I've ever seen a pressure cooker in action."
"We'll boil the tomatoes and chili."
"Why not for everything?"
"Safety reasons. Open kettle cooking doesn't get hot enough for the beans."
"What do you mean?"
"Water boils around 200 degrees. Steam gets much hotter."
"Why does one need to be more?"
"Because we're preserving both low acid and high acid foods." She glanced at Doris and saw the question in her eyes. "Look, I'm going to do everything possible to make this process as safe as possible but germs are persistent. High acid foods like tomatoes already make it hard for any germs that make it through the heat to get a foothold. In low acid foods like the beans, the environment is ripe for germs to have a field day. We have to make sure they're pretty well wiped out from the beginning."
"Why don't you just do everything the hottest way?"
"Because heat kills flavor." Jay wiped her face on a hand towel. "Did you ever walk away from a pot of green beans on the stove and come back to most of the water gone and the damn things limp as a noodle?" she asked. "That's essentially what we're doing here."
"But why do we have to do it that way? Can't we freeze them or something?"
"The freezer space is pretty finite. What room we've got needs to be saved for whatever game we can get."
"Can't you can meat?"
"Not easily."
"Why not?"
"There are too many steps and too little margin for error. You've got to make sure that you've removed as much fat as possible. Then, there is a lot more bacteria in meat. To bring it to the temperature where it's safe, there'll be no flavor at all."
"So, what do you do with meat?"
"Smoke, salt or freeze it. And we don't have enough salt to spare."
"I'm ready for a new task."
Jay handed Susan a knife that she first dipped into the boiling water. "Chop four onions and three green peppers."
"What for?" Doris asked.
"Look, I'm getting pretty tired of having to explain myself to you." She poked Doris in the chest. "I wasn't even talking to you."
"I was just asking a question."
"Why can't you just do what I ask?"
"Why can't you answer the questions?"
"I think I've been pretty patient. I'm not used to explaining everything I'm doing." Jay fumed.
Susan stepped closer. "Jay, give her a break. You know that you wouldn't want to do something without finding out why first."
"I know, I know. I guess I've been on my own for too long."
"Your manners certainly show that," responded Doris nastily.
Jay threw her hands up. "I was trying to apologize."
"Doris sometimes doesn't know when to give it a rest."
"Hey," Doris exclaimed. "She insulted me."
Susan shrugged. "It's true and you know it. Now, how about we all take a deep breath and finish this task so we can go outside where it's cool."
"Fine with me."
"Agreed." Turning to the pressure cooker, Jay watched the steam coming out of the vent on the top. When it was a steady stream, she placed the rocker on top and pushed the cooker slightly to the side of the eye. She fussed with the pot until the rocking of the gauge slowed to just a couple of movements a minute.
"What are you doing now?"
"I wanted to make sure that the cooker was filled with steam. That gauge keeps the pressure steady at ten pounds."
"Don't those things explode?"
"That's why the gauge is on. It will keep the contents steady at a certain poundage of pressure. If things get too hot, the steam will blow the gauge off and release the steam to lower the pressure."
"So it's safe?" Doris was still standing well away from the stove.
"As safe as houses."
"What should I do now?"
Jay looked over and saw that Susan had diced almost all the ripe tomatoes and peppers.
"You can chop the green tomatoes."
"And then?"
"Toss them all in a pot with vinegar and some spices. After it boils for an hour and a half and pour it into the jars. Once canned, we've got the perfect chili sauce." While she