IC-NHLI-
ECONOMY IN THE
KITCHEN
1
X A /^
" M. \
1 &S/LT/V CW&OAXV / I 1
IL r '^^^^^J^^ Ijf^J M
^ -^^
Fig. i
ECONOMY /
the KITCHEN
BY
J. F. BREAZEALE
PRICE ONE DOLLAR
FRYE PUBLISHING COMPANY
15 West 1 07th Street
NEW YORK CITY
Copyrighted 1918
J. F. BREAZEALE
INTRODUCTION
DURING the last decade the scientists of the
United States Department of Agriculture, and
the state experiment stations, as well as other
workers along agricultural lines, have been devoting
much time and thought to the needs of the American
farmer. "Whether or not he has availed himself of it is
another question, but certain it is that at present he
needs little, in the way of information on the manage-
ment of his farm, that is not available, but the housewife
upon the farm is not so fortunate. Although she is
usually more inclined to accept good advice, and prob-
ably needs information more than her husband, she
somehow does not get it. The housekeeping magazines
and other periodicals are not addressed to her, and if
she attempts to read a few cook books, she is likely to
end up with a vague suspicion that the authors have
probably never kept house, and have never even tried
their own recipes. The works on domestic science fail
to reach her, as the writers upon such subjects usually
write to the woman with means, the housewife who can
afford to buy things, and not to the woman who is
obliged to do with the things which she already has on
hand. They overlook the fact that probably the major-
ity of the housewives in this country are standing upon
board floors and doing their own work.
412G52
JN THE KITCHEN
4 'My early iff e upon the farm has given me the view-
point of the farmer's wife, who usually has but little
and who spends most of her time in the kitchen, and my
greatest desire in life is to help this busy little woman,
for it is she, and not the woman with the dog in the
automobile, who is the balance wheel of this nation.
During the years that I have spent in the United States
Department of Agriculture, I have published many arti-
cles in which I hoped to help the housewife on the farm.
That these efforts were appreciated is proved by the
many letters that I have received from all sections of
the country. It is from these letters that I, in part, have
learned what the housewife wants to know, and this little
book is, in the main, an answer to these letters.
This is not a cook book, and I do not pose as an
authority on domestic science. I do not expect to teach
women how to keep house, but I do hope, in an informal
and homely kind of a way, to bring more system into the
household, to lessen the steps of the housewife and to
inspire her with some new ideas of economy. This book
is meant to be different and in every item the " reasons
why" have been brought out. It is largely a description
of my own experience. The canning of vegetables and
fruits, which I so emphasize, has meant so much to me,
from the standpoint of health, economy and labor saving,
that it is no wonder that I have become a little enthusi-
astic over it and probably over anxious to tell other
people about it. During the last few years I have had
occasion to teach many housewives how to can. While
some of these think it is too much trouble, the great
majority become enthusiastic too, and want to can every-
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
thing in sight. They tell their neighbors about it and
they go to canning too. This goes to show that the right
kind of economy is contagious in much the same way
as whooping cough or chicken pox.
It is with a feeling of apology that I use the term
"I" so often, but in a work of this kind it is almost
impossible to omit this form of expression. In the duties
of our household I am not " chief cook" by any means.
My wife is mistress of her kitchen, and in most cases
I am but a helper. She has been the prime mover in this
work, and we have agreed in everything except in some
small details. She insists upon using a dish rag, while
I think that such an article should be prohibited by law ;
she thinks that the harder water boils the hotter it gets,
while I do not; but beyond such small differences of
opinion we have worked together harmoniously, and the
reader can take it that the term "I" in the majority of
cases is meant to mean "we."
I might add that I practice what I preach. I can
go into a kitchen and cook as complete a dinner as almost
any woman. I can make good bread, can vegetables,
preserve fruits, make good butter, prepare all kinds of
salads, or make mayonnaise dressing, and my little chil-
dren eat my cooking in preference to their mother's.
Such work is my recreation and I try to do it with the
same cleanliness and system that I use in making a
chemical analysis. And last but not least, I can wash
up the dishes and keep the kitchen clean generally.
In my twelve years' sojourn in boarding houses, a
common complaint made against me was that I could
not be kept out of the kitchen. I tell this only to show
10 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
my interest in kitchen affairs, and do not wish to be held
in any way responsible for the boarding house cooking.
So these words of advice to the housewife go out from
one who does not think that he knows it all, from one
who is willing to learn, and whose one redeemable qual-
ity is that he takes interest in the home and likes to
* ' fix up " around the house.
OLD-FASHIONED THRIFT
I am a great believer in old-fashioned thrift. The
man who makes two blades of grass grow where only
one grew before, is only half a benefactor. An old
adage says that such a man is worth the whole race of
politicians, but, while this may be true, it is not saying
any too much for him. One who produces and wastes
is little better than one who does not produce at all.
The habit of taking care of things that come your way
is what I call old-fashioned thrift.
The average American farmer probably does not
exist, as our great diversity in agriculture makes it
almost impossible to draw an average, but the average
farmer's wife does exist, and although she is probably
more thrifty than her husband, and probably more so
than her sisters in the city, she has yet to learn a few
lessons in economy.
From actual statistics we know that, in a prosperous
agricultural state like Ohio, after allowing the farmers
5 per cent interest on the money they have invested in
their farms, that 60 per cent of them are making less
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 11
than their hired help and this is one of the best states
in the Union. My experience in Virginia makes me
think that probably 90 per cent of the farmers there are
not making any more than a living off of their farms.
During the last year or two, owing to the abnormal price
of foodstuffs and such articles as cotton, many farmers
have made some money, but this does not represent aver-
age conditions, and is certainly not what can be expected
in the future. I do not believe that the average Amer-
ican farmer, if such a person exists, is making more than
a living off of his farm.
Now, the average housewife on the farm attends to
the garden and produces enough vegetables to supply
the family during the summer, she takes care of the
chickens and sells eggs and her surplus stock, and she
makes butter and sells what the family does not use.
The average housewife feeds the family, and if it were
not for her the average farmer would come out in debt
every year. But the average farmer does not know
this; my experience with him makes me believe that he
thinks he is the most important person on the ranch. He
does not keep books, he is not thrifty, and he underesti-
mates his wife's part of the work upon the farm. No
piece of labor saving machinery is too good for him, yet
he seldom thinks that his wife would probably like to
have a good range or a kitchen cabinet to lighten her
work. If he is not prosperous with all of his advan-
tages, he deserves little sympathy. My sympathies are
with the housewife, and my interest in her welfare will,
therefore, justify my criticisms of her. She is not sys-
tematic, she does not like to use her own judgment, she
12 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
likes to do things by rule of thumb, which is usually the
longest and hardest way, instead of studying the " rea-
sons why." She thinks she is economical when she is
not; she wastes her time, her labor and her steps. She
has come to look upon her task as mere drudgery instead
of realizing that it is a noble calling. She is often dis-
contented, thinking that drudgery is a part of a woman 's
duty, when it is not.
Now, the first sign of progress is a realization of one's
own shortcomings, so, if the housewife will begin by
realizing some of her mistakes, she is on the highroad
toward the betterment of her condition. I am not yet a
graduate in the school of useful experience myself. I
am probably only a few lessons ahead of the average
housewife.
Many housewives think they are economical, and so
they may be, but comparatively few are thrifty. One
can be economical in a few things and yet lack the essen-
tial principles of thrift. I know many women who have
"pet economies." They economize with butter, with
sugar or with bread, and yet manage to spend every
cent their husbands make in foolish extravagance. Such
economy is absurd and gives one a feeling of scarcity.
Thrift is the elimination of waste. There are general
principles, of course, that can be given, but as an applied
science it is after all an individual problem. There can
be no shifting of responsibility a good share of the
high cost of living rests with the individual housewife.
"With nearly all of us at one time or another we will have
to be economical, either from choice or necessity. With
me economy began with necessity and now it has become
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 13
a matter of choice, and, take it from me, it is much better
to be economical from choice than from necessity.
I never saw a thrifty person in want in all my life.
The well to do people are usually thrifty, and conversely
the thrifty are well to do. You can drive by a farm-
house and tell whether or not the farmer is thrifty.
Thrift carries an atmosphere with it that is unmistak-
able. The white-washed fences, the gates that are all
on their hinges, the "trim" appearance of the place in
general, speak of thrift. The lack of thrift is character-
istic of poor people, and this fact is really what makes
them poor.
I once had a neighbor in Virginia who was so poor
that she always carried a look of poverty around with
her, although her husband got good wages for a laboring
man. Once I had occasion to employ this woman for a
short time, and she had not been in my kitchen but a few
days when I found out why she was so poor. She would
peel away probably 30 per cent of a potato in preparing
it for the table, she would forget and leave the food in
the oven to burn, and do many other things that would
bring poverty into any household. Her lack of thrift
had made her poor and was keeping her in the same
condition. She was an exaggerated type and would
probably come under the head of "shiftless," and the
cause of her poverty was easily seen, but with the house-
wife who is not actually in want, but who always seems
a little "hard run," the "reasons why" are not so plain.
She may work hard and have little, and this is often
attributed to poor business management, when really it
is only a lack of thrift. She probably would not peel
14 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
away 30 per cent of a potato, yet she would waste
enough in small amounts to make the difference between
plenty and scarcity. For example, she is making gravy.
She goes to the flour bin and dips up a little flour, thick-
ens her gravy and has a little flour left over. This she
throws away and dusts her hands off on her apron, with-
out even thinking that she is extravagant. The thrifty
housewife would have put the left over flour back in the
bin, and the housewife who combines both system and
thrift would have had a dredge convenient even if she
had been obliged to make it herself by punching holes
in the top of a baking powder can, and so would have
used only as much flour as was necessary. Thus many
housewives seem to get along and to have plenty,
although they may have very little money to spend.
This is because they are thrifty in every little detail.
The negroes of th,e South, as a class, are lacking in
thrift, and at one time or another nearly all of them are
depending upon charity for subsistence. However, one
sometimes stands out from among his brothers as a
thrifty individual. These are usually of the old slavery
time school. I have in mind an old negro on my farm
in Virginia who never wasted a penny. He made no
more than his brothers, yet, while they were begging
for bread during the winter, he had plenty to eat, good
clothes and a little money in the bank. He was thrifty
and they were not; he took care of what he made, and
they, in times of plenty, wasted more than their white
employers.
As a nation the Chinese stand out as an example of
thrift. Owing to the dense population and the hard
i ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 15
struggle for existence, thriftiness has become a national
characteristic. At the present time an individual in
China who is not thrifty will soon starve. Economy is
born in them, and even upon coming to this country they
never lose it. We Americans are the most extravagant
people on earth, and while it may not be necessary, or
even advisable, to imitate the Chinese in their manner of
living, we can at least draw a lesson from them. They
are economical from necessity, and it behooves us to be
economical from choice, rather than to be forced to be
so from necessity. We are at the height of our national
existence, living is easy and now is the time to economize.
Cook no more than is necessary. The cook books are
full of suggestions as to what to do with "left overs"
when there should be no left overs. "Left overs" sug-
gest waste. The housewife who cooks six extra pota-
toes for dinner with the expectation of frying them for
breakfast the next morning is planning ahead, but the
housewife who aimlessly cooks more than she needs of
anything and has a little left over, will probably throw
it into the garbage pail.
You could leave off your ' ' pet economy ' ' and no one
would ever notice it. It makes little difference in the
expense of the household whether you use three pounds
of butter or three pounds and a half a week, and your
economy in one detail only makes you ridiculous. Look
ahead and exercise watchful care over all your expendi-
tures.
In the present national food crisis it is the duty of
every housewife to economize in whatever way she can,
but after all it is the housewife on the farm who holds
16 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
the key to the situation. The average housewife in th(
city, whose husband is working on a moderate salary
has probably economized all she can. The necessary
expenses of a family in the city nowadays usually tak<
practically all of the average man's salary and there is
nothing left for extravagance, and has not been for g
good many years. The city housewife can probably
economize by cutting down the amount of food for th<
family, if this can be called economy, but this certainty
will not amount to very much. However, the housewift
on the farm can economize by saving that which ordi-
narily goes to waste, which in the aggregate will amounl
to enough to feed a considerable part of this nation.
