Have More In Winter, Too!
(Page 8 of 10)
It is usually suggested that you plan 100 quarts of fruit
and vegetables for each member of your family, but if you
are seriously trying to be self-sufficient and are
preserving food only by canning we believe you would want
somewhat more. However, the first year aim for the 100 and
the next year you'll be able to adjust the amount to your
own needs. The 100 quarts should be approximately divided
into one-third fruits, one-third vegetables and one-third
tomatoes or tomato juice.
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That figure sounds rather forbidding doesn't it, from the
standpoint of quantity and time to preserve? Let's take up
the question of quantity. In the case of apples, one bushel
produces about 20 quarts; cherries, 24 quarts; peaches, 25
quarts, plums, 30 quarts; berries, 24 quarts. That is a
good deal more of each fruit than any one person will eat
during the non-productive season. So to achieve your goal
you would only have to can a few quarts of each fruit as it
came in season. The same principle applies to vegetables.
As for canning equipment, by all means try to get a
pressure canner. It is recommended by all authorities as
the safest way to can your vegetables properly and it saves
time, fuel and work.
Still unknown to thousands of families the pressure canner
is also a miraculous cooker. It will cook a complete meal
in 10 to 15 minutes, including soup, roast and vegetables!
Using little water, it saves valuable vitamins and
minerals. It tenderizes cheaper cuts of meat. It can
preserve surplus meat, poultry or fish, although we believe
that the quick-frozen method is best.
As for pressure cooker size you will want an 18 quart
canner (holds 5 quart jars) or a 25 quart size (7 jars).
With the canner you will receive a booklet giving you a
time table for processing and general directions for
canning.
Even if you don't go in for all the "Have-More" Plan , we
believe in "canning all you can" anyway - and that goes for
peace time as well as during a war or a depression. Believe
me, it will give you a tremendous feeling of satisfaction
and security when you begin to line up the jars on your
shelves. Ed is just as proud as I am to point to the
canning shelf and say, "I canned those bread and butter
pickles." Such bragging is good for the soul - it's one of
those intangible satisfactions you get from homesteading.
Salt Some Away
Another easy way to keep certain vegetables is to salt them
down. The one big fault with this method is that it
destroys a lot of the vitamins and minerals. For this
reason we have not done any brining (except to make
sauerkraut, ham and salt pork).
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