Lifestyles
Safety essential for canning
? Having safe, high quality can
ned foods depends on carefully
following reliable procedures.
Some "new" or "short-cut"
methods are not safe and can cause
food spoilage and even botulism
food poisoning, so check with your
County Extension Office before
using any of these methods.
Foods that are canned at home
are divided into two categories:
?Acid foods - tomatoes, pickled
or brined vegetables, and all fruits
except figs. Figs have acid, lemon
juice, added to them for safe can
ning.
?Low Acid Foods - vegetables,
meats, poultry and fish.
All low acid foods unless
acidified, must be processed in a
pressure canner at 10 pounds
pressure (240?) for safety. Only if
low acid foods are acidified like
pickles, pickled beets, sauerkraut
can they be safely processed in the
hot water bath.
Acid foods are processed in a
boiling water bath since their
natural acids prevent the
Clostridum Botulinum from pro
ducing toxin.
If foods are not safely pro
cessed, there is danger of botulism.
The following are low acid
vegetables and should be processed
in the pressure canner at 10 pounds
pressure: asparagus, beans (lima,
shelly, pinto, kidney), snap beans,
beets, carrots, corn, greens, okra,
peas, potatoes, pumpkin, squash,
sweet potatoes. There is a danger
of clostridum botulinum being
produced in these foods if they are
not processed in the pressure can
ner. It is possible for canned
vegetables to contain clostridum
botulinum toxin, which causes
botulism food poisoning, without
showing signs of spoilage.
If you have vegetables that you
have processed incorrectly, be sure
to boil them before tasting. Bring
vegetables to a rolling boil then
cover and boil at least 10 minut&.
Boil corn, spinach and greens for
On the
Front Burner]
Alice Pettitt
Home Economics
Agent
20 minutes. If the food looks
spoiled, foams or has an odor,
destroy it.
The steam pressure canner is a
heavy kettle with a lid that locks
down to become steam tight. The
cover has a safety value, a petcock
vent and a pressure gauge.
There are two basic types of
pressure canners: one has a
weighted gauge and the other has a
dial gauge.
A weighted gauge automatically
limits the pressure by a control
preset for 5, 10 or 15 pounds. The
dial control indicates the pressure
on the dial and is regulated by
changing the heat.
The dial gauge, old or new,
should be checked for accuracy
each year and during the season if
heavily used.
The weighted gauge does not
need to be checked but should be
thoroughly clean. For safe opera
tion of your canner be sure the pet
cock and safety-valve openings are
clean by drawing a pipe cleaner,
string or narrow strip of cloth
through them. Do this at the begin
ning of the canning season and
often during the season.
Wash pressure canner
thoroughly after each use.
Do not put cover in water as dial
gauge. and vents will be damaged.
Be sure all grease is washed from
gasket.
Watch for steam leaks.
If steam escapes around the
cover, examine sealing edges of
utensil and cover.
If they are not smooth, clean
them with a fine cleaning powder.
If the canner is equipped with a
gasket, this gasket may need clean
ing or replacing.
Store pressure canner carefully.
Be sure it is clean and dry. Crum
ple newspapers inside the kettle to
absorb moisture and odors.
Wrap cover in paper and invert
on the kettle.
A pressure saucepan may be
used for canning if it has a gauge
that will register and control steam
at 10 pounds pressure and if it is
tall enough to hold the jars, using a
rack in the bottom.
There will be a pressure canner
tester clinic on Tuesday, June 18
from 4 - 5:30 at the Extension of
fice. If you have not had the dial
gauge on your canner tested this
year, be sure to bring your canner
in during this time period.
SQUASH WITH CHEESE
SAUCE
6 medium squash (4 cups, cut)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
paprika
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 /2 cup bread crumbs
Cook squash. Drain and place in
buttered dish and sprinkle with
sugar. Melt margarine. Add salt,
flour and milk. Cook until thick
stirring constantly. Add cheese and
stir until melted. Pour over squash
and mix slightly. Top with bread
crumbs and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake in moderate oven until
brown.
STUFFED SQUASH
6 yellow squash (uniform in size)
1 teaspoon grated onion
Butter
Buttered bread crumbs
Steam squash until tender (avoid
over cooking). Cut in half
lengthwise and scoop out center.
Season this with salt, pepper,
grated onion, and butter and fill
squash cups. Top with buttered
bread crumbs. Brown lightly under
broiler and serve hot.
Helping out
Ethel Hayes, Treasurer for the Hoke County Exten
sion Homemakers Association (center) gives Kim
Oxendine (right) a $ 100 scholarship check as
Association President Bertha Hendrix looks on.
Oxendine graduated from Hoke County High
School last Friday night and plans to attend Pem
broke State University for two years taking courses
for a nursing degree. Each year the Extension
Homemakers Association gives a scholarship to a
Hoke County senior.