It is said that the successful business man is the mar
who never wastes anything, and this saying applies
equally well to the housewife, for housekeeping is a
business. There is no need for anyone to want for the
necessities in this life, as there is plenty here for us all.
Be thrifty and avail yourself of it.
SYSTEM
Closely allied with thrift is system. While a house-
wife may be very systematic and yet be lacking in thrift,
it is almost impossible to conceive of one possessing thrift
and lacking in system. System alone is sometimes a poor
quality to possess, and is oftentimes a bore, but when
combined with thrift it is one of the most essential prin-
ciples of good housekeeping.
By system is not meant the monotonous grinding out
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 17
of the regular duties of the household. The housewife
who, with set determination, invariably does her washing
upon Monday, her ironing upon Tuesday, and her other
duties upon regulation days is not necessarily sys-
tematic. System does not mean sameness, as many
household economists would teach. By system is meant
a scientific adjustment of resources, time and energy.
Routine is not system. A housewife may do her wash-
ing upon Thursday of one week, and if necessary upon
Friday of the next week, and yet be systematic. The
"reasons why" and not worn out traditions should be
the governing principles of housekeeping.
System is often a measure of efficiency and it fits into
housekeeping just as it does into business. A business
that is not run upon a systematic basis is almost sure to
fail. There are experts whose whole duty it is to sys-
tematize business. They command good salaries and it is
quite customary for big concerns to make use of their
services in order to get the most efficient work out of
their employees. They aim to fit the different parts of
an organization together, to systematize it and thus
secure coordination in much the same way as a jeweler
would fit together the running gear of a watch. In this
way they eliminate useless work and wasted energy. A
business may be dependent upon any number of outside
influences, but to be successful it must be complete
within itself and systematic. The business of house-
keeping is a complete business and the different parts
need adjustment and systematizing in much the same
way as any other business. System, like thrift, should
enter into the smallest details of housekeeping, there-
18 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
fore to the housewife it becomes an individual problem.
The fundamental principles are, however, exactly the
same, whether it is big business or plain housekeeping.
The business man plans to get the maximum efficiency
with the minimum amount of expense and the housewife
should plan likewise. It has been my experience that
system is the crying need of the American housewife.
In a properly adjusted piece of machinery there is
no "lost motion, " and the same might be said of a well
regulated kitchen. Drudgery is but another name for
"lost motion," and the only way to eliminate drudgery
is to first eliminate "lost motion." The average house-
wife is not using her time or energy to the best advan-
tage. The ability to plan ahead, to do two things at one
time, to make one trip across the kitchen accomplish
what two had done before this will bring the so-called
"swing" into the kitchen work and will eliminate
drudgery or "lost motion."
Being an individual problem, it is almost impossible
to lay down hard and fast rules for systematizing the
kitchen. The balancing of accounts at the end of the
week, or the hanging up of a slate in the kitchen for
outlining the daily tasks, as is often advocated, may help
some, but such schemes as these do not alone constitute
system.
After all, system consists largely of three elements :
First In knowing what you are trying to accom-
plish.
Second In thinking about what you are doing as
you go along.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 19
Third In knowing in advance what you are going to
need.
These elements may seem a little abstract to some
housewives, but they have an every day application. All
three may be illustrated in the baking of bread. In
the baking of bread the housewife should know some of
the elementary principles upon which she is working,
she should keep in mind that she is growing a yeast
plant in her dough, that this plant is using up the sugar
and starch of the flour, and is forming carbonic acid gas,
that this gas is mixing with the dough and making it
light, and that when enough gas has been generated to
get the dough in the proper condition she must stop the
growth of the yeast by heating the dough or baking the
bread. She must not wait until the dough is ready to
mold into loaves before preparing and greasing her pans,
neither must she wait until the pans are ready to put
into the oven before she builds a fire in the grate. She
must know in advance what she is going to need and
must have things ready. The housewife may do all
these things properly in the case of the baking of bread,
and yet fall down upon one of the same essential prin-
ciples in some of the smaller details of housekeeping. It
is an easy matter to give a long list of "don'ts," but
housewives are somewhat like children, they seldom
profit by ' ' don 'ts. ' ' Housewives and children need posi-
tive and not negative instructions.
My years of work in a chemical laboratory have
taught me a few principles that all housewives should
know. A chemist must have developed in him an appre-
ciation of system, he must know how to do two things
20 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
at a time before he can hope to succeed. He must appre-
ciate neatness, and must keep things clean as he goes
along. He must know what he is doing and must under-
stand the "reasons why" or else he will never do good
work. A chemist who tries to work by rule of thumb
will never get anywhere. Now, a kitchen is nothing but
a chemical laboratory; you may not have the delicate
balances, or the reagents to work with, but it is a chem-
ical laboratory just the same, for all kinds of cooking,
bread making, canning or preserving are but chemical
processes. I do not mean to convey the idea that a
woman must have a knowledge of chemistry before she
can hope to be a good cook, but I do want to impress the
fundamental idea of thinking what you are doing and
of working intelligently.
I would build a kitchen upon the same plan as a
chemical laboratory and run it upon the same principles.
A good chemist will never let soiled dishes accumulate
on his work table or in his sink; when he is through
with a vessel he washes it out and hangs it up to dry.
If the housewife would imitate him in this respect alone
it would be a great help. Wash up the cooking utensils
as you go along and hang them up out of the way. Have
a place for everything and keep everything in its place.
A chemist will never allow unnecessary things to accu-
mulate in his laboratory, and the housewife should imi-
tate him in this particular. Put everything out of the
kitchen that does not belong there. Unless the house-
wife is continually on the alert, unnecessary things seem
to have a tendency to accumulate in the kitchen and
under her feet. One often sees kitchens where almost
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 21
one-half of the contents belong in the attic or in the
barn. Everything, from old clothes to plow points, or
pieces of harness, have been left there in the way of the
cook. This is poor economy and only adds to the steps
of the housewife. Clean out the kitchen and keep it
clean.
Ordinarily a chemist adds enough of a reagent, an
acid or an alkali, to get a reaction and never thinks of
how much the recipe calls for. The methods or recipes
are necessary, as they furnish a principle or working
basis, but the little details are always left to the indi-
vidual worker, and it is these little details that count for
so much. In the same way a good cook adds her salt
or her spices until she knows in reason that the dish is
sure to taste good. It is said that the best cooks never
use cook books they think what they are doing. I have
in mind a woman who was probably the best cook I ever
knew. I don't believe she ever possessed a cook book,
and she never followed a recipe. It was impossible to
find out from her exactly how she did anything. ' ' Oh, ' '
she would say, ( i I add a little of this and a little of that
until I think it is properly seasoned." She seemed to
have an intuition which told her what to do, but in real-
ity she knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish and
she was thinking about what she was doing. The few
recipes that will be given hereafter do not necessarily
represent the perfect way of doing things, and it is
earnestly hoped that the housewife will use them as a
working basis only, and use her ingenuity in improving
upon them. I do not always follow my own recipes, but
take "short cuts" whenever possible.
22 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
Study your housekeeping as you would any other sub-
ject. I do not mean that it is necessary for you to study
how to kindle a fire or such details as are often put
down in works on domestic science, as these are the A,
B, C's that you should already know, but think more
of the principles involved and work upon that basis. It
is not a difficult matter to see the principle when once
you look for it. There is a principle in everything you
do, and it is these simple fundamentals that every house-
wife knows, but the knowledge of which she fails to
use, that make such a difference in housekeeping. The
very simplest piece of cookery, such as the boiling of
an egg, has a principle involved. In this case it is
largely a matter of heat penetration. "When putting an
egg into boiling water, make a mental note of its size, and
this will give you an idea of the length of time required
for the heat to penetrate to the interior. After a little
practice, you will become adept and can tell almost
exactly when to take it out in order to have it soft or
hard boiled. Three minutes is not an invariable rule for
cooking a soft boiled egg.
If a man should conduct his business as his father
or grandfather did, the chances are that he would fail.
He must keep up to date. What a successful business
man wants is an idea, and he will work out all the details.
The housewife should do likewise. A woman who will
ask you how much salt you mean when you say, "Salt
to taste, " will never get anywhere in cookery unless
she gets herself out of this habit.
Ordinarily I advise housewives to follow directions
implicitly, for few of them are inclined to think what
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 23
they are doing. They are apt to be careless and will
omit small but important details. Get yourself out of
this habit, study the "reasons why" and it will save
you many failures and many steps. Think more about
what you are doing and less about what the recipe calls
for. This is a part of good management as working
by rote is poor system. Herein lies my greatest objec-
tion to cook books; they have a tendency to cause a
woman to lose her individuality in cooking. The recipes
are all right if properly used, but for general cooking
they should be used as a working basis and the indi-
viduality of the cook allowed to assert itself. The com-
mercial baker in his bakeshop must follow a recipe, for
his great aim is uniformity in his product. He must
control every condition possible in order to keep his
bread the same day after day, but uniformity is not what
we want in a kitchen. Did you ever notice that the
cooking of a goo^. cook tastes different every day ? Try
uniform cooking upon your children for a few days and
see if they do not get tired of it. What we want in the
kitchen is variety or the so-called "spice."
You will not have to sacrifice anything for system,
for system brings order and comfort. Ask yourself if
your management of your kitchen is really economical
and systematic, and try out any schemes that suggest
themselves that might improve it. System is something
that may be acquired. If you are a poor manager and
hard run, it is probably due to the fact that somebody
is not systematic. Banish poverty from your home
you can do it with system and old fashioned thrift.
24 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
THE KITCHEN
Usually the least desirable room in the house is set
aside for the kitchen. The architect of the home may
spend much time in planning the parlor or living room
of a house, overlooking entirely the fact that the greater
part of the daily life of the housewife is spent in the
kitchen. A convenient, well regulated kitchen will do
much to insure the comfort of the family and therefore
should receive first consideration in planning the home.
The kitchen is the woman's workshop, and it has been
truthfully said, "A smiling kitchen makes a happy
cook."
The large, rambling kitchen of our grandmothers,
with its big closets, storerooms and pantries, with its high
ceilings and heavy oak beams stained with smoke, and
with an occasional spiderweb, with its strings of onions
and herbs hung from its walls, with its long rows of
brass, copper and pewter saucepans and pots that
required tremendous effort to keep clean; with its wide
fireplace full of sooty hooks and cranes that hung from
some mysterious place above, is a thing of the past.
There was another kitchen of the olden times, com-
mon throughout the South, a little one-room cabin built
of logs, situated under the shade of some big tree, at
least fifty yards from the ' * big house, ' ' and usually pre-
sided over by a colored cook almost as large as the cabin
itself. She was queen of her domain and was held in
awe both by the mistress and by the younger genera-
tion. It was around this kitchen door that the little
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 25
slave babies from the " quarters" down by the spring
played and were "looked after" by "Black Mammy,"
while their own mothers wove homespun in the attic of
the ' ' big house. ' ' Here, too, was the gathering place of
the grown-up negroes from the plantation on moonlight
evenings. This kitchen has long ago tumbled down, and
exists only in romance. It was practical in its day and
had many good features to justify its existence.
With our grandmothers housekeeping was a business.
They usually had plenty of help, and time then was not
considered as valuable as it is today.
At the present time most housewives are forced to do
all or a part of their own work, hence the development
of the modern kitchen. The kitchen of today should be
convenient, well lighted, well ventilated, easy to keep
clean, comfortable and attractive. It often has to serve
both as dining room and sitting room, therefore it should
be cheerful. A well appointed kitchen should be the
most attractive room in the house, and not merely the
place where the cooking is done and where the dishes are
washed.
The writers on domestic economy in recent years,
almost without exception, advocate a small, compact
kitchen. Theoretically this is all right, as it saves a
housewife steps, and step-saving is the keynote of the
modern kitchen. It must be remembered, however, that
steps may be saved without sacrificing room, light or ven-
tilation. By arranging a large kitchen so that the con-
veniences in most common use are placed as near together
as possible, the housewife can economize steps and still
have the freedom of the rest of the room. There is a
26 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
feeling of luxury and a suggestion of comfort in a big,
roomy kitchen, that is cool in summer and warm in
winter. It is almost impossible to ventilate a small
kitchen well enough in summer to keep it cool. I prefer
to cling to the old style of the big room with the high
ceiling that reminds one of the old-time kitchen on the
farm. My kitchen is 16 by 20 feet, with a 9-foot ceiling,
and it is not any too large. There are times in the
summer, during the rush of work of the canning season,
when nearly all of this space is needed.
