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Improper Home Canning Methods
Botulism Threat
Be Growing In Mid- Ga.
ATHENS-A disturbing
number of Georgia home
makers are confused about the
proper method for processing
home canned vegetables.
“Now that late summer gar
dens are coming in, our Exten
sion offices are flooded with
calls from homemakers want
ing to know why low acid
foods must be canned in a
pressure canner,” says Linda
Wall, food specialist with the
University of Georgia Coopera
tive Extension Service.
“A lot of callers are trying
to cut corners. They don’t
wanl to buy a pressure canner
because a boiling water bath is
cheaper.
“Some homemakers are
afraid of pressure canners, but
they shouldn’t be. A pressure
canner is perfectly safe if you
follow directions.”
Pressure canning is a must
for vegetables, Mrs. Wall says.
It is the only processing meth
od I hat renders low acid foods
safe from botulism food poi
soning,
Mrs. Wall explained botu
lism. li is caused by a toxin
given off by a bacteria called
botulinum and is likely to be
fatal.
She says botulism poses a
real threat to home canners
because botulinum bacteria an 1
found primarily in the soil and
are almost certain to be on all
fresh vegetables.
However, the Extension spe
cialist says, it's not the orga
nism itself that causes botulism
food poisoning. The problem
comes during the reproductive
cycle when the bacteria form
seeds or spores. If proper con
ditions exist, the spores form
new bacterial cells which give
off waste products called tox
ins.
“It's the toxin Hud gels you.
It’s very deadly. Scientists esti
mate one thimbleful) is enough
to kill everyone in Ihe United
Stales.”
Canned vegetables are a
prime target for botulism.
Make* Your Farm Safer ... Now!
I A farm accident doesn't always happen some
where else or to someone else. Do your best
to make sure it can't happen to you. Keep jNr
buildings and machinery in good repair, and r
take every precaution tor safer farming.
“WHEN YOU
DON’T KNOW
VB INSURANCE... I®''
fITO KNOW YOUR A
INSURANCES! AN! l'&
TUGGLE AND JENNINGS
L INSURANCE AGENCY J
Perry, Ga.^^l
Main St.
Vacuum-sealed vegetables pro
vide ideal conditions for toxin
formation—a low-acid medium
and the absence of air.
Because vacuum-sealed vege
tables do nurture toxin, Mrs.
Wall says the only way home
canned low acid vegetables can
be safe is to destroy botulinum
bacteria.
To destroy the bacteria, Mrs,
Wall says the temperature of
the vegetable must reach 240
degrees F.
“You can boil water forever
and the temperature will never
get above 212 degrees F. The
only way for the product to
reach 240 degrees is to process
it under pressure. For that rea
son, all low acid foods must be
processed in a pressure can
ner.”
Hut even when a vegetable is
processed in a pressure canner,
there’s still a possibility of dan
ger.
“Unless a homemaker tests
the pressure canner each time
she uses it, she can never be
certain all botulinum bacteria
are destroyed. And even if she
does test the canner, there’s
still a chance she may not
watch the gauge closely enough
to be sure constant pressure
was maintained. For these rea
sons, home-canned vegetables
should always be boiled 10 to
20 minutes before lasting. If
the toxin has formed, boiling
will inactivate it.”
Mrs. Wall says the recom
mendation to boil before last
ing has led a lot of home
makers to believe they can use
a boiling water bath canner
instead of a pressure canner.
“A lot of callers say, ‘lf you
can boil vegetables 10 to 20
minutes before lasting, why
can’t you process them in boil
ing water?’
“They don’t realize boiling
only inactivates the toxin. It
does not destroy the spore that
causes the toxin. Only pressure
can do that.”
Mrs. Wall says some home
makers process vegetables in a
water bath, then rely on boil
ing before tasting to make the
|g
food safe.
“This is a dangerous practice
because there’s no way to be
sure who will ultimately pre
pare the food.
