Three short courses in home making

rable in order that vegetables and fruits be made of value for a p.Ti«>d of time than through their ripening season. Canning ;ie of the methods mosl commonly employed in the home, for it asily done, and canned fruits will keep indefinitely. Fruit which to be canned is first sterilized by boiling or Bteaming, in order to troy all germs and -pores. This can be adequately accomplished by boiling 20 minutes, bul a shorter time is sometimes sufficient All germs must al destroyed on the can ad on everything which come- in contact with the food in order to insure comp -. This will lib mire 20 mm or steaming. Jars, tops, dipper, and funnel should all be placed in cold water, heated until water to the boilhl point, and left in the water until just before sealing. It will be Bufficienl to dip the rubbers into the boiling water. Ait e fruit has been put into the can, it m ealed bo thai il is perfectly air-tig t. In order to do this, it is ary to ba d top-, with Dew, pliable rubbers, and to lit them tightly. 48 THREE SHORT COURSES IN HOME MAKING. When the jar is to be filled, it should be placed on a board or wooden table, or on a cloth wrung out of hot water, and filled to overflowing. Sugar is not essential to sterilization and is used only to improve the flavor. Both fruits and vegetables can be canned without sugar. However, fruits canned with a large amount of sugar do not spoil readily, for germs develop slowly in a thick sirup. Methods of canning. — The simplest method of canning is the open- kettle method employed for small, watery fruits, such as berries, grapes, tomatoes, etc. The fruit is boiled in an open kettle (which permits of the evaporation of some of the water in the fruit) and trans- ferred at once to a sterilized jar which is immediately sealed. The open-kettle method of canning is not satisfactory for those vegeta- bles containing only a small amount of acid, nor is it satisfactory for all fruits. A safer method and one that secures more complete steri- lization without serious change of flavor in the fruit is that known as the cold-pack method. After being transferred to the cans the vegetable or fruit is subjected to an additional period of heating of considerable length, or to three periods of briefer length on three successive days. If the three periods of sterilization are used, the process is known as the intermittent method. The single process method is described in the recipe for canned beets. The intermittent process proves more satisfactory for canned beans. PRELIMINARY PLAN. The teacher should ascertain what fruits and vegetables are most abundant and select those that the class can provide for canning. Each girl should be asked to bring some vegetable or fruit, some granulated sugar, and a jar in which to can her fruit. If the school docs not possess enough kettles or saucepans in which to do the cook- ing, kettles or saucepans may be borrowed from the homes.