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Show 1 IF YOU HAVE NO CANNER, MAKE ONE ' I X"V V' " ' Photo Courtesy Ball Bros" Co-"All Co-"All authorities on home canning advise that non-acid vegetables be canned by processing (cooking in jars) in a steam pressure cooker because be-cause a pressure cooker is the only household utensil that can retain a 'much hotter than boiling temperature. High temperatures are desirable when canning beans, peas, corn, greens, etc., because they insure more certain destruction of bacteria and Ibecause the canning can be done imore quickly. But," says Gladys Kimbrough, Home Service Director of Ball Brothers Company, who (heartily approves using a pressure : cooker whenever possible, "the time is at hand when we must be practical. practi-cal. Don't worry if you can't buy a ; pressure cooker for surely you can :flnd a wash boiler, lard can, baby Ibath tub or some deep container in which water can be boiled. Tack a few strips of wood together to make 1 a rack or platform to hold the jars ': about one-half inch from the bottom of the container. Find something, 'even if it has to be a board, to use i ai a lid. Then you will have a water-;bath water-;bath canner for those Victory garden gar-den vegetables. "You are afraid to eat vegetables 'canned that way? Nonsense! A lot ! of folks who say a water bath can't !be used were raised on vegetables .canned by that method. But let's I get three things clear before we go ! any further: first, there have been a 'few instances of poisoning from eat-jing eat-jing canned vegetables; second, all i such danger can be avoided by boiling boil-ing the canned vegetables 15 minutes min-utes before tasting or serving they 1 should be re-boiled before serving if left from one meal to the next; third, a pressure cooker is not a i guarantee against spoilage. There I will be spoilage if the pressure I gauge registers too low or if poor judgment is used in the selection, f preparation, and packing of food j into the jars. And don't let anybody : tell you otherwise. "Now, back to the water bath. I The water should be steaming but not boiling when the jars are lowered low-ered into it and deep enough to ' cover the tops of the jars two or 'more inches. No, water won't get into the jars if directions are fol- i lowed. The water should be brought to boiling as quickly as possible and kept boiling steadily throughout the canning period. "Any jar suitable for use in home canning (and only those with names lettered on them are suitable) may be used for water-bath processing. Mason jars may be sealed with one-piece one-piece zinc cap and rubber if you can find the caps with glass top seal, or with two-piece vacuum seal caps. Glass top seal closures and vacuum caps seal on the top edge of the jar, therefore it is necessary to make sure the top edges of the jars are even, smooth, and perfect in every respect. The bands are screwed down tight on the vacuum seals as soon as the jars are filled to within from one to one-half inch of the top, and should not be tightened again. Zinc caps are screwed down on the rubber and then loosened slightly. Bands for glass top seals are screwed down and then loosened. loos-ened. This tightening and loosening is called 'partly sealing' and should always be done before jars are placed in a canner. Seals are completed com-pleted by tightening caps or bands immediately after processing. "Then there is the jar with a glass lid and rubber ring held in place with wires it is ideal for canning, can-ning, especially when fitted with high - tension, stretch - proof, steel wire. It is partly sealed before and completely sealed after processing. "Those who select vegetables that are young, tender, and right out of the garden, and waste no time in washing them clean, cooking them five to ten minutes, and pouring into clean, hot jars and processing immediately, im-mediately, will live to laugh at thost who say it can't be done. It is the Cans, not the Can'ts, who are going to win the war on both home and battle front." |