COUNTY CLUB FOOD LEADERS FOR 1938
Left to right bottom row: County chairman Mrs. E. W. Dickens Jr., Mrs. J. L. Holliday, Mrs. W. J.
Partin, Mrs. Douglas Lawrence, Mrs. L. G. Barnhill, Mrs. C. E. Davis. Back Row: Mrs. I. D. Hinton,
Mrs. T. S. Dickens, Mrs. J. S. Lewis, Miss Mertie Faison, Mrs. T. R. Wollett, Mrs. Marvin Carter, Mrs.
H. S. Butts, Mrs. J. E. Porter, Mrs. Frank Warren, Mrs. Russell Dickens, Mrs. Joseph Lewis._
HOME
CANNING
By Mrs. E. M. Simmons
Dawson Club
To every farm wife or mother,
her pride and joy, and deep satis
faction she feels at the end of the
canning season as she views her
“garden upon the shelves” is some
thing that she can hardly express.
As we gaze upon row after row of
jars filled with every variety of
fruit, vegetable, and meat and
think of the fun gained as well as
the labor we put forth—we are still
thrilled with the idea that we have
worked on a fifty-fifty proposition
with our husbands in helping with
the livelihood of our family.
We have learned that from con
serving our excess footstuffs, we
gain many advantages. From our
shelves we can at once plan an all
round, well-balanced meal that
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On Weldon Highway
Roanoke Rapids, N. C.
means so much toward the health
of our family. Not only is this meal
well-balanced, but we, with the
guidance of Mrs. Wheeler—our
home demonstration agent—have
learned to put all the food value
into every jar before we seal it.
When winter' comes on and most
people are missing those fresh veg
etables, the farm woman can rely
on her pantry to yield forth nour
ishing foods that aid in maintain
ing our health during those cold
days when the weather is bad and
we are inactive and fail to get an
abundance of fresh air and sun
shine.
When there is more than a plenty
of food in our gardens and an ex
cess of meat from our hog-killings,
the wise farm woman prepares for
the time when finances are low.
Canning is very inexpensive as ev
erything put into the jars is home
raised, and the cost of jars which
are used from year to year is very
little. Unanimously, all farmers will
agree that conserving food is one
of the greatest steps towards help
ing to balance that farm budget
that we cannot ignore.
As a great incentive for canning,
there is a statewide contest for the
Home Demonstration Club women
sponsored by the Kerr and Ball Jar
Companies—the prize being jars or
cash. This contest is first held in
each individual club in the county,
and after the best exhibits have
been selected from each of these
clubs, they are entered in the Coun
ty contest and judged by very com
petent judges—as Mrs. F. W. M.
White, Mrs. R. L. Applewhite, and
Mrs. Hazel E. Wheeler. From here,
the winning jars from each county
in the state are taken to Raleigh
for the final judging. Of course,
there are definite foods to be can
ned which vary each year but al
ways include a fruit, vegetable, and
meat in some form.
From some of our club women
we learn a little of the pleasure
and thrill they gained in entering
and winning in these contests. Mrs.
T. E. House of Halifax says, “In
the year of 1935, I was a member
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THE TEXAS COMPANY
R. P. Allen, Agent
of the Hobgood Home Demonstra
tion Club. When the contest for
the Kerr and Ball Companies were
mentioned, I joined both contests.
"For the Ball contest they re
quired one quart of any vegetable
and one quart of any fruit. My veg
etable was a quart jar of soup mix
ture and my fruit was a quart of
apples.
"In the Kerr contest, they re
quired six jars of foods—two veg
etables, two fruits, and two of
meats. My vegetables were pimen
toes and snap beans—my fruits
were pears and peaches—my meats
were sausage and pork chops.
"I had a great deal of fun pre
paring my jars of food, trying to
judge them myself and pick the
right jars to enter Snd joking all
the time about what i would do it
I won. Never dreaming I would
win because I had never won any
thing before.
“At Hobgood I won first prize
(a blue ribbon) in both contests.
From there my jars were taken to
Halifax. Imagine my surprise when
Mrs. Wheeler told me I had won
first prize in both contests there.
Then Mrs. Wheeler carried my jars
of food to the state finals-^and
thus ended my winning luck, al
though I was very proud to have
won out in the county.
“Sometime that fall I received a
letter from the Kerr Company say
ing they were giving me one dozen
wide mouth quart jars. I also re
ceived a check for eight dollars for
winning first prize in the Ball Con
test. That was more fun and more
surprising than anything I ever
had to happen to me—who is it that
doesn’t enjoy a surprise chock?”
Another of our club ladies, Mrs.
H. S. Butts, of Scotland Neck,
writes—“In 1930, I entered a can
ning contest and won second prize
which was a five quart Burpee
Pressure Cooker—and I just cannot
tell • the thrill I experienced in
winning this prize as it has meant
a lot to me for I cook in it as well
as can. I have been entering the
contests the Ball Brothers Compa
ny and the Kerr Glass Manufac
turing Corporation have been put
ting on for the last several years.
"In 1935 I won seventh place in
the Ball Contest, and received a
check for $2.00. In 1936 I won first
place in county, my prize was $6.00.
I also won second place in the
Kerr Contest and received one doz
en Kerr quart jars. In 1937,. I won
first place and received another
dozen Kerr quart jars.
“This is great encouragement for
one to keep on canning, and there
is nothing I enjoy any more than I
do canning meats, vegetables and
fruits for my table. It is helpful
in a financial way and also means
much towards keeping my family
healthy. It has been several years
since I have bought a can of veg
etables.
"When we kill hogs it is a busy
time at my house for I can the
fresh meat, spare ribs, liver, sau
sage, and the heads while they are
fresh so that I can have fresh
meat all the year round.
