United States Department of Agriculture
Agriculture Information Bulletin 410
296This is a reprint of Part 4 from the 1977 Yearbook of Agriculture, Gardening for Food and Fun.The Yearbook may be purchased at government bookstores or ordered from the Superintendentof Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Original pagenumbers from the entire book are used in this reprint.
Issued in December 1977
by Edmund A. Zottola and Isabel D. Wolf[1]
The telephone rings in a countyExtension office. A harried voicesays, “My garden is growing morethan my family can eat, what shall Ido with it? How can I keep it fromspoiling?”
How many times during the gardeningseason is this scenario repeatedin an Extension office? Too often tocount! The answers to these questionsare readily available in themany bulletins, folders, and leafletson food preservation available fromcounty, State, and Federal Extensionagencies. The publications tell howto preserve food safely and wholesomely,but do little else to explainwhy directions must be followed precisely.Let’s take a look at the whys.
To understand food preservation,first consider the sources. Home gardenfood comes from plants: source