A few years ago I bought an old plantation in Vir-
ginia. The dwelling house and outbuildings were char-
acteristic of an old, run-down farm, and it took a person
of somewhat optimistic frame of mind to see the possi-
bilities of making the farmhouse habitable. However, as
I had spent part of my early life in somewhat the same
kind of a house, I knew it was possible to live in it. It
is sometimes cheaper to pull down an old house and put
up a new one in its stead, but to me there was something
fascinating about remodeling that old house, and I did it.
It was during this work that I got my first experience
in arranging a kitchen upon scientific lines, and when
it was all over I was a little bit proud of my efforts. I
found it was possible to have as neat and as convenient
a kitchen in the country as in the city.
All who try to remodel an old kitchen will find that
difficulties will arise, due to previous construction, that
will make it practically impossible to follow out the
original working plan and make a perfect job of it. I
found this so and therefore the reader will have to par-
don me if I theorize in some respects in order to make
the working plan coincide with what really happened.
ECONOMY JN THE KITCHEN 27
Fig. 1 represents the working plan of my remodeled
kitchen. Previous to the rearrangement it was a fair
representative of the ordinary farm kitchen, in which
little thought had been given to convenience. The stove
was in the center, and the other pieces of furniture scat-
tered about the room, which involved miles of steps
during the preparation of a meal. Fortunately the
kitchen here had the right exposure, facing the north,
thus allowing the windows on the east and west sides to
furnish an excellent cross draft.
The floor which, preferably, should have been of hard-
wood, was covered with linoleum, which is without doubt
the best floor covering for the kitchen, the only objection
being that it seems cold to stand on. This was obviated
by placing a few washable rag rugs where there was
much standing to be done.
For the walls a wainscoting, painted a light brown,
three feet high was put in. The space above the
wainscoting, as well as the ceiling, was painted a light
buff with enamel paint. This may be readily washed
or cleaned with a wall broom. The color of the kitchen
wall should be determined by the amount of light in the
room. Very dark kitchens require light walls and ceil-
ings, while very light kitchens may be painted in darker
colors.
The windows were thirty-four inches above the floor.
They were extended to the ceiling and arranged to pull
down from the top. When heated, air always expands
and therefore rises and, ordinarily, accumulates against
the ceiling. If the windows do not extend all the way
up a pocket is formed against the ceiling, which often
28 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
gets over ten degrees hotter than the lower part of the
room. By extending the windows upward and pulling
down the sashes, a cross draft will sweep the heated air
out and keep the kitchen cool. The odors of cooking
also escape in this way. Roller shades and screens of a
good quality were placed at the windows. The outside
window, near the sink and drain board, was designed to
give light for the dishwashing. Above the sink is
another window, opening into the pantry, and closed
with a glass slide, at the base of which is a shelf wide
enough to hold the dishes that come in from the dining
room to be washed and returned to the pantry shelves.
The doors between the dining room and kitchen were
made to swing both ways and each had a small glass
panel placed in the center. They may be easily opened
by any one with both hands full, while the glass panels
prevent collisions, by enabling persons to see one
another when going in the opposite direction.
The range was then moved over to the side next to
the dining room, and a sink and kitchen cabinet placed
in the positions shown in the diagram. Many of the
conveniences which will hereafter be mentioned were
then installed, but the fundamental idea of the re-
arrangement was the placing of those conveniences that
are in most common use, the range, sink and cabinet,
close to the dining room door and as close together as
possible.
"Whether or not a house is supplied with running
water, a sink is one of the necessities of the kitchen.
The galvanized iron sink, with one hundred feet of drain
pipe in the house costs only $6. A porcelain lined or
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 29
enameled sink, while a little more expensive, is much
more desirable. The plumbing below the sink and drain
Fig. 2
board was left open to avoid furnishing a hiding place
for bugs and a place for dirt to collect. It has been
30 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
my experience that water bugs and roaches will not
come into a house unless they have a place to hide. A
3-inch terra cotta drain pipe led to a small cesspool
about one hundred feet away. On the right of the
sink were installed a drain board and drain rack, see
Fig. 2. This simple little fixture probably saves more
work than any other one of the smaller items of the
kitchen. I made it myself in a very short time, with
very little expense. It was devised as a substitute for
the familiar dish cloth. The upright board or rack is
fitted with a convenient number of pegs upon which
cups, glasses, bowls, etc., are hung to drain. The lower
board is fitted with grooves to carry off the water, which
drains from the dishes. On either side is a narrow strip
and across the bottom are nailed other strips, one inch
wide and one inch apart. The plates, saucers and other
flat dishes may be taken from the hot rinse water and
placed between the cross strips of the board in an almost
upright position. The hot dishes will drain readily and
dry in a few minutes. This will eliminate the tiresome
process of "drying the dishes." This is another item
that I learned in the chemical laboratory ; you will never
see a chemist using a cloth to dry his dishes. A shallow
wire basket, designed to hold knives, forks and spoons,
was purchased for 10 cents and nailed to the wall above
the drain board and out of the way of the other dishes.
What the plow is to the farmer, the cook stove is
to the housewife. In furnishing a kitchen, therefore,
the first consideration should be given to the stove or
range. There are so many good stoves upon the market
that it is usually an easy matter to find one that is well
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 31
adapted to the needs of any particular kitchen. The
value of the stove depends largely upon the efficiency
of its use and the economy of fuel. Some of the large
ranges are so well constructed and insulated that they
require less fuel than the smaller stoves and at the
same time give out less heat into the room. Other con-
siderations being equal, a large range should be selected
in preference to a small one. There is a feeling of com-
fort in always having plenty of room in the oven and on
top of the stove. My range is 32 by 36 inches. A hood
made of sheet iron was placed over it to carry off the
odors and smoke of cooking and the heat of the range.
This necessitated an extra flue in the chimney. Care
should be taken to avoid reducing the size of the pipe
of a range. A range fitted to carry a 7-inch pipe with
an ordinary draft may be reduced to a 6-inch flue, but
it is never safe to reduce one of 7-inch dimensions to
five inches or less. Many of the troubles the housewife
has with her range can be traced to this cause.
The hot water tank, which is usually a collector of
dust both on the top and underneath, and is always hard
to keep clean, was inclosed in a little cupboard, a small
door only being left at the side.
The roomy provision closet has a large window on one
side and all the rest of the wall space was fitted with
strong shelves, from three feet above the floor up to the
ceiling. In this closet can be kept a supply of potatoes,
a barrel of flour, and a barrel of apples, and a supply of
canned fruit and vegetables.
The cold box outside of the provision closet window
can be used in place of the refrigerator for a great part
32 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
of the year. Cooked vegetables keep better in a well
ventilated box than in a refrigerator. This box is really
only a frame of wood covered with ordinary wire screen.
This is an improvement on the old fashioned safe that
used to sit up on high legs under a tree out in the back
yard. The box rests on a shelf and is fastened to the
window sill with two stout hooks. It can be taken down
occasionally and scalded out. The lid is made of zinc,
fits tightly and is fastened down with a hook. Food
placed in this box is, of course, always covered.
The work table is 40 by 72 inches and is covered
with zinc, which is easily cleaned, and hot cooking uten-
sils may be set upon it without any danger of burning.
It is fitted with casters, so that it may easily be rolled
back and forth the length of the room. The convenience
of casters on the kitchen table will be a surprise to most
housewives. A set can be bought for 25 cents and put
on in a few minutes. During the summer the table can
be pushed over near the windows and the dinner pre-
pared away from the heat of the stove and in a better
light. During the canning season the fruits and vege-
tables may also be prepared with the table near the
windows and, when everything is ready for cooking, it
may be pushed over near the stove. The height of this
table is thirty-four inches, as this was determined to be
the most convenient height for the person who was to
use it.
All kitchen shelves should be inclosed, thus keeping
everything out of sight and out of the dust. The built-
in cupboard in my kitchen is 24 by 96 inches and has
upper and lower compartments, each equipped with a
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 33
separate pair of doors which open outward. If sliding
doors could be guaranteed in a kitchen they would be
found to be a great convenience, but the heat and steam
of cooking is almost sure to cause such doors to swell and
stick, therefore it is best to dispense with them in the
beginning. This cupboard has ample proportions. The
kitchen utensils are stored in the lower compartments
and the kitchen crockery and small items of kitchen
equipment are stored in the upper compartments.
The safe was placed in the corner of the room
farthest from the heat of the range. As this is made of
perforated tin and well ventilated, much of the cooked
food, crackers, the cooky box and the jam for the chil-
dren's lunches are kept in it.
The kitchen cabinet was placed between the two big
windows on the side of the room next to the sink. Here
the housewife can sit on a high stool and prepare the
greater part of each meal. The modern kitchen cabinet
is designed primarily to save the housewife time and
labor and to keep her off her feet as much as possible.
The ' ' handy man around the house ' ' can make one with
very little expense. In the cabinet are stored all the
materials for the baking of bread, cakes and pies. The
flour bin is there with its rotary sifter, and the sugar
bin, the spice jars and the rack of flavoring extracts,
the coffee, tea, baking powder and rice, as well as the
bread board and rolling pin. At one side are the linen
and cutlery drawers and the metal bread box, while
underneath is a closed space for the aluminum and
lighter cooking utensils.
The utility closet at one end of the butler's pantry
34
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
Fig. 3
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 35
was designed to hold brooms, aprons, dust pans and the
like. The refrigerator was placed at the other end of
the pantry, close by a window. If desired it can be
filled with ice through the window above it. Opposite
the refrigerator is a closet with glass doors for the dining
room china.
This remodeled kitchen (Fig. 3), while perhaps not
perfect in every detail, represents very closely my idea
of what a kitchen should be. I did nearly all of the
work myself at odd times, upon holidays and whenever
I could spare the time from my regular work. I advise
every housewife to consider her own needs and study
the possibilities of her own kitchen. Nearly every
kitchen can be improved without a large outlay of
money. The kitchen on the farm can be made just as
convenient and just as attractive as the kitchen in the
city.
A SMALL KITCHEN
To many housewives a kitchen 16 by 20 feet seems
entirely too large. For a bungalow or a house for a
family of two or three, a smaller kitchen might be more
convenient. The floor plan of a convenient small kitchen
is shown in Fig. 3. Here again the idea of keeping
the range, the cabinet and sink as near together as pos-
sible is carried out, the sink in this case being in the
pantry. The work shelf beside the sink is on hinges to
allow it to be let down out of the way when not in use.
The refrigerator at the end of the pantry has an outside
door. It is usually best, especially in a small kitchen,
to have all cupboards and shelves built into the walls.
36 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
EQUIPPING A KITCHEN
The best equipped kitchen is not necessarily the one
that contains the greatest number of the so-called labor
saving devices. Many of the small patented articles
advertised so extensively at the present day and advo-
cated by the * ' Household Guides ' ' for use in the kitchen
are impractical. They run up the expense and detract
from one of the fundamental ideas of the kitchen
simplicity. The best way for the housewife to peel a
potato, for example, is in the old-fashioned way, with a
knife, and not with a patented potato peeler. At the
recent Panama Pacific Exposition, a model bungalow
was built and equipped for two persons. In the kitchen
of this little bungalow was a dishwashing machine that
would have done credit to a moderate sized hotel. It is
not such labor saving machines as this, but the simple
little inexpensive conveniences that work themselves into
every day use. For example, a 5-cent stiff brush for
cleaning saucepans and kettles, a strainer fastened
securely in the sink to prevent crumbs from stopping up
the drain pipe, an asbestos pad for picking up the hot
cooking utensils, or a wooden spoon for use in cooking
vegetables many such things as simple as these, which
may be made at home or purchased for 5 or 10 cents,
become almost indispensable after the housewife has
become accustomed to their use. One-half of the arti-
cles outlined in the long list of the "Household Guides"
are either not necessary or are not practical.