“Husbands and children of
ten help with meal preparation
and they may not know to boil
the food. Also, a lot of people
are giving canned goods for
The Original Health Food
Eating Apples Does
“Keep Doctor
By Butch Ferree
Kxtension Horticulturist
University of Georgia
In myth and in history, the
apple is probably the most
famous of all fruits.
Bve ate an apple and caused
the fall of man. Sir Isaac
Newton saw an apple fall and
discovered the law of gravity.
William Tell won his freedom,
and fame, by shooting an apple
off his son’s head. And Greek
and Roman myths are full of
gifts and the person who re
ceives the food may not boil it
"Really,” she adds, “boiling
before tasting is an added safe
ty precaution. No one should
depend on it as their only
precaution.
“Always be sure the food is
as safe as possible. Remember,
the real basis for canning is to
maintain quality for later con
sumption.
“One of the most important
food qualities is safety. Strictlv
follow whatever methods are
necessary to have a safe prod
uct,”
For homemakers who have
already processed vegetables in
boiling water baths, Mrs. Wall
recommends several mealtime
precautions.
“First, be sure the food
doesn’t look or smell unusual.
If it does, throw it away.
“If the food looks and
smells alright, boil it, then
serve it. But don’t taste it until
after the boiling time is up.
Usually, you don’t get tainted
apples as symbols of love and
beauty.
But apples have a practical
value above and beyond serving
as the subject of legends. As
the old proverb says, they
“keep the doctor away.”
Experiments on university
campuses have shown that col
lege students eating two or
three apples a day have less
than half as many colds and
headaches as those students
who do not eat apples.
The apple’s nutritional value
odor or taste with botulism.
You can’t be sure food is safe
just because it appears to be.”
Mrs. Wall says boiling time
before tasting varies with the
density of the food. Green
beans, for example, need ten
minutes. Corn requires 20. For
proper boiling times, refer to
up-to-date canning books or
contact your county Extension
office.
rWfms!
Farmer’s Share Drops
The farmer’s share of the
consumer’s food dollar de
creased from 46 cents in June,
1973, to 39.3 cents in the same
month this year.
♦ ♦ *
The Job-Maker
Farm production creates jobs
for 8 to 10 million persons who
store, transport, process, and
merchandise agricultural prod
ucts.
is high. It contains a number of ;
vitamins needed for good i
health. Also present is pectin, a .
chemical that aids in digestion. ,
Apples can be a big help to
the dieter. An average apple (
has only 90 calories but is ,
bulk-producing, so it satisfies (
hunger while its natural sugars
give quick energy.
Not only arc the natural
sugars in apples easily digested
but they also are not harmful
to the teeth. Often called “na
ture’s toothbrush,” apples can
help clean teeth and massage
the gums.
Apples are grown in many
parts of the country and can be
found fresh the year around.
The months of July and Au
gust see a slightly smaller sup
ply Georgia’s growing apple
industry is helping to supply
sonv of the nation’s demand
during those months.
Several apple varieties are
grown commercially in Geor
gia, The two most important
are Red Delicious and Golden
Delicious, which are also the
two leading varieties for the
country as a whole.
Georgia’s Red Delicious ap
ples are excellent for eating out
of hand. Their sweet mellow
flavor also adds something spe
cial to a cold meat or fruit
salad. Although the red skin
color may not always develop
as intensely in middle Georgia
as it does in north Georgia, the
eating quality is not impaired.
Quality is often mistakenly
correlated with skin color, but
the real test is the fruit’s taste.
Golden Delicious is probably
the most versatile of varieties
grown in Georgia. Although
their appearance is often
marred by russet, this rough
skin does not detract from the
fruit’s flavor. This variety is
excellent for cold salads, pies
and sauce. It bakes well and
freezes well for future baking.
Some other leading varieties
grown in Georgia are Rome
Beauty. Stayman, Detroit Red.
Jonathan and Mollie’s Deli
cious.
It is best to buy the kind of
apples you need for a partic
ular use. But no matter what
kind you buy or how you eat
them, you will be eating the
original health food, the one
that never goes out of style.
i\ Loss Today:
More
s Georgia Farms *
ATHENS—Georgia is losing
farms at the rate of nine each
day, everyday, weekends and
holidays included.
