Planning the Canning Campaign

A Radio Talk by Dr. Louise Stanley, Chief, Bureau of Home Economics

gardening

Save the surplus is as important in the farm home as in the farming industry. Just now, when garden and orchard are getting ready to furnish such a variety of foods, we need to plan ahead to save succulent vegetables and flavorful fruits for winter use. A plan for the canning campaign distributes the work, and provides the family with a better-balanced diet throughout the year.

Of course your plan for the canning season started last February, when you laid out the garden on paper. You arranged a series of plantings so that you will have a continuous supply of fresh vegetables, all through the growing season. That's the heart of the plan. Only fresh vegetables can be canned successfully -- An hour from the garden to the can is a good slogan. It is doubtful economy to can and preserve fruits and vegetables which must be bought at the market, since freshness is so important.

Following the slogan, an hour from the garden to the can, may mean putting up a few cans at a time. If you wait for an accumulation of vegetables, the quality is likely to deteriorate, unless your garden is very large. Besides, it's easy to wear yourself out by canning huge batches at one time, unless you have more help than most housewives can command.

Stanley, Louise

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Bureau of Home Economics

National Agricultural Library

1929