Aluminum is without doubt the best material for
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 37
kitchen utensils. For most purposes it is as far superior
to enameled ware as enameled ware is to the old-time
iron or tin. It is light and attractive and easy to keep
clean, and most housewives who have a supply take pride
in their aluminum and experience genuine pleasure in
keeping it bright. It is true that the initial cost is a
little high, but considering the amount of wear that it
gives it is the most economical. I purchased my first
piece of aluminum, an 8-quart preserving kettle, ten
years ago. This has been in constant use ever since, and
it is as good now as it was the day it was bought. It
cost $1.25, and an enameled kettle of the same size would
cost about 75 cents and would wear out in about two
years with hard usage.
The housewife is not advised to discard all enam-
eled or tin kitchen utensils and replace them with
aluminum at once, but when a piece of enameled or tin
ware wears out, it is well to replace it with aluminum.
The expense then will not be felt and in a few years she
will have a full supply of aluminum. The old-fashioned
black iron frying pans and muffin rings, polished on the
inside or worn smooth by long usage, are, however,
superior to aluminum ones. A good pair of scales in
the kitchen will pay for themselves in a short time. An
open-faced clock, in addition to being a step saver, will
add cheeriness to the room. Keep a supply of red and
black pepper, salt and a flour dredge on a shelf near the
range, convenient for use while cooking.
Every housewife knows her individual needs better
than anyone else and does not need to be told of them,
but, as I have said before, she has not thought seriously
38 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
of her own convenience, she is not systematic, and insists
upon doing things in the longest and hardest way. Sys-
tematize and study your needs. You can afford the little,
conveniences that mean so much in the way of time and
steps. Even with the things already on hand a little
planning and rearrangement will work wonders.
CANNING VEGETABLES
Probably no one item in kitchen management means
so much to the housewife, not only with respect to econ-
omy, but to health and general good living, as the can-
ning of vegetables. A healthful diet must include
vegetables. The housewife knows this and to keep her
table supplied during the winter months is one of the
hardest problems that she has. What can I have for
dinner today ? is a question often heard. In the summer
time when there are plenty of vegetables out in the
garden, her troubles are few in this respect, but when
the winter comes on she wants a nutritious dinner for
her husband and her children. I know from experience
that her pantry, at this season of the year, is not over
supplied, and it is no wonder that she often asks herself
this question.
In order to insure an abundance of vegetables for
last summer's use from her garden she probably planted
twice as much as she really needed. The surplus that
was not given away went to waste. I have seen it demon-
strated a great many times that enough vegetables
annually go to waste from a garden to supply the table
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 39
during the winter. But usually the housewife cans a
few tomatoes, preserves some fruit and leaves her most
nutritious vegetables to decay in the field, under the
impression that it is impossible to keep them. This is
a great mistake. It is just as easy to keep sweet corn,
string beans or English peas as it is to keep tomatoes,
if only you go about it in the right way. Every house-
wife should run a miniature canning factory in her own
kitchen.
Here again I will say that I practice what I preach.
For a good many years my wife and I have canned for
each winter over a thousand quarts of fruits and vege-
tables mostly vegetables. Every vegetable that grows
in our latitude and is served cooked is canned at our
house. It is so easy and is becoming easier as time goes
on, and we develop more system. We do not lose one jar
out of a hundred, and every housewife can do equally
as well, if not better.
My garden is less than three-quarters of an acre, yet
it supplies us with vegetables during the summer season
and gives us an ample surplus for canning. It is won-
derful how much can be produced upon a little space of
ground if it is properly managed. Miss Salina Smith,
one of the girls in the club work of the Department of
Agriculture, canned over a thousand cans of tomatoes
from one-tenth of an acre. In the summer season there
is always something to can upon the farm and the best
kind of economy that I know of consists in taking care
of these products that would ordinarily go to waste.
Exercise a little foresight and store up things in the time
of plenty.
40 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
While there need not be any especial rush during the
canning season, all the vegetables must be canned as they
come along. You will have to put other things aside if
you are to can successfully, for when vegetables are ready
they should be canned. It is poor economv to delay until
they are old or half spoiled.
A man can help his wife so much in this way. Many
times have I come home from work in the afternoon and
gathered, prepared and canned as much as twenty quarts
of vegetables. Of course with some vegetables I could
not work so rapidly, but with such things as tomatoes
or beets, there is very little labor involved. These were
canned and sterilized while my wife was cooking supper.
They were seasoned and, of course, well cooked in the
process of canning, and were set away in the store-
room, ready to be opened and served upon ten minutes'
notice.
About ten years ago I stopped eating meat, not from
religious or sentimental reasons, but on account of my
digestion. My diet was largely restricted to vegetables,
and in the winter I found great difficulty in getting such
as were palatable and nicely canned. My sympathies
still go out to the people who have to live out of tin cans.
I could can tomatoes and fruits, but when I tried string
beans and okra I made a failure. A majority of house-
wives have had this same experience. One day in my
laboratory I noticed a scientist sterilizing some material
that he intended to use for cultures to grow bacteria in.
I noticed that he stopped up the little tubes containing
the material with cotton and heated them up to the tem-
perature of boiling water for thirty minutes on one day,
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 41
waited until the next day and heated them another
thirty minutes. I inquired why he gave the tubes two
heatings and he explained it to me.
I saw the possibility of applying this system to the
canning of vegetables, and since that time I have not had
to depend upon the canning factory for my winter sup-
ply. I wrote up my experience for the benefit of others,
and this was the beginning of the canning work in the
Department of Agriculture.
The art of canning or preserving, in one form or
another, is almost as old as history itself. The Chinese
possessed this secret long before the era of modern civil-
ization. They sterilized their fruits and vegetables and
made preserves and jellies, but the " reasons why" which
lay back of the art have only been recently explained.
STERILIZATION
The great secret of canning or preserving lies in what
is known as complete sterilization. The air we breathe,
the water we drink, all fruits and vegetables, are teeming
with minute forms of life which we call bacteria, or
molds, or germs. These germs are practically the sole
cause of decomposition or rotting. The exclusion of air
from canned articles, which was formerly supposed to
be so important, is unnecessary, provided the air is free
from germs. The exclusion of air is necessary only
because in excluding it we exclude the germs. In other
words, air which has been sterilized or freed from germs
by heat or mechanical means can be passed continuously
42 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
over canned articles without affecting them in the least.
If a glass bottle is filled with some vegetable which ordi-
narily spoils very rapidly for instance, string beans
and, instead of a cork, is stoppered with a thick plug
of raw cotton and heated until all germ life is destroyed,
the beans will keep indefinitely. The air can readily
pass in and out of the bottle through the plug of cotton,
while the germs from the outside air can not pass
through, but are caught and held in its meshes. This
shows that the germs and their spores or seeds are the
only causes of spoilage that we have to deal with in
canning.
Germs which cause decay may be divided into three
classes yeasts, molds and bacteria. All three of these
are themselves plants of a very low order, and all attack
plants of a higher order in somewhat the same way.
Every housewife is familiar with the yeast plant and its
habits. It thrives in substances containing sugar, which
it decomposes or breaks up into carbonic acid and alco-
hol. This fact is made use of in bread making, as well
as in the manufacture of distilled spirits. Yeasts are
easily killed, so they can be left out of consideration in
canning vegetables. Molds, like yeasts, thrive in mix-
tures containing sugar, as well as in acid vegetables,
such as the tomato, where neither yeasts nor bacteria
readily grow. Although more resistant to heat than
yeasts, they are usually killed at the temperature of boil-
ing water. As a general rule molds are likely to attack
fruits, jellies and preserves, and are not concerned with
the spoiling of canned vegetables. The spoiling of vege-
tables is due primarily to bacteria.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 43
Bacteria are also much more resistant to heat than
yeasts. They thrive in products like milk and in meats
and vegetables rich in protein, such as peas, beans, etc.
All known species of molds require air in which to work.
This is not true of bacteria, certain species of which will
live and cause vegetables to decompose even when no
air is present. When these particular species are pres-
ent the exclusion of air is no safeguard against decay,
unless the vegetable is first thoroughly sterilized. Bac-
teria are so small that they can only be seen with a
microscope, and they reproduce themselves with amazing
rapidity. One bacterium, under favorable conditions,
will produce about twenty millions in the course of
twenty- four hours. Accordingly certain vegetables spoil
more rapidly than others, because they furnish a better
medium for bacterial growth.
The reproduction of bacteria is brought about by one
of two processes. The germ either divides itself into
two parts, making two bacteria where one existed before,
or else reproduces itself by means of spores. These
spores may be compared to seeds of an ordinary plant,
and they present the chief difficulty in canning vege-
tables. "While the parent bacteria may be readily killed
at the temperature of boiling water, the seeds retain their
vitality for a long time even at that temperature, and
upon cooling will germinate, and the newly formed bac-
teria will begin their destructive work. Therefore it is
necessary, in order to completely sterilize a vegetable, to
heat it to the boiling point of water and keep it at that
temperature for about an hour, upon two successive days,
or else keep it at the temperature of boiling water for a
44 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
long period of time sometimes as much as five hours.
The process of boiling upon successive days is always
employed in scientific work and is the one I always use,
except with such vegetables as beets, which are very
easily sterilized. The boiling on the first day kills all
the molds and practically all the bacteria, but does not
kill the spores or seeds.
As soon as the jar cools these seeds germinate and
a fresh crop of bacteria begin to work upon the vege-
tables. The boiling upon the second day kills this crop
of bacteria before they have had time to develop spores.
Among scientists this is called fractional sterilization,
and this principle constitutes the whole secret of can-
ning. If the housewife will only bear this in mind she
will be able, with a little ingenuity, to can any fruit or
vegetable.
Even after sterilization is complete the work is not
yet done. The spores of bacteria are so light that they
float about in the air and settle upon almost everything.
The air is alive with them. Therefore it is necessary,
after sterilizing a jar of vegetables, to exclude carefully
all outside air. If one bacterium or one of its spores
should get in and find a resting place, in the course of a
few days the contents of the jar would spoil. This is
why the exclusion of air is an important factor, not
because the air itself does any damage, but because of the
ever present bacteria.
I advise every housewife to read this chapter over
and study it until she thoroughly understands what it
means. When she does understand, it will throw much
light upon many experiences that she has had before.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 45
She will know why it is that she has been able to keep
tomatoes and has failed with lima beans or sweet corn.
Tomatoes contain only a few molds, while sweet corn has
some of the most resistant bacteria.
PRESERVING POWDERS
I am often asked about the so-called preserving pow-
ders. There are a great many such powders on the
market and they usually do what is claimed for them,
that is, they prevent the decay of the fruit or vegetable.
Recipes for such powders are sold by agents and peddlers
throughout the country. In the directions for use the
housewife is told to fill the jar with the fruit or vegetable
to be canned, to cover with water and to add a teaspoon-
ful of the powder. They usually consist of benzoate of
soda, boric acid, salicylic acid, or some preservative of
that nature. While I am not afraid to use them myself,
I certainly would not feed to my children vegetables
that had been preserved in them. They encourage care-
less and uncleanly work, and it is a "lazy man's" way
of doing things and it does not pay. The proper way to
can vegetables is by heat, and this can be done so easily
that I never recommend preserving powders.
Before the National Pure Food and Drugs Act went
into effect in 1906, it was a common practice for com-
mercial canners to use some kind of preservative, espe-
cially for ketchups, pickles, relishes, etc. Now, however,
if they use anything they must so print it upon the label
and the housewife is thus protected. It can be said that
few first class canners are now using preservatives. I
46
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
advise every housewife in buying canned articles to
always read the labels and to refuse any article that
contains benzoate of soda or any other form of preserva-
tive.
A GOOD JAR
The first requisite for home canning is a good jar.
At the present time glass is much more economical than
Fig. 4 Ordinary screw-top jar.
Fig. 5 Improved serew-top jar.
tin, as No. 3 tin cans are now retailing at 90 cents a
dozen. As it is advisable to use these only once, this
price makes their use in the home entirely out of reason.
