YAR ROOT EOE

How to Prepare the Fish —

1.

Only fish that is of good quality,
and absolutely fresh, should be
canned. if the fish must be kept
for canning for more than 3 hours
after it is caught, it should be
cleaned and packed in ice, or
stored in a refrigerator. Smoked
fish mus’ be canned as soon as it
has been cooled after the smoking
process, following the same pro-
cédure as for fresh fish as far as
processing time is concerned.

. Scrub the fish with coarse salt and

a cloth to remove any film, and
loose scales. Remove scales, fins,
head and tail, and clean the fish
thoroughly. Wash the fish well.

. The backbone need not be re-

moved. it softens during proces-
sing, becoming thoroughly edible,
and it contains valuable calcium
and other nutrients which would
otherwise be lost.

. Cut the cleaned fish into lengths

suitable for the jars or cans you
are using.

How to Pack the Fish —

In Glass Jars: —

pack the fish firmly, being care-
fui not to break or crush the flesh.
Allow 1 inch head space at the
top of the jar. Add 1/2 tsp. salt
for each 1/2 pint (1 tsp. salt to
1 pint).

in Metal Cans: —

pack fish firmly but fill the can
only to a level slightly below the
flare used in sealing. Add 1/2 tsp.
salt for each 1/2 pint (1 tsp. salt
to 1 pint). Over-filling will result
in a poor vacuum.

Wash the lips of the containers,
taking care to remove any fat.

How to Process the Fish —

General Directions for Use of
Pressure Canner: —

Canners vary in size, construction
and usage, and the individual manu-
facturer’s instructions must always
be followed.

1. Cover the bottom of the canner
with 2 inches of water. Place glas:
jars on the rack. if there are twc
rows, space must be left betweer
the rows. Stack cans one on top
of the other.

2. Cover the canner. Leave the pet
cock open so that the air exhausts.
Close the cover according to the
manufacturer’s directions
(grooves, breathing band, clamps,
etc.).

3. Place pressure canner on heat.
Steam will come out of the pet-
cock. When the steam is coming
out steadily, begin counting the
time needed to exhaust or re-
move all the air. The time, usually
7 to 10 minutes, varies with the
size of the canner. When the time
is up, close the petcock. The
needle will start to move up on
the gauge dial. Let it rise to the
required pressure (10 pounds)
and temperature (above 240°F.).
Adjust the heat, as needed, to
maintain the temperature stead-
ily. Uneven pressure resulting
from raising and lowering the heat
may cause liquid to seep out and
thus prevent sealing.

_ 4. Process for the required length

of time (or a little longer), at
the correct pressure.

How to Process in Glass Jars —

LF

2.

Seal giass-lidded jars loosely. Seal
metal-lidded jars completely.

Process 1/2 pint or 1 pint jars for

110 minutes at 10 pounds pres-.

sure and 240°F.

. When processing time is up, turn

heat off or remove canner from
heat. Wait until the gauge needle
returns to zero.

. Remove jars from canner.
. Tighten the seal on glass-lidded

jars. Do not touch the lids on
metai-lidded jars until they are
completely cold. Otherwise the
seal may be broken.

. Cool the jars, upright, well sep-

arated from each other, out of
drafts. :

. Label, date and store.

How to Process in Metal Cans —

1. Heat the fish in cans set in boiling

water, until the fish in the centre
of each can reaches a temperature
of 170°F. (Use a meat thermom-
eter to test.)

. Slip the heated lids on the cans

and seal the cans.

. Process at 10 pounds pressure and

240°F. tor the following times:
1/2 flat — 90 minutes
1 pound tall — 100 minutes
1 pound flat — 7120 minutes
20-ounce — 135 minutes

. When processing time is up, turn

off the heat or remove canner
from heat. Make no attempt to
lower pressure but allow the can-
ner to cool until the needle or
pressure gauge returns to zero.
Then open the petcock gradually.
Remove cover from canner. Cool
the cans in the open pressure can-
ner under cold running water, or
remove the cans and lower them
gently into cold water, changing
the water frequently. The ends
of the cans should bulge at first
and then retract as they cool.
Press the ends of the cans in,
gently, rf necessary. Always check
cans for leakage.

. When the cans are cold to the

touch, dry them with a clean
cloth.

. Label cans, date and store them

in a cardboard box on a shelf in
a cool dry place.

For extra safety, boil all home
canned salmon in an open pot
for 20 minutes before serving.