It's not too early to cut firewood
It's not too soon to cut firewood
for next winter. Firewood pro
duces more heat and less creosote
if it has "aged" or "seasoned" for
six months prior to burning.
In a recent survey, North Caroli
nians who heated with woodstoves
estimated their annual consump
tion of firewood at slightly less
than 4 cords each. Those who
burned wood in fireplaces also
consumed about a cord and a half
apiece. Cutting, hauling, splitting
and stacking that much wood takes
a lot of time, effort and money, so
most wood burners in Hoke Coun
ty, particularly those with efficient
woodstoves, are interested in the
maximum amount of heat for
minimum risk and expense.
Fresh-cut, or green, wood may
weigh two to three tons per cord.
The heat value of that green wood
is reduced by its moisture content.
The amount of water in the wood
varies by species. Ash , typically
contains about half as much water
as wood; hickory, two-thirds; oak,
about three-fourths; white pines
Extension
News
Willie Featherstone Jrl
County Extension
Chairman
have nearly equal amounts of
wood and water; and yellow
poplar and other so-called "soft
hardwoods" actually contain more
water than wood!
It takes as much as a year for
split and stacked firewood to reach
a stable "air-dry" condition.
Although the wood still retains
about one-fifth its weight in water,
the heat value of the wood is con
sidered to have reached its prac
tical maximum.
The heat value of air-dry wood
is mostly dependent on its weight.
Hickories and oaks top the list of
species, weighing nearly 2 tons per
cord air-dry; ash, more than 1 'A
tons; pine and most "soft hard
woods," less than 1V4 tons; and
yellow-poplar, barely 1 ton per
cord.
Now it's already too late to split,
stack and dry firewood a year
before burning next winter, but
don't despair. Six month's storage
will result in about 90 percent of
the air-dry heat value. Further
more, by stacking off the ground, ?
in an open area, and covering the
wood pile to keep off rain, the dry
ing process can be accelerated.
I
Firewood is generally marketed
by the cord (a stack 4 feet by 4 feet
by 8 feet), and usually hauled by
the "pick-up" load (one-fourth to
one-half cord). However, since the
wood's heat value depends on
weight, buyers should prefer the
heavier species such as oak,
hickory and ash. Other
characteristics which might be con
sidered important for firewood in- '
elude cost, aroma, smoke, ease of
ignition, tendency to spark, burn
ing time or intensity and ease of
splitting.
HOKE COUNTY BRANCH - SURVEY
Sandhills Community College
Sandhills Community College is getting underway with an expanded course of
ferings in the fall. You can help us plan what courses to provide by answering
the following questions.
Thanks for your help.
I. The following are collage curriculum courses which lead to a degree at
Sandhills Community College. Please check those courses that you would
attend.
-English .Aerobics
_Math
.American History
.Study Skills
-Reading
-Psychology
.Sociology
-Business Math
-Typing I/Keyboarding
.Introduction to Business
_Art Appreciation
.Learning to Read Music
.Music Appreciation
.Western Civilization
.Drawing & Composition
.Accounting I
JFlrst Aid & Emergency Care
.Others (please list)
Placement Test Date - July 18, 1988
8:00 p.m., Hoke County Hifh School
II. The following Job training classes could be offered for Continuing Educa
tion Unite (C.E.U.'s) but not for college credits leading to a degree. Please
check the courses you would attend.
.Typing/Keyboarding Home Repair
.Bookkeeping
-Office Practice & Procedures
.Salesmanship
[arreting
.Industrial Psychology
.Paralegal Training I
.Welding
-Credit Collection
-Financial Awareness
-Drafting
.introduction to Computers
-Surveying
.Nurses' Aide
J3peedwrlting
.Real Estate
-Supervision Skills
JBaslc Housebuilding
.Community Leadership
.Others (please list)
ABE/QED/AHS Classes
III. Please check if you would be interested in any of the following classes:
Classes to improve reading, writing, and math skills from 0-8 grade
level (ABE)
High School Equivalenoy program (QED)
Adult High School Diploma program at Hoke High School
IV. When would you prefer to attend classes?
1. Monday, Wednesday 6:00-7:28 p.m. _
_2. Tuesday, Thursday 8:00-7:26 p.m. _
.3. Friday night and Saturday morning
How many classes will you attend this fall? _
7:40-10:00 p.m.
.7:40-10:00 p.m.
.3 or more
Name:
Address:.
Phone Number:
IXJTHATXOH
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August ae, leaa, ?*oo-Tioo p.*., xek? county xig*
?ell? 1 For store information oontaoti Batty High, Old County Offioo
Blli, HwooA Ave.
this survey to one of the following locations: United Carolina
Southern National, The News-Journal, Heritage Savings 9t Loan
"i Williams), or Chamber of Commerce
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