The housewife who has to buy canned vegetables in the
near future is likely to feel this increase in the price of
tin. Vegetables put up in tin are less attractive than
when put up in glass. This is quite an item to every
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
47
housewife who takes pride in the appearance of her
"canned stuff."
There are a great many kinds of glass jars on the
market, many of them possessing certain distinct points
of advantage. The ordinary screw top, or Mason jar,
is the one in most common use (Fig. 4). Although
cheap in price, these jars are the most expensive in the
long run. The tops last only a few years and, being
cheaply made, the breakage is usually greater than in
Fig. 6 Jar with metal lacquered top.
that of the better grade of jar. The tops also furnish
an excellent hiding place for germs, which makes steril-
ization more difficult. I never advise canning any vege-
table except tomatoes in Mason jars. If you already
have a supply it is best to use them for tomatoes and
fruits, and to buy a more improved kind for vegetables.
An improved type of screw top jar is shown in Fig 5.
48 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
These are fitted with a glass top held in place by a metal
cover which screws down over the neck of the jar If
the canning or sterilization is done properly, practically
all of the air will be driven out of the jar by the steam.
Upon cooling this is condensed, a vacuum is formed on
the inside which clamps down the glass top against the
rubber ring and seals the jar automatically. The metal
cover can then be removed, as the pressure of the outside
air will hold the glass top securely in place.
Another type of jar in common use is shown in Fig. 6.
These require no rubber rings, but are fitted with a
metal top, lacquered on both sides and having a groove
around the lower edge. This groove contains a composi-
tion of the consistency of rubber which is softened dur-
ing the canning process and forms a seal that takes the
place of the rubber ring. These metal tops must be
renewed each year, as it is necessary to puncture them
in order to open the jar. I have used them but do not
like them.
The most satisfactory jar that I have had any experi-
ence with is the one shown in Fig. 8. This has a rubber
ring and glass top which is held in place by a simple
wire spring. There are several brands of these jars on
the market, so no difficulty should be experienced in
obtaining them.
The best quality retails at from 85 cents to $1 a
dozen for quarts, or about $8 a gross. The initial
expense may, therefore, be somewhat high, but with
proper care they will last a great many years. The
annual breakage should be less than 3 per cent on the
average.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 49
The breakage during the canning process is usually
greater the first year than thereafter, as jars that have
small cracks or are poorly tempered, break when they
first get hot. Those that go through the first season will
last almost indefinitely if properly taken care of.
The rubber ring is another important item. The most
expensive kind are not necessarily the best. I prefer
black rings to white ones. We get little enough genuine
rubber in any of them, and the white rings have usually
been more thoroughly bleached out or have had more
cheap material worked into them. A good ring will not
come to pieces or lose its elasticity during the canning
process. It should never be used but once.
In selecting a jar, always give preference to those
having wide mouths. In canning whole fruit or vege-
tables and in cleaning out the jar the wide mouth will be
found decidedly preferable. When buying examine
every jar, take off the top and run your finger around
the under edge; if it has the smallest crack or broken
place, reject it. In canning you might as well leave off
the top entirely as to have an opening in it even as small
as a pin point.
CONTAINER FOR STERILIZING
In all methods of canning, some form of sterilizer
must be used. To be able to do with the things she
already has on hand is an important item to the house-
wife. Almost every one has a tin clothes boiler, and
this can easily be converted into a convenient sterilizing
50 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
vat. The only things necessary are a tight-fitting cover
and a false bottom, as is shown in Fig. 7. A false bottom
is absolutely necessary in order to prevent the jars from
coming in contact with the bottom of the sterilizing vat,
causing them to break during the boiling. For this pur-
pose I use an ordinary No. 16 wire netting of one-half
Fig. 7 A tin wash boiler with a false bottom made of wire netting, used
as a convenient sterilizer in canning.
inch mesh, which is cut to fit the bottom of the boiler.
If the netting can not be had, thin pieces of wood tacked
together, or almost anything of this kind, will answer the
purpose. If a clothes boiler is not available, a deep
saucepan or a bucket with a tight fitting cover will
answer equally as well. I have found that rubbing the
inside of the boiler with a cloth and a little cooking oil
will prevent rusting in a great measure.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 51
HOME CANNING OUTFITS
During the last few years, since the Department of
Agriculture has taken up such extensive work on home
canning, a great many kinds of small outfits, suitable
for use on the farm, have been developed. These can be
bought at prices ranging from $6 to $20. If tin cans
are to be used, or if much canning is to be done for
market, one of these small outfits is essential, but I have
never felt the need of them in canning for home use.
The old clothes boiler that has gotten a little rusty, with
a chicken wire false bottom, is good enough for me.
However, if any housewife is interested in buying one
of these outfits, she can obtain the names and addresses
of the principal manufacturers by addressing the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
SELECTION AND PREPARATION OF
VEGETABLES
To be successful in canning one must use care and
thought in every detail. Vegetables are better if gath-
ered early in the morning while the dew is still on them.
If it is impossible to can them immediately, do not allow
them to wither, but put them in cold water or in a cold,
damp place where they will keep crisp until you are
ready to use them. Never attempt to can any vegetable
that has matured and commenced to harden, or one that
has begun to decay. As a general rule, young vege-
52 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
tables are superior in flavor and texture to the more
mature ones. This is especially marked in such vege-
tables as string beans, okra, asparagus and corn. Experi-
ence will soon teach you at what stage your vegetables
should be gathered for canning.
In the following pages are given directions for can-
ning some of the more common vegetables, but the house-
wife can add to them at will. The principles of
sterilization are the same for all meats, fruits and vege-
tables. These directions apply to quart jars.
ENGLISH PEAS
When prepared and canned in the proper way, peas
are easily kept and never lose the delicate flavor they
possess when fresh. Shell the peas, wash and pack them
in the jars and add salt to taste, a light teaspoonful to
each quart is sufficient. Fill up the jars with cold water,
put the rubber rings on the necks of the jars, and place
the glass tops on loosely, as is shown in Fig. 8. Be care-
ful not to press down the springs at the side of the jars.
Place the wire false bottom in the boiler and put in as
many jars as it will conveniently hold. Pour in about
three inches of cold water, or just enough to form steam
and to prevent the boiler going dry during the boiling.
It is not necessary to have the water up to the neck of
the jars, as the steam will do the cooking. Put the cover
on the boiler and set it on the stove. Bring the water to
a boil and keep it boiling for one hour and a half. At
the end of that time remove the cover from the boiler and
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
53
allow the steam to escape. Press down the springs at
the side of the jars, which clamp on the tops, as shown
in Fig. 9. This will prevent any outside air from get-
ting in. The jars can now be removed from the boiler
and allowed to stand until the next day. In removing
the jars from the boiler be careful not to expose them
to a draft of cold air, as the sudden change in tempera-
Fig. 8
ture is likely to crack them. It is best to stand them on
a cloth and cover them over with one until they are cool.
On the second day raise the springs at the side of the
jars, place them in the boiler, and boil again for one
hour, clamp on the tops and remove from the boiler.
If properly done, the peas will now keep indefinitely,
and I defy anyone to tell the difference between those
canned in this way and the fresh article. After the
sterilization is complete the jars may be set aside for a
54
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
few days and then tested. This is done by releasing
the spring from over the top and picking up the jar by
the top, as shown in Fig. 10. If there has been any
decomposition, or if the sterilization has not been prop-
Fig. 9 Position of spring after
sterilizing.
Fig. 10 Manner of testing.
erly done, the top will come off. During the boiling
process, the outside of the jar is filled with steam; when
the top is clamped on and the jar cooled, this steam is
condensed and leaves a vacuum inside the jar. Now
the weight of the air, or atmospheric pressure, is about
fifteen pounds for every square inch, so, as there are
about four square inches of surface upon the top of the
jar, there is an inward pressure of nearly sixty pounds.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 55
If you have not used a leaky rubber, or a defective jar,
and the top comes off when you test it, it means that
sterilization has not been complete that probably a few
bacteria were left in and these have multiplied and
formed enough gas to release the pressure from the out-
side. If the top does not come off, you can be reason-
ably sure that the peas are going to keep, and they can
be set away. Three pounds of average sized peas will
shell out enough to fill a quart jar.
As a general rule I use the system of fractional steril-
ization, or boiling upon two successive days, and I always
advocate it. However, some housewives prefer to do all
of their sterilization at one time. In this case put the
jars into the boiler, as has been described, and boil for
two hours and three-quarters. Take off the top of the
boiler, and press down the springs which clamp on the
tops of the jars. Don't let any outside air into the jars
and the sterilization will now be complete.
In counting the time of boiling, begin when the water
begins to boil. If some of the water boils out of the jars
during the process it will make no difference. Never
open a jar in order to fill it up with water. The space
inside the jar is almost a vacuum and it is saturated
with moisture, and therefore the vegetables can not dry
out. If you are using the screw top jars, begin with
the tops screwed on lightly, and boil for two hours and
three-quarters, screw down the tops and remove from the
boiler. If you ever have any trouble with any vegetable
a safe rule is to increase the time of boiling.
Sterilization depends to a great extent upon how
rapidly the heat penetrates the jar, and the housewife
56 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
should always bear this in mind when canning the dif-
ferent vegetables. If a quart jar is filled with cold water
and set in a vat of boiling water, its temperature will
run up very rapidly, and in about twenty minutes the
water inside the jar will be about as hot as the water
in the vat. However, if the jar is filled with a thick
substance like starch paste, for example, it will take over
two hours for the center of the jar to reach the tempera-
ture of boiling water. In canning peas, beans and vege-
tables of this kind, there is always plenty of water
around the vegetable, and this can move inward freely
and carry the heat with it. But with such vegetables as
corn, which is apt to form a rather thick, pasty mass,
there are no currents of water to carry the heat inward,
therefore the heat will penetrate the jar very slowly.
As it is absolutely necessary with most vegetables to
have the center of the jar reach the temperature of boil-
ing water and be held at that temperature for some time,
the rapidity of heat penetration must be always kept in
mind. If your vegetables are thick and pasty when
packed in the jar, increase the time of boiling.
STRING BEANS
Select young and tender beans, string them and
break into short lengths. Put them into a saucepan of
water, bring to a boil and boil for a few minutes. This
will il blanche" them, that is, it will remove the strong
tasting, gumming material from the surface. Pour off
the water and pack the beans into the jars, cover with
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 57
fresh water, add a teaspoonful of salt to each quart jar.
Put on the rubber rings and tops and boil for one hour
upon two successive days, as has been described under
English peas. A small pod of red pepper placed in the
bottom of the jar will add much to the flavor of the
beans. String beans do not take as long to sterilize as
corn. When wishing to complete the sterilization upon
one day, put the jars into the water as has been described
for English peas, and boil for two hours, remove the
cover of the boiler, clamp down the springs that hold
on the tops and remove from the boiler.
CORN
Contrary to the general opinion, corn is easily canned.
It only requires a longer period of sterilization than
most other vegetables. The varieties of sweet sugar corn
that are usually the best to can, Stowell's Evergreen
and Country Gentleman, contain about 27 per cent of
sugar, on the basis of their dry weight. It has been
recently shown that the sugar decreases very rapidly
after the ear has been pulled from the stalk. The loss
of sugar is more marked when the corn is pulled and
husked than it is if the shuck is allowed to stay on the
ear. Therefore, in order to retain the original sweet-
ness, it is best to can the corn very soon after it has been
pulled within an hour if possible. The same fact is
true of the volatile compounds which give the corn its
flavor. This loss in sugar and flavor explains why the
corn that is eaten in hotels and restaurants usually seems
58 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
of such a poor quality. Such corn often has been pulled
from the stalk as much as a day or more.
Select the ears with full grains before they have
begun to harden, as this is the period of the greatest
sugar content. Husk them and brush off the silk with
a stiff brush. Shear off the grains with a sharp knife
and fill the jars, but do not pack them. Add salt to
taste, usually about a teaspoonful to the quart is suffi-
cient, and fill up the jars to the top with cold water.