"I can all kinds of vegetables:
beets, okra, carrots, snaps, butter
beans, garden peas, field peas, corn,
soup mixture, squash, tomatoes, pi
mento peppers.
“I also can fruits: pears, apples,
grapes, peaches, cherries, blackber
ries, huckleberries,. And baked ap
ples and pears.”
Mrs. E. W. Dickens of Halifax—
one of our very first canning win
ners, sends us the following ac
count of the contests she has won
in:
1930 tne National canning con
test conducted by the household
science institute. A quart of snaps
entered in the vegetable class won
7th place—prize $5.00.
“1931 Dixie Canning contest
Roanoke Va. First place in the
district, prize 18 quart Burpee
steam pressure cooker.
“1936 Kerr canning contest first
place in county—prize one dozen
quart Kerr jars.
“I can enough meat, fruits and
vegetables each year to supplement
my stored and fresh products. For
meats and non-acid vegetables I
use the pressure cooker and for
fruits and avid vegetables, I use the
hot water canner. It made me very
happy to win even honorable men
tion in a contest, but to win first
place gives you a thrill that one
will never know unless they have
the pleasure of winning first place
in a contest.”
“The following is the record of
prizes won in Halifax County:
1930—Two winners in District
Canning contest. Mrs. E. W. Dick
ens, Darlington Club; Mrs. H. S.
Butts, Dawson Club.
1935—Ball Contest. Mrs. T. C.
House, Hobgood Club; Mrs. N.
Braswell, Hardrawee Club; Mrs.
Richard Lewis, Dawson Club; Miss
Lola Parker, Heathsville Club; Mrs.
J. S. Riddick, Spring Hill Club;
Mrs. K. B. Ewing, Tillery Club;
Mrs. H. S. Butts, Hobgood Club.
1935— Kerr Contest. Mrs. T. C
.House, Hobgood Club; Mrs. E. W.
Dickens, Jr., Darlington Club; Mrs.
W. Perkins Taylor, Aurelian
Springs Club.
1936— Ball Contest. Mrs. H. S.
Butts, Hobgood Club; Mrs. L. G.
Barnhill, Spring Hill Club; Mrs. E,
S. Fulgham, Tillery Club; Mrs. W.
C. Cooke, Hardrawee Club; Honor
able mention: Mrs. B. F. Lewis,
Ringwood Club; Mrs. Murray Sim
mons, Dawson Club; Mrs. A. M.
Powell, South Rosemary Club.
1936— Kerr Contest. Mrs. E. W.
Dickens, Sr., Darlington Club; Mrs.
H. S. Butts, Hobgood Club; Mrs.
L. G. Barnhill, Spring Hill Club.
1937— Ball Contest. Mrs. E. W,
Dickens, Jr., Darlington Club; Mrs.
R. P. Bradley, Roseneath Club; Mrs.
L. E. Marcher, South Rosemary
Club; Mrs. N. Braswell, Hardrawee
Club; Mrs. W. D. Keel, Hobgood
Club; Mrs. M. F. Turner, Tillery
Club'; Mrs. Ernest Lewis, Dawson
Club.
1937— Kerr Contest. Mrs. H. S.
Butts, Hobgood Club*, Mrs. Joseph
Lewis, Hardrawee Club; Mrs. E,
W. Dickens Jr., Darlington. Club.
1938— Ball Contest. Mrs. R. P.
Bradley, Roseneath Club; Mrs. W.
D. Keel, Hobgood Club; Mrs. H. T,
Hockaday, Calvary Club; Mrs. L. C,
Barbour, Spring Hill Club; Mrs. J.
M. Lewis, Hardrawee Club; Mrs.
E. S. Fulghum, Tillery Club; Miss
Belle Butts, Heathsville Club.
1938—Kerr Contest. Mrs. J. M,
Lewis, Hardrawee Club; Mrs. W. D.
Keel, Hobgood Club; Mrs. L. G.
Barnhill, Spring Hill Club.
A total of 892 exhibited in these
canning contests from 1935 through
1938, with a total of 2097 jars ex
hibited.
In January 1938, Mrs. Rosina K. ■
Maxwell, Home Economist and Cu
linary Authority, gave a meat can
ning demonstration, sponsored by
the Dawson Club. The club wo
men from the surrounding com
munities were invited to attend this
demonstration.
In January 1939, Mrs. Charlie
Cloaninger, Home Economist Au
thority, gave meat canning demon
strations at Hollister and Hardraw
ee. 71 club women from these and
the adjoining communities were
present for the demonstrations.
Mrs. Wheeler, our Home Demon
stration agent, has not only taught
us how to can, but how to be
critical and careful judges of our
own canning so that we will be
better canners, which enables us to
enter more enthusiastically into
our home canning as well as can
ning contests. She has helped us
set up standards for good practical
Home Canned foods which we pre
pare in our own kitchens and later
use with pride on our tables. With
nci cav;cxjciil Leeujxiiiig, we are last
learning that canning for flavor is
our main objective, and that gain
ing the right flavor, we are assured
of getting all the food value. One
of the main judges of the canning
exhibits at the last world’s fair
says, “Let us teach women to can
for flavor first. Appearance is nec
essary of course, but after all, it’s
flavor that should and does count
the most.” By the use of the steam
pressure cooker we have accom
plished very much in canning. It
is the safest, surest, and most eco
nomical way to can.
As we grown-ups are still very
much like children, we like to actu
ally see our best results; so every
year our jars of canned goods
which merited consideration and
won prizes are placed on display
at our annual Achievement Day
(Continued on Next Page)
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