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Show PROCESSING Vegetable Preparation Required p"ir CS A3Paragu3 I Wash, precook 3 minute,, lgQ II lQ Beans Wash, string, cat or leave . (String, Wax) whole; precook 5 minutes.. 180 40 10 B, t Shell, grade, wash; precook . , ,n eans.Ltma 5 n,, pack 180 55 10 y. Wash, retain stem; cook B13 IS min.. slip skins, pack 120 40 10 - , , - Remove outer leaves, wash; Cabbage, Brus- precook- 5 minutes, add els Sprouts freshwater Z 120 40 10 n , Wash, peel; precook 5 Carrots minutes, pack hot 120 35 10 ri:a. Remove outer leaves, wash; Cauliflower precook 4 minutes, pack 150 35 10 j- ru Remove husk; precook 5 Corn on Cob pack' 210 80 .10 Cut from cob; precook 5 Corn minutes, pack. 210 80 10 -,, Wash, steam to wilt, Greens pack loosely .. 180 60 10 Parsnips Wash, pare; precook 5 Turnips minutes, pack .. 90 35 10 p. Shell, grade (use young); yeas precook 3 min., pack loosely 180 60 10 Pumpkin Cut in pieces, steam or bake ... ,n Squash until tender, pack 180 60 10 Sauerkraut 30 Here's Your Vegetable Canning Guide j (See directions below) Canning Time IT'S TIME to roll up those sleeves again and start taking out canning equipment. The corn is sweet and tender, the pea pods are full and green, and carrots are still in that nice young, crisp stage all of which makes them can-worthy. It's not a good Idea to wait too long before putting up vegetables because the produce gets too old and, as you know, canning merely preserves, it works no wrinkle smooth or restores no color to old vegetables. When you want a good product from the can, start with superior material. That means fresh from the garden produce, two hours from garden to can, If you can manage it. Here are some tips to select good produce: Asparagus should be tender, green and freshly cut. If possible cut when It is no more than five Inches tall so the ends of the stalks will have a minimum of woody fiber. Only freshly picked green beans should be used as they dry easily upon standing. If you pick your own, then get them after the dew is off. Shapely, beautifully green ones can be canned whole. Lima beans should be almost mature but still green in color as well as being very sweet and tender. If immature, they lack flavor; If too old, they are like dried lima beans. Young beets, the size of a golf ball, are Ideal for canning. Be careful care-ful not to break the skin or tap the roots of the beets in order to preserve pre-serve the color. ONLY SWEET CORN can . be used for canning. To select the best corn for canning push a fingernail finger-nail sharply into the corn kernel. If the milk is thin and sweet, the corn is perfect for canning. When the milk is thick, the corn is past the canning stage. Carrots, when right for canning, are sweet and tender. The young carrots which are about three-fourths three-fourths of an inch in diameter make the best canned product. In canning greens, select only tender young produce with undamaged undam-aged leaves, and have them freshly fresh-ly picked or at least as fresh as possible. Don't use old produce with large tough stems and midribs. To test for tenderness In okra, pierce a pod with the thumbnail and if It cuts through easily the yegetable is ripe. Peas will not wait for canning because it takes only a few hours for peas to develop from the right stage, which is tender, sweet and slightly Immature, to the point where they are starchy and not as good tasting. Gather pods early in the morning, selecting those which are very green and crisp and well filled with peas. e PLAN TO HAVE all canning equipment ready by the time you go after your produce so that you can bring it into the house and start it on its way. If you Just have to go out into the garden to pick the vegetables you can even start your water boiling for the precooking. LYNN SAYS: Here's Tips on Canning Vegetables at Home All vegetables contain enzymes which cause various changes in color, col-or, flavor and texture. To the home canner the most obvious sign of enzymatic activity is that of food turning dark on top of the jar. If you can beets, choose those that have deep, red color throughout. through-out. Neither skin tap root nor the stems should be broken before the beets are precooked. LYNN CHAMBERS' MENU j Roast Fresh Pork Butt Browned Potatoes Quick-Cooked Cabbage Salad of Mixed Greens Apple Pie with Cheese Crust Beverage Bread and Butter Have the jars and covers washed and sterilized. The jars may be inverted in-verted on a clean towel after sterilizing, ster-ilizing, so they'll be in readiness to fill. Have water In the pressure cooker. cook-er. You can start this heating as soon as you come in because there's not very much water needed. Naturally, Nat-urally, you have checked the pressure pres-sure cooker previously to make certain cer-tain it closes properly and that the pressure gauge works too. Cleaning equipment such as kettles ket-tles and colanders, paring knives and other things also should be ready. WASH FOODS before cutting, stemming or hulling. You'll probably prob-ably need several changes of water for absolute cleanliness. Handle the vegetables gently and lift them out of the water rather than pouring pour-ing it off them. Discard any spoiled vegetables during washing. Try to use the same sized pieces for each jar. Those vegetables which are outsized may be cut up rather than canned whole. Then prepare as necessary for each vegetable, cutting green beans, shelling peas, scraping carrots, car-rots, et cetera. Precook or blanch (immerse in hot water) long enough to shrink or wilt the vegetables to get a bet-, ter pack. Vegetables may be placed in a cheesecloth sack and immersed in boiling water. Fill sterile jars to within one inch of the top. Then add boiling water to within one-half inch of the top. One teaspoon of salt to each quart also may be added before the water is poured in. Adjust lids according to manufacturers' manu-facturers' directions. ' Place the rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker and set the jars on it. Leave a little space between be-tween the jars so that the steam can circulate freely. Only enough jars to fit in the pressure cooker should be prepared at one time. Adjust the pressure cooker cover and screw down the safety valve. Steam should be allowed to escape only through the petcock. Allow the petcock to remain open from seven to 10 minutes, counting from the time the steam begins to escape steadily. Close the petcock. Allow the pressure to come within with-in two or three pounds of the desired de-sired amount, then lower heat. This prevents overshooting the desired pressure mark. Count processing time from the moment the gauge registers the desired pounds of pressure. Have pressure remain as constant as possible pos-sible so you neither overcook or underprocess your food. Jars may be removed with a lifter onto layers of newspapers or cloth. Keep them away from drafts. Beets which do not have an even distribution of coloring usually will have better color if pared, cut and precooked for five minutes before canning. They reabsorb color when handled this way. If your canned corn has a brownish brown-ish cast, this usually is due to carmeBzation. Prevent this by using juicy com, plenty of water and correct processing. Choosing the vegetables carefully and careful handling will give desired de-sired results in home-canning. J |