Corn will swell and absorb a great deal of water during
the sterilization, so it is well to have enough in the
beginning. However, if all the water disappears during
the boiling, it will make no difference in the keeping of
the corn. Put on the rubber rings and tops and steam,
as has been described under English peas, for two and
one-half hours on two successive days. When wishing
to sterilize in one day, boil for at least five hours, then
clamp on the tops and remove from the boiler.
When I am out on the farm I usually can the ordi-
nary field corn. This can always be obtained in such
abundance, and if canned when young and tender, with
about a teaspoonful of sugar added to each pint, no one
can tell the difference between it and the sweet corn.
Corn is often subject to the attacks of anarobic bac-
teria, and some years these will be worse than others.
These bacteria do not require air in which to work and
do not generate any gas, but form a sour smelling mass.
Their spores are sometimes very hard to kill, and in
my early experience with canning corn I had some diffi-
culty with them, until I found out what the trouble was.
At that time I was only heating the jars for one hour at
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 59
each period, and as has been explained, the heat was
penetrating the jars very slowly, so I had not given
sufficient time for the interior of the jars to become
thoroughly sterilized. I increased the time to two and
one-half hours on two successive days and had no further
difficulty. If ever you have any difficulty with corn,
increase the time of boiling.
If you ever want a "show" can of corn, first put the
ears in boiling water for about ten minutes or until the
grains harden, now shear them off, pack the corn in the
jar with water and sterilize. The grains treated in this
way will remain plump and the jar will not have the
characteristic milky appearance of corn canned in the
usual way,
LIMA BEANS
While lima beans are very easily kept, they should
be very carefully handled, as they are one of the most
delicately flavored vegetables we have, and one that loses
its flavor very rapidly after being picked and shelled.
Lima beans will usually shell out about one-quarter of
their bulk. Discard all pods that have begun to harden
and proceed exactly as you would with English peas.
BEETS
While beets will keep in the cellar over winter, it is
much better to can them while they are young and
tender, as the mature beets are apt to be stringy and
lacking in flavor. Wash the young beets, cut off the
60 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
tops and boil them until tender. Take off the skins,
slice and pack in the jars. Cover with water and steril-
ize for one hour upon one day only. If a mild pickle is
desired, make a mixture of equal parts of water and
good vinegar, sweeten and salt to taste, and cover the
beets with this mixture instead of water.
ASPARAGUS
Cut the asparagus the length of the jar and pack as
many in the jar as it will hold. Cover with water, add
a teaspoonful of salt to each jar, and sterilize as you
would English peas upon two successive days. If you
are anxious to make the jar hold as much as possible,
open it up after it has been boiling about a half hour.
By this time the asparagus has been partly cooked and
is soft, and you can put several more pieces in the jar.
Ten pounds of asparagus will fill about six quarts.
OKRA
The traveler through the South is usually impressed
with the amount of okra grown. The negroes always
have their sweet potatoes, their collards and a few rows
of "okry." The young pods are used for soups and
stews. The people of the North usually have to culti-
vate a taste for it, but in the South it is considered a
delicious vegetable.
Wash the young pods, cut into short lengths, pack
into the jars, cover with cold water and sterilize as you
would English peas.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 61
EGGPLANT
Pare the eggplant, cut in thin slices, and drop in
boiling water for fifteen or twenty minutes. Drain off
the water and pack the slices in the jars. Cover with
water and sterilize as directed under English peas. The
slices of egg plant are pliable and may be taken from the
jar without being broken, and either fried in bread
crumbs or made into pudding and baked.
KOHL-RABI
This vegetable is very much like a turnip except that
the bulb grows above the ground. In flavor, however, it
resembles the cauliflower. It is almost unknown in the
South, where it should be extensively grown. Gather it
when young and tender, cut into small blocks, pack into
the jars, cover with water, add a teaspoonful of salt and
sterilize as you would English peas. Serve as you would
cauliflower.
BELL PEPPERS
Gather the peppers, either green or ripe, cut around
the stem end and remove the seeds, put in boiling water
or steam for a few minutes, or until they are soft and
pliable. Pack carefully into jars, but do not add any
water, and sterilize for two hours on one day only. If
you have not broken them in handling, these can be
62 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
taken out in the winter and stuffed with corn, rice and
tomatoes, macaroni and cheese, etc. Bake these to a
light brown and serve with tomato sauce.
Pimentoes may also be canned in this way for salad.
COW PEAS
The ordinary black-eyed pea, or cow pea, that is
planted so extensively as a forage crop, is also an excel-
lent vegetable. The peas are best if gathered just before
they are ripe and while they are still soft. Shell the
peas, pack into the jars, add a teaspoonful of salt to each
quart and sterilize as you would English peas. Use as
you would lima beans or mix with tomatoes, and bake.
CAULIFLOWER
This vegetable usually keeps very well, but if the
supply for the winter begins to spoil, it may be neces-
sary to can it during the summer. Prepare it as you
would for the table, pack into jars and sterilize as you
would English peas.
CARROTS AND PARSNIPS
While these vegetables will keep all winter, they are
apt to get a little stringy and develop a strong taste that
is objectionable to most people. This can be overcome
by canning them while young and tender. Prepare them
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 63
as you would for the table, pack into jars, cover with
water, and sterilize for one and a half hours for one day
only. Few housewives know how much cooked tender
young carrots add to a salad.
SUCCOTASH
Mix green corn and tender lima beans in about equal
proportions, cover with water, add a teaspoonful of salt
to each quart and sterilize in the same way as you would
corn.
PUMPKIN AND WINTER SQUASH
There is no need of any hurry in canning pumpkin.
If gathered at the approach of frost and brought indoors,
nearly all the varieties will keep a few months at least.
I usually wait until some time in December, or until the
pumpkins show signs of decay, to do my canning. By
this time many jars that had been full of other vege-
tables have been emptied. These are now refilled with
pumpkin and the jars thus made to do double duty.
Some varieties have very hard skins and are difficult to
peel in the ordinary way. First place the whole pump-
kins in the wash boiler and boil until the skins are soft,
take them out and the skins will peel off easily. Cut
them open, remove the seeds, cut them up in small pieces,
put into a large preserving kettle and cook with a little
water until soft. Put through a sieve or potato masher
to remove the stringy portions, sweeten and season, as
64 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
you would if preparing for pies, pack into the jars while
still hot and sterilize as you would corn.
When making pies, first prepare the crust, put in the
tins and bake a light brown. Empty a jar of pumpkin
into a mixing bowl, beat it up with the yolks of eggs and
milk and butter, turn it into the crust and bake until set.
Now add the meringue and again bake a light brown.
Another attractive way of using the canned pumpkin
is to prepare it as for pies and turn into a shallow but-
tered baking dish, without crust. Bake until set and add
the meringue as usual. Serve with cream and grape
jelly.
TOMATOES
Tomatoes are very easily canned, and almost every
housewife has canned them with more or less success.
This is because the acid of the tomato prevents the
growth of the troublesome bacteria. The spoilage is due
largely to molds which are easily killed.
Tomatoes may probably be used in a greater number
of ways than any other vegetable, and there are as many
ways of canning them as there are of using them. The
wash boiler is not altogether necessary, although I nearly
always use it.
The simplest way of canning tomatoes is to dip them
in boiling water for about a minute, remove the skins,
cut them up, and put them into an open preserving ket-
tle, and add salt at the rate of a teaspoonful for each
quart. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent
scorching, and boil for about thirty minutes, or until the
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 65
tomatoes are thoroughly done. If you are using the
screw top jars, first put on the rubber rings and immerse
the jars for a minute in boiling water, fill them with hot
tomatoes; have the tops in boiling water, remove them
as needed, being careful not to touch the inside of the
tops with the fingers, and screw the tops on tightly.
Invert the jars and let them stand in that position until
cold. Some housewives have a habit of tightening up the
tops after they have gotten cold. This is a bad practice,
and is apt to do more harm than good, for if there has
been a leak and the germs have already gotten in the jar,
it is certainly too late to remedy matters, and tampering
with the top will have more of a tendency to loosen up
the seal and let in more air than otherwise. By invert-
ing the jars the hot tomatoes are brought in contact with
the tops and this destroys any germs that may have been
left there. Never put anything, such as a spoon or a
fork, inside the jars during the canning, unless you first
dip it in boiling water.
In using the wash boiler, prepare the tomatoes, take
off the skins, and pack them as nearly whole as possible
into the jars, add a teaspoonful of salt to each quart.
Put on the rubber, and screw on the tops loosely, set in
the boiler and boil for one hour. Screw down the tops
and remove from the boiler.
If whole tomatoes are desired for baking and bread-
ing, proceed as follows: Remove the skins and cut up
some tomatoes, put in a preserving kettle, and boil for
twenty minutes. Remove them from the stove, and run
through a strainer, and return the strained liquid to the
fire. Now select ripe tomatoes that are small enough to
66 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
go into the mouth of a jar, dip them in boiling water,
remove the skins, and drop them whole into the jars
until full. Add a teaspoonful of salt to each quart, and
pour in the strained liquid, boiling hot, over the tomatoes
until the jars are full. Put on the rubber rings and tops
and place the jars in the wash boiler. Have the water
in the boiler already hot to prevent the jars from break-
ing. Bring to a boil and boil for twenty minutes. Clamp
on the tops tightly and remove from the boiler. The
strained juice may be used for soup. One bushel of
good tomatoes will can about eighteen quarts.
SOUPS
It has been my custom for a good many years to can
from one to two hundred quarts of vegetables and mix-
tures of vegetables for soups. Tomatoes, of course, form
the basis of most of these mixtures. In the winter these
soups are a palatable and nutritious addition to our bill
of fare. The vegetables are prepared, mixed in the
desired proportions, seasoned with salt and pepper and
canned in the regular way. Although corn occurs in
many of these mixtures, the acid of the tomatoes assists
in sterilizing it, therefore it does not require so long to
sterilize as does corn alone. One can be perfectly safe
in giving these mixtures the same time in boiling as
English peas, that is, one hour and thirty minutes each
upon two successive days, or two and three-quarters
hours upon one day. The mixtures that I usually can
are: Tomatoes and corn; tomatoes and okra; tomatoes
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 67
and cow peas mixed half and half, or tomatoes, corn and
okra, mixed in equal proportions. Sweet peppers may
be added to either of these if desired. A mixture of all
vegetables that usually occur in vegetable soup, toma-
toes, corn, carrots, onions, beans, okra, etc., may also be
canned together and used as a soup stock. As these
vegetables are seasoned and cooked, in order to make
good soup, it is only necessary to add water and a little
butter and heat to boiling. "When turned into a sauce-
pan and heated with a little butter, these mixtures make
excellent stews. Tomatoes may also be cooked alone in
an open kettle until a great part of the water has been
boiled off, then put through a sieve to remove the seeds,
and canned for soup. Green black-eyed peas, canned in
this way, are also excellent.
POSSIBILITIES OF HOME CANNING
The possibilities of home canning are almost unlim-
ited. "Everything that is served cooked" hardly
expresses it. There is no excuse for hard living; if it is
possible for anyone to live well, it should be the person
upon the farm.
Plant with the expectation of canning, and can every-
thing that otherwise would go to waste. This will remove
much of the hard living and keep many a boy upon the
farm. The canning of Irish potatoes is even practical.
In the South they bear abundantly, but do not keep well.
Prepare them as you would for the table, can the small
ones whole, and cut the larger ones in quarters, and can
68 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
them. One sterilization of two hours is sufficient to keep
them. I take up my spring onions while still tender, peel
off the outer skins, boil a few minutes to soften them
slightly, so that a great many more will go into the jar,
then pack the jars full, cover with water and sterilize for
one hour on one day. In the winter they can be taken
out, heated and served with a cream dressing, scalloped
or dipped in bread crumbs and fried whole.
Turnips may be canned when they are plentiful, also
spinach and mustard greens. These are easily sterilized,
requiring about two hours on one day.
When salsify has reached maturity it is well to take
it all up at one time, prepare it, cut into short lengths
and sterilize it as you would carrots. The work of pre-
paring is all done at once and the vegetables can be had
for use the year round.
Any one who has to buy their vegetables will find it
convenient to can them even for summer use. There are
always times when the market is overloaded and certain
vegetables are cheap. Buy then in large quantities, and
get the benefit of both quality and price ; can your sum-
mer supply at one time, and your vegetables will be
cooked and ready to serve when needed.
