The following schedule of time for processing vegetables is that suggested by the Department of Agriculture and is authoritative. In every instance the time for processing must be counted from the time the water commences to boil after the cans are put in the container, and the boiling must be continuous.
CANNING DIRECTIONS FOR VEGETABLES
Asparagus—The green grasses grown in the home garden do not, as a rule, can well. They are too tender and delicate and break down under the long cooking suggested. It might be well to experiment with this, cooking only a short time and if the asparagus keeps two weeks or more, open a can and test the flavor and if found acceptable more can be canned. It requires the tough white asparagus like the Bonvillet or Argenteuil for canning and those are the kinds used in commercial canning. Possibly if the green grasses were cut below the ground as is done with the French grasses it would stand up better under cooking. The directions follow.
Asparagus—Gather and clean at once, scraping off the scales on the sides, and cut to equal length. It takes about three bunches for a pint can as they shrink in blanching. Blanch five minutes, plunge at once in cold water. Pack in cans, sliding the stalks in carefully, butts down, fill with hot water, add one teaspoonful of salt to a quart, place rubber and cap in position but do not screw down tight. Place in container as fast as filled and boil 90 minutes. Remove and stand can on cap to cool.
Beets—Select young beets about an inch and a quarter in diameter as the small beets retain their color better than larger ones. About an inch of the top may be left on. Wash very carefully but do not break the skin or remove the tap-root. Blanch four to five minutes, plunge at once in cold water. Remove skins by slipping them off with the hand, avoid the use of knife if possible and pack at once in cans. Fill with hot water adding one teaspoonful of salt to the can and place rubber and cap in place, place in container and boil 90 minutes.
Beans, String—String or hull, blanch in hot water from five to ten minutes, or cut in half inch lengths and steam for five minutes—for small quantities a wire flour sieve over a teakettle will answer admirably—dip quickly in cold water, pack in cans. Fill with hot water, adding one teaspoonful of salt to the quart. Place rubbers and caps in position, cook for 120 minutes, remove and invert to cool and test the joint.
Beans, Lima—Shell and plunge in boiling water for five to ten minutes, plunge immediately in cold water. Pack at once in cans, handling very carefully. Put rubbers and cap in position but not tight. Place in container and cook 180 minutes.
Cauliflower—Lay the heads in salted water half an hour to free from any insects that may have lodgment in the head. Break the head into convenient sized pieces and blanch in boiling water five minutes, plunge at once into cold water, pack in cans, fill with boiling water, add one teaspoonful of salt to the quart and place rubber and cap in position but not tight, place in container and cook 60 minutes. This is the government time but I have found it overcooks the cauliflower.
Corn—This seems to give home canners more trouble than any other vegetable. This is probably caused by delay in the operation. The canning of corn involves more labor than any other vegetable and it is difficult for one person alone to handle it successfully. Two working together, one cutting the corn from the ear and the other packing it in the can, will insure a better result. The corn to be canned should be of the sweetest variety—Golden Bantam or Bantam Evergreen being excellent sorts. It should be picked at just the right stage—between the milk and the dough stage, or when the milk that flows when the grain is broken with the thumb nail looks milky and not watery. It is better to do one can at a time, blanching and dipping in cold water and packing the corn in the can, allowing a half inch at the top for the swelling of the corn, adding a teaspoonful of sugar and one of salt for every quart and filling with hot water, capping and placing in the container before going on with the next canful. The first can put in will not be injured by the extra cooking. Waterlogged or soaked corn is an indication of slowness in packing. If it is desired to can corn on the ear, blanch, plunge into cold water and pack at once in cans large enough to hold several ears. The two quart economy jars are excellent for canning corn on the ears. Whole corn is a little difficult to pack economically, but it can be packed closely if the jar is laid on the side when packing and the corn slid in, the first row being put in butt down and the second tip down. Add a tablespoonful of sugar to each quart can and do not fill more than one-third full with boiling water. When the can is filled with water the flavor of the corn is impaired, and it is more or less water-soaked. The big Stowell's Evergreen Corn is beautiful when canned whole; indeed so fine is its appearance that it is almost worth while to can it just for its appearance on the shelves of the fruit cupboard. Dipping the tops of the cans in paraffin aids in preserving the contents. When heating for use in winter, place in oven instead of hot water as this will render it more dry.
Okra—Gather the pods while still tender, wipe clean, plunge into boiling water five minutes, plunge immediately in cold water, remove and cut into half-inch rings. Pack in can, adding one teaspoonful of salt to the quart. Fill with boiling water, place rubber and cap in position, tighten and put at once in container and cook 120 minutes. Remove, tighten cap and reverse to cool and test seal.