During the last census period
Georgia lost 15,905 farms for a
19 percent decrease. Farm
acreage has decreased by
2,080,608 acres. That equals a
reduction rate of 1.140 acres a
day over the five-year period.
If Georgia continues to lose
farms at this rate, all of the
farm land will be depleted in
another 38 years.
Hopefully this trend is
changing and will be reflected
in the next census to be taken
in early 1975.
Due to larger farms buying
some of the land where small
farms have gone out of busi
ness, the average size of a farm
has increased slightly. In 1964
the average farm in Georgia
consisted of 214.6 acres. The
latest statistics show that it is
now 234,4 acres. Had it not
been for this 9.2 percent in
crease in the size of farms,
much more than two million
acres would have been taken
out of farming during that five
year period.
If 234.4 acres seem like a
small farm, keep in mind that
17,046 families in Georgia are
still living on farms of less than
50 acres. However. 64 percent
of the slate's farm families live
on farms ranging from 50 to
500 acres. Only 3.6 percent
live on farms larger than 1,000
acres.
Farms from one to fifty
acres in size are disappearing at
the fastest rate. The last census
indicated that the preceding
five-year period resulted in the
loss of 30.6 percent of all the
farms less than 50 acres. This
does not mean that large farms
are not folding also. During the
same five-year period five per
cent of the farms over 1,000
acres were discontinued.
The average farm in Georgia
consisting of 234.4 acres is
valued at $54,883. The ma
chinery on this farm is valued
at an average of $7,293. This is
the present value of the ma
chinery, including depreciation
and not what it cost to buy
HOUSTON COUNTY FARMER
*
V*
Farmer Os
Gray-Walker
"JsevsjM' j rac | or £<-,
Stands Ready To Help You <
With Equipment To Meet Any
Os The Needs Os Today!
enough machinery to farm a
234-acre farm.
Farm expenses for the year
include the cost of commer
cially mixed formula feeds,
commercial fertilizer, gasoline
and other petroleum fuels and
oil for the farm business, farm
labor, contract labor, machine
hire, and custom work. The
average price paid per farm for
these supplies and services is
$7,291 per year. This does not
include labor by members of
the farm family.
The value of all products
sold from the average Georgia
farm equals $15,423. Subtract
the $7,291 supplies and ser
vices fee from the product sold
value and the remainder is
$8,132.
Now, suppose a person
bought a farm valued at the
above cost of $54,883. In addi
tion, the farm contained ma
chinery valued at the above
average of $7,293. The interest
alone at nine percent, the
Georgia legal rate for conven
tional loans, on this $62,176
would equal $5,596. Subtract
this from the remaining $8,132
and the new Georgia farmer
would net only $2,536.
Except, that does not include
any principal paid on the pur
chased land and machinery,
taxes on the property or re
P MISTS ARE
TO HAVE BROUGHT
HOMEY BEES WITH
THEKA FROKA ENGLAND
TO VIRGINIA IN 1622...
AMO SETTLERS TOOK.
BEEHIVES WITH THEM
AS THEY MOVED
WESTWARD...
pairs and maintenance. If the
machinery had been purchased
new it would probably have
cost three times its present
assessed value.
How do farmers make a
living'?
Lynn Stanton, farm market
ing economist, University of
Georgia Extension Service,
says, First of all, remember
that these figures are averages.
If a young man were to start
farming today, he would have
to start out with a farm capa
ble of yielding a much higher
gross income than the average.
This would probably necessi
tate either buying a larger than
average farm and hence more
or larger machinery, or leasing
additional land.
Second, many farms—large
and small—are inherited, not
purchased at today’s
prices and high interest rates.
Quite often they are acquired
by the son from a father-son
partnership.
And third, Stanton says,
many farmers have supplemen
tary income. Over 47 percent
of the Georgia farmers work at
least 100 days off the farm
each year.
High initial capital invest
ment and low net returns are
probably the reasons why only
10.1 percent of Georgia’s farm
ers arc under 35 years of age.