice these quantities are necessary.

The acidified brine should be poured hot onto the vegetables. 4. The filled cans and jars are then placed, with their covers in place but loose, on the false bottom of the boiler.

Hot water is then poured into the boiler until it reaches to about three-fourths of the height of the jars. A second tier may be placed on a rack resting on the first tier. 5. The boiler is then covered and heated to boiling, for one hour for most vegetables. Pumpkins, beans and corn require two hours. 6. After this heating remove and seal quickly, while still boiling hot, by screwing down the tops of the jars or applying the wax to the cans.

This is a thoroughly safe and satisfactory way of preserving vegetables. With some vegetables the acid may be omitted, but in this case two or three repeated heatings are necessary and this lowers the quality of the food to some extent.

Reheating is not practicable with waxtop cans.