"Flat sour," perfectly harmless, appears often with inexperienced canners. Botulinus, harmful, appears rarely. You need not be at all alarmed about eating either "flat sour" or botulinus, because the odor from spoiled goods is so distasteful—it really resembles rancid cheese—that you would never get a spoon of it to your mouth.
If you are debating whether this jar or that jar of soup or vegetables is spoiled, do not taste the contents of the jar. Smell it. Tasting might poison you if you happened on the botulinus bacteria, which is so rare it need alarm no one; whereas smelling is perfectly safe.
TIME-TABLE FOR SOUPS
GRAY SOUP WITHOUT STOCK
| INGREDIENTS | NUMBER OF MINUTES TO BLANCH | OTHER PREPARATION |
| 1 Peck ripe tomatoes | Scald 1½ | Remove core and stem end. |
| 1 Head cabbage 1 Dozen carrots 1 White turnip 2 Pounds string beans 1 Pound okra 3 Red peppers | 5 5 5 5 5 5 | Cut into cubes after blanching |
| 1 Peck spinach | .. | Steam 15 minutes or until thoroughly wilted. |
| 2 Pounds asparagus | 4 | Cut into small pieces after blanching. |
| 6 Small beets | 5 | Cut into slices after blanching. |
| 6 Ears sweet corn | 5 | Cut from cob after blanching. |
| Salt | .. |
NUMBER OF MINUTES TO STERILIZE
- In boiling water or homemade outfit, 212 degrees Fahrenheit, 90.
- In condensed steam outfit, 90.
- In water-seal outfit, 214 degrees Fahrenheit, 60.
- In steam-pressure outfit, 5 pounds, 60.
- In pressure-cooker outfit, 10 to 15 pounds, 45.
VEGETABLE SOUP WITHOUT STOCK, USING DRY LEGUMES
| INGREDIENTS | NUMBER OF MINUTES TO BLANCH | OTHER PREPARATION |
| 6 Pounds dried Lima beans 4 Pounds dried peas | Soak over night, then boil for one half hour. | |
| 16 Pounds carrots 6 Pounds cabbage 3 Pounds celery 6 Pounds turnips | 3 3 3 3 | Cut into small cubes after blanching. |
| 4 Pounds okra | 3 | Cut into slices after blanching. |
| 1 Pound onions | 3 | Chop fine after blanching. |
| 4 Pounds parsley Salt | 3 | Cut into pieces after blanching. |