Take care of your jars, and add as many as you can
to your supply each year, and you will soon have all you
need. Rightly considered, there is no extra work in
canning. The vegetables have to be prepared and
cooked anyway, and in canning you are doing your cook-
ing in the summer instead of the winter, and in jars
instead of in pots. By canning in large bulk you are
actually saving fuel, for it takes almost as much heat
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 69
to cook one quart of beans as it does to cook a dozen.
You can prepare the vegetables for twelve dinners at
once in much, less time than you can prepare them for
twelve dinners separately.
A housewife with plenty of ''canned stuff" will never
be taken unawares by company. She will have an * ' emer-
gency shelf" that is not easily exhausted. She will have
soup, salad, vegetables and dessert already cooked, and
can make a ' ' company ' ' dinner inside of twenty minutes.
CANNING FOR MARKET
There is a great opportunity for the housewife on
the farm to can fancy vegetables and fruits for market.
I could dispose of all I could can and more at good prices.
During the last few years, as a result of the pure food
agitation, people are demanding a better quality of
canned goods, and are willing to pay for them. People
of means, the best hotels and restaurants, or the social
clubs of the cities, are always on the lookout for fancy
canned goods. If you can prepare any vegetable, fruit,
preserve, ketchup or sauce, better than the average, you
will have no difficulty in selling it. Many housewives
who live in the city, and leave home during the summer,
would gladly give an order in advance for a supply of
home canned vegetables to last during the winter. It
has been my experience that such people want nicely
canned corn, lima beans and peas especially.
After you have had a little experience in home can-
ning you will find out wherein you excel, then I advise
70 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
you to specialize along that particular line, and work up
a reputation and market for that product. Some house-
wives excel in making ketchup, while others have better
success with pickles. Take up something a little out of
the ordinary, chili sauce or watermelon rind preserves,
for example, and make that a specialty. You will not
have to compete with the ordinary canned goods, for
your products will be better than these. You never saw
" fancy " goods upon the bargain counter in all your life.
I have a friend, Miss Elizabeth Emory, of Washing-
ton, D. C., who has been canning a mixture of okra and
tomatoes for market for several years. She cans this in
glass for soups and stews. She began in a small way,
but now her sales average between five and six thousand
jars a year. A lady in Richmond, Va., has made a
national reputation with her ' ' Pin Money Pickles. ' ' She,
too, began in a small way, but now her products are so
well known and so popular that they can be found almost
everywhere in the eastern part of the United States. I
could name many other instances where women have spe-
cialized and made a success of canning for market.
Whether it deserves it or not, there is still a charm about
the word, "homemade," that gives it a preference over
factory canned goods. I find the greatest objection to
home canned articles is that they are not usually put up
in an attractive way. When one sees the home canned
goods that are often put upon the market it is no wonder
that they do not sell. Attractiveness is one of the funda-
mental principles of trade. I remember that Miss Emory
once came to me and was worried because the wires
across the tops of her jars became a little tarnished dur-
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 71
ing the sterilization. It is no wonder that she is succeed-
ing when she is so careful of little details. Her
customers know that she will exercise just as much care
in what she puts into the jar. Have your canned goods
put up just as attractively as possible.
There is quite a talent in knowing how to approach
people. Dress neatly and go to see as many as possible,
carrying samples of your products with you. You must
know that you have a better product than the ordinary
and do not lack confidence in yourself to find a market
for it. The housewife upon the farm has the advantage
inasmuch as her vegetables do not cost her anything, so
her sales will largely be a profit. As a source of income
for her, there are few opportunities that offer so much
as canning vegetables for market.
COLOR AND FLAVOR
Vegetables, when properly canned, should retain
their attractive color and lose very little of their flavor.
I find it almost impossible to detect any difference, either
in taste or in appearance, between the canned and fresh
article, when these directions are carefully followed. In
the canning process of the commercial canning factories
it is customary to put many of the vegetables under
pressure and to raise the temperature considerably above
boiling point of water. Corn is heated up to 240 degrees
Fahrenheit. During the last few years a great deal of
investigational work has been done upon the compounds
known as vitamines. These vitamines seem to be definite
72 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
chemical compounds that exist, sometimes in exceedingly
small amounts, in many fruits and vegetables, as well as
other foodstuffs. It has been definitely shown that these
compounds have a great deal to do with keeping the
body in health. The high heat employed in commercial
canning has a decided tendency to destroy these
vitamines. Therefore, when vegetables are properly
canned at home, they are not only more palatable but
more nutritious.
STORING CANNED VEGETABLES
Any room or dry cellar will be found suitable for
storing canned vegetables. They should always be kept
out of direct sunlight. The principal objection to a
damp cellar would be the rusting of the wire springs on
the tops of the jars. As the interior of the jar is almost
a vacuum, even if the jars freeze during the winter, there
is little danger of their breaking. Have plenty of shelf
room and some to spare. The spare shelves will be
found convenient for storing the jars as fast as they are
emptied.
HOW TO OPEN A JAR
Jars of vegetables are sometimes hard to open unless
it is done in just the right way. If using a spring top,
run a thin knife under the rubber next to the jar, and
press against it firmly. This will usually let in enough
air to release the pressure on the top. In case it does
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 73
not, place the jar in a deep saucepan of cold water, bring
to a boil and keep boiling for a few minutes. The jar
will then open easily.
With the screw top jars run the knife blade under
the rubber and loosen it from the jar, or stand the jar
upside down in a saucepan of hot water for a few min-
utes. It can usually then be easily unscrewed. It is
sometimes necessary to pull out a piece of the rubber in
order to let in some air.
CAUTIONS
If the housewife has never had any experience in
canning, I would advise her to go slow during the early
part of the season, and can only a few things at a time
and see if they keep. Allow plenty of time during the
boiling for the interior of the jar to become thoroughly
hot, and above all use common sense.
I recently had a letter from a discouraged housewife,
saying that she had just canned a great many vegetables
according to my directions and had lost every jar. For-
tunately at the end of her complaint she told me that she
had made an improvement upon my directions she had
left off the tops of her jars until they had gotten cold
and then she had sealed them up. This prevented the
tops from breaking, she said. Now, this woman was
doing exactly what I had told her not to do, and her
letter is a fair sample of a great many that I have
received. She was trying to follow directions without
thinking of the ' ' reasons why. ' ' She sterilized her vege-
74 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
tables thoroughly and then allowed a fresh crop of bac-
teria to get in and begin work. She will probably use
preserving powders next time and say that she knows
from experience that it is impossible to keep vegetables
without them. Don't repeat her experience.
I have never lost a jar of string beans, lima beans,
okra, egg plant, carrots, parsnips, beets or asparagus. I
had a few jars of peas and corn to spoil during early
trials and it was from these failures that I got valuable
experience. Any housewife can do equally as well. Fol-
low directions until you get your experience and you
will have no difficulty whatever. It is not a difficult
matter to can vegetables properly and no housewife who
once knows the comfort and convenience of a winter
supply will ever regret the trouble or difficulties experi-
enced in learning.
CANNING FRUITS
While not so essential as vegetables, fruit and fruit
juices have a definite place in the diet. Owing to the
fact that most of the common fruits contain so much
water, their real food value is rather low. However,
they have a value that is all their own. They aid diges-
tion and serve in many ways to keep the body in good
condition. They add acid and flavor, and furnish an
agreeable variety so necessary to a good meal.
Since the advent of the modern cold storage plants
the housewife in the city can go to market and buy fresh
fruit every day in the year, but it is not so with the
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 75
housewife on the farm, even if she could afford it. In
the winter her family is probably more in need of fruit
than that of her sister in the city, for their diet is more
apt to be restricted. Nature is so generous in her supply
of wild fruits and there is usually such an abundance of
the cultivated varieties upon the farm that quantities
of them go to waste annually, yet the average family has
very little in the way of fruit during the winter. They
are so easily canned that there is certainly no need for
this condition of affairs. Every housewife has canned
some fruits successfully, yet few realize the economy of
storing up and canning in time of plenty for the season
when everything of this kind is scarce.
It is not the object of this chapter to teach the house-
wife the art of canning fruit, for she already knows how,
but rather to encourage her to do more of it. No long
list of recipes will be given, but a few which either have
some fundamental principle involved or represent the
most economical way of disposing of or saving that which
would otherwise go to waste. The canning of fruits will
be considered, not as a preparation of luxuries, but more
as a standard article of diet. As there is still a demand
in most households for some preserves, a few recipes will
be given.
The principle involved in canning fruit is exactly
the same as in canning vegetables, the principle of com-
plete sterilization. Whether the fruit is sterilized by
means of heat, as in ordinary canning, or by alcohol, as
in brandied peaches, or by sugar, as in preserves, the end
accomplished is the same in every case the destruction
of yeasts, molds or bacteria.
76 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
Most fruits are better flavored when canned with
sugar, but, contrary to a widespread opinion, sugar is not
necessary in the canning fruits will keep just as well
without it as with it. However, for several reasons it is
advisable to can all fruits without sugar and to sweeten
them when used. In this way one can use the fruit in
any way they may wish during the winter; it may be
opened and used as stewed fruit, or made into jams, pre-
serves or sweet pickles. Sugar, too, is usually higher in
price during the canning season than at any other time
of the year.
The old-time preserves that used to grace every pan-
try shelf are almost a thing of the past, and the sweet
canned fruits have taken their place. The two reasons
for the disappearance of the preserves are that they take
up too much time and too much sugar. Canning is one
process and preserving is another, and while in both
eases sterilization is necessary, in canning we rely en-
tirely upon heat, while in preserving largely upon sugar
to do the sterilization. If you have plenty of fruit it is
best to can nearly all of it, and to preserve only a little,
for preserves can hardly be considered a standard article
of diet.
The housewife does not need an elaborate assortment
of utensils in canning fruit. She can do well enough
with the things she already has on hand. Plenty of jars,
a preserving kettle, and the old wash boiler are all that
is necessary. It has been my experience that many
housewives often let their fruit go to waste because they
think they can not afford to buy the jars to put it in.
This is poor economy, as a fruit jar is more or less a per-
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 77
manent asset, and should be considered as an investment
and the initial expense charged up to future years.
Every housewife with a family should have at least one
thousand jars for home use. They can be easily filled
up with the things that ordinarily go to waste, and will
pay good interest upon the investment.
APPLES
Probably no cultivated fruit is allowed to go to waste
in amounts equal to the apple. Throughout the South
the summer varieties bear in .great abundance, but will
keep only a few weeks after ripening. These summer
apples are the most suitable for cooking and, when
canned, will largely take the place of the winter or
keeping varieties. There is an almost endless number of
ways in which apples may be canned or used after they
have been canned, but only a few suggestions will be
given which may be enlarged upon by any ingenious
housewife.
SLICED APPLES WITHOUT SUGAR
As summer apples are apt to cook to pieces easily,
select those that are a little under ripe, peel, remove
core, cut into small sections or slices and drop into a
pan of cold water, to which a little salt has been added
about one-half teacupful to the gallon. The salt will
prevent them from darkening and will keep them white
and fresh looking ia the jar. Pack the slices into the
78 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
jars without rinsing off the salt. Put the rubber rings
in place, put on the tops loosely, place the jars in the
clothes boiler upon the false bottom, and bring to a boil,
and boil for twenty-five minutes. Clamp on the tops
and remove from the boiler. These may be used with
cream and sugar or for sliced apple pie, apple dumplings,
brown Betty, and in a variety of other ways. The sour
or acid varieties may be sliced with the skins on them
and canned in this way for frying.
STEWED APPLES WITHOUT SUGAR
Peel, remove core, cut into small sections and drop
into a pan of slightly salted water. In a few minutes
transfer to a large saucepan or open kettle, add a little
water and cook to the consistency of apple sauce. When
thoroughly done, remove from the stove, and put through
a potato masher or strainer, fill up the jars with the hot
apples, having first put on the rubber rings. Put on the
tops loosely. Have the water in the clothes boiler already
hot to prevent the jars from breaking. Put the jars into
the boiler and sterilize for thirty minutes. Clamp on
the tops and remove from boiler. In being prepared in
this way apples should be heated up very slowly when
put into the wash boiler, as they are apt to stew out of
the jars during the boiling. They can be sweetened and
used for apple sauce, apple float, apple pie or any way
desired.
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 79
PEACHES
There are more peaches canned commercially than
any other fruit, and while freestone varieties are used
almost exclusively in commercial packing, some of the
clings are equally as good for home use. There is no
finer peach for canning or preserving than the White
Heath. The fruit should not be allowed to get too ripe,
but should be picked when just beginning to turn soft.
With the freestone varieties, peel, cut into halves and
remove the seed. Pack the halves into the jars, cover
with water, place in the boiler and sterilize for forty-five
minutes. With the cling varieties, prepare by first rub-
bing the fruit off with a damp cloth, then run a paring
knife around it and wring one-half from the seed. This
is an accomplishment that requires a little practice to
become proficient in. Cut out the seed from the other
half, peel, pack into jars, cover with water and sterilize
as before directed. Canned peaches are often much
improved by putting one or two kernels in each jar.
CHERRIES
Either seed the fruit or not, according to preference.
Pick over the fruit, wash, pack into the jars, cover with
water and sterilize for thirty minutes.
APRICOTS
Allow the fruit to get thoroughly ripe, as its dis-
tinctive flavor is developed largely during the latter part
80 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
of the ripening period. It is usually unnecessary to
peel off the skins. Open, remove the seed and proceed
exactly as you would for freestone peaches.
BERRIES
Blackberries, blueberries, dewberries, gooseberries,
huckleberries and strawberries are all canned in much
the same way. Pick over the fruit, hull or stem it, wash
in a colander, pack into jars, cover with water and
sterilize for twenty-five minutes.
PEARS AND QUINCES
It is always advisable to can pears and quinces with
sugar, although they will keep equally well without it.
Peel and remove the core, cut into quarters and drop
into a pan of cold water, to which a little salt has been
added. In a few minutes remove from the salt water,
pack into the jars, cover with water and sterilize for
forty-five minutes.
CANNING FRUITS WITH SUGAR
Open Kettle Method
All fruits may be cooked with sugar in a preserving
kettle and when done transferred to jars and sealed.
This is not advisable with any except possibly some of
the smaller fruits, as cooking in this way is apt to make
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 81
the fruit come to pieces. It is often convenient, however,
and it is a perfectly safe method to follow.
Soft fruits and berries require little or no water.
The amount of sugar to be used for the different fruits
depends largely upon the individual taste. Below is
given a table, which probably represents the amounts
that would suit the average housewife. This is what
might be termed a light sweetening, and more may be
easily added if desired.
AMOUNT OF SUGAR TO BE USED FOR EACH QUART OF FRUIT
Apples i/4 pound Grapes l /z pound
Apricots y 2 Huckleberries . . . % "
Blackberries . . . . % Peaches 14 "
Blueberries y$ " Pears 14 * '
Cherries 14 " Plums 1/2
Crabapples y 2 Quinces % "
Currants % " Raspberries . . . . % ' '
Dewberries % Strawberries % "
Gooseberries . . . . % "
BERRIES
Wash and prepare the fruit, put into the preserving
kettle, add sugar according to the table, bring slowly to
a boil, and boil for fifteen minutes. First put the rubber
rings on the jars, and then immerse them for a moment
in hot water. Do this carefully to prevent breaking the
jars. Fill with the hot fruit. Dip the tops in boiling
water and put them on the jars. Clamp or screw down
the tops, and if using a screw top jar, stand upside down
out of a draft to cool.
82 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
SOFT FRUITS APRICOTS, CHERRIES,
GRAPES, PEACHES, PLUMS,
PEARS AND QUINCES
Peel or seed the fruit. Put into a preserving kettle
with a little water. Add sugar according to the table,
bring to a boil and cook until thoroughly done. This
requires about twenty minutes for pears and quinces.
Put in jars and seal as directed.
CANNING WITH SUGAR IN JARS
For such fruits as apricots, cherries, grapes, peaches
and plums and all berries, prepare the fruit, put in the
jars, add the amount of sugar shown in the table, cover
with water, put on the rubber rings and tops loosely.
Place in wash boiler upon false bottom and sterilize for
twenty-five minutes. Clamp on the tops and remove
from the boiler.
For such fruits as pears and quinces increase the
time of boiling to forty-five minutes.
GRAPE JUICE
Many of the grapes that go to waste upon the farm
every year should be used in making grape juice. This
can be prepared with very little trouble and may be
canned either with or without sugar. There are few
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 83
drinks that are as palatable or as nutritious as cold
grape juice.
The juice of the grape contains from 12 to 25 per
cent of sugar, depending upon the variety. As long as
the grapes are sound and attached to the vine the juicy
interior is sterile, but as soon as the skin is broken many
kinds of ferments, principally yeasts, which exist almost
everywhere in great abundance, drop into the juice and
begin to break up the sugar into alcohol and carbonic
acid gas. This decomposition of the sugar by yeast is
the process of wine making, and the process will go on
as long as any sugar remains in the juice. When all
the sugar is used up a different set of ferments begin
work and converts the alcohol into vinegar. So it is
necessary to stop the action of the ferments as soon as
possible after the juice is pressed from the grapes. This
may be done in two ways, by the use of some preservative
or by heat. A little sulphur is sometimes burned and the
fumes passed into the juice. This will stop the fermen-
tation, but it is a procedure that I never recommend.
It has been proved that all kinds of grape juice may
be sterilized at a temperature considerably below that of
boiling water, about 175 degrees Fahrenheit, and that
the flavor is some better if the sterilization is done at
this temperature instead of that of boiling water. But
the housewife seldom has a thermometer that will regis-
ter this high and must depend upon the temperature of
boiling water.
Use sound ripe grapes. Pick them from the stems,
put into a preserving kettle, crush a few of them and add
a little water to start the boiling. Bring slowly to a boil
84 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
and boil for thirty minutes. Crush the grapes and pour
the contents of the kettle into a clean cloth sack. Hang
up the sack and allow most of the juice to drain out, then
twist or press out the rest. Pour the strained juice into
fruit jars, put on the rubber rings and the tops loosely,
place in clothes boiler upon false bottom, bring to a boil
and boil for fifteen minutes, clamp or screw down the
tops and remove from the boiler.
This may not be the most scientific, but it is the most
practical way of handling grape juice. A sediment will
form in the jars after a while, so when opening the jars
for use pour off the juice carefully and leave the sediment
in the bottom of the jar.
If a wine or cider press is convenient the juice may
be pressed out of the grapes first, then heated slowly up
to near boiling point or until it begins to steam, and
allowed to stand in a glass, enameled or aluminum vessel
for about twenty-four hours. By this time a greater
part of the sediment will have settled to the bottom of
the vessel. The juice may now be poured off through a
piece of thick cloth, put into fruit jars and sterilized as
before directed.
APPLE JUICE OR CIDER
Put clean, sound apples through a cider mill and
press out the juice. Strain the juice through a thick
cloth sack. Put into fruit jars and sterilize for fifteen
minutes, as described under grape juice.
The common muscadine and fox grapes that grow
wild in such abundance throughout the South make
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 85
excellent unfermented juice. Blackberries, cherries,
plums and currant juice may also be canned in this way.
Unfermented fruit juice when opened may be used for
making jelly.
QUINCE PRESERVES
There is no preserve that is finer than the quince, if
it is prepared with care. You will find that your time
has been largely wasted if you try to make quince pre-
serves from inferior fruit. Unless perfect fruit can be
obtained it is best to use it only for jelly. The imperfect
fruit can be used for jelly, but even then it is trouble-
some to prepare and will hardly repay you. The fruit
should be ripe when used for preserving. With a soft,
damp cloth rub the quinces clean, peel, cut into quarters
and core, being careful to remove all the hard, gritty
portions around the seed. Drop into cold water, to
which has been added a little salt to prevent discolora-
tion. As you peel the fruit save all the perfect cores
and all good skins, rejecting the blossom end. Place
these in a preserving kettle and add enough water to
cover them, let them simmer until soft and strain off the
juice through a coarse cloth. Rinse the quinces in cold
water, weigh and place them in the preserving kettle with
this juice. Bring to a boil and boil slowly. Watch the
fruit and remove the pieces as they begin to soften.
Spread these on platters, each piece separate as much as
possible. When all fruit has been removed from the
juice add sugar, a pound of sugar for each pound of
fruit, to this juice. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently
86 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
until the sugar dissolves. Carefully return the quinces
to the syrup and let cook very slowly. Scald a jar and
put the rubber ring on the neck, and as the pieces of
quince turn the desired color dip them out and place in
the jar. When the jar is full, cover with syrup and
screw on the top that has been dipped into boiling water.
Repeat this until all the fruit has been put into jars.
All the fruit does not cook in the same length of time
and in this way you will not overcook any and all will
be done. Stand the jars upside down until cool.
CHERRY PRESERVES
The best cherry preserves are made from the sweet
red cherries, commonly known as sweethearts. When
the cherries are thoroughly ripe, gather, wash and remove
the seed. Place the cherries in a preserving kettle in
layers, sprinkling each layer with sugar, allowing a half
pound of sugar to a pound of cherries. Put over the fire
and bring slowly to a boil. When the syrup is rich in
color and about the thickness of honey, put in jars and
seal.
If the sour varieties of cherries are being preserved,
use three-quarters of a pound of sugar for each pound
of fruit.
PEACH PRESERVES
Cut the peaches in halves, remove the seed, peel them
and place in a preserving kettle in layers, sprinkling each
layer with sugar, allowing three-quarters of a pound of
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 87
sugar for each pound of peaches. Pour in just enough
water to start the steam, about a cupful is enough, and
place over the fire. After the sugar has dissolved and
the syrup formed, let the peaches cook slowly until they
begin to turn pink. Lift them carefully from the syrup
and spread upon a platter, each piece separately as much
as possible. Cook the syrup on until it is about as thick
as honey. Return the peaches to the syrup and when
they are as red as desired put them in jars and seal.
The flavor of the preserve is improved by leaving
two or three peach seeds in each jar.
If the peaches are to be preserved whole, peel and
proceed exactly as for those without seed except allow
one-half pound of sugar to each pound of fruit.
PRESERVED TOMATOES
If the housewife would always plant a few vines of
the small red or yellow, plum or pear varieties of toma-
toes, she would never be left without something to pre-
serve if the other fruit should fail. Even if there is
plenty of fruit, tomato preserves will make an excellent
addition.
Take the ripe tomatoes and immerse them, a few at a
time, in boiling water for a few minutes only. Remove
the skins carefully so as not to break the tomatoes.
Weigh them and put them into a preserving kettle with
as many pounds of granulated sugar as you have of
tomatoes.
Prepare green ginger root by carefully scraping off
88 ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN
the skin and shaving it into small bits. Add one level
teaspoonful of these ginger shavings for each two
pounds of tomatoes.
Let the contents of the kettle come to a boil and boil
for ten minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the syrup
and spread them upon a flat dish to cool. This will keep
them from coming to pieces. When cool return them to
the boiling syrup and boil gently until they are about the
consistency of honey. Put into jars while hot, adding a
slice of lemon to each jar before sealing.
TOMATO MINCEMEAT
Slice up a quantity of green tomatoes and sprinkle
well with salt. Put into a bag and hang up to drip all
night. The salt which is left on the tomatoes will not
need to be washed off. In the morning take equal
weights of sugar and tomatoes and cook until the toma-
toes are thoroughly done. To seven pounds of the mix-
ture of tomatoes and sugar add three pounds of seedless
raisins, with mace and cinnamon to suit the taste. Cook
a short time after adding the seasoning and put into
jars. This will keep without being sealed and will make
pies that many consider as good as those from ordinary
mincemeat.
PICKLES, KETCHUPS AND RELISHES
In nearly every garden, upon the approach of frost,
there are quantities of green tomatoes and green peppers
ECONOMY IN THE KITCHEN 89
still left upon the vines. The canning and preserving
for the winter is all over by this time and the housewife
can well utilize these in making pickles, ketchups and
relishes, not only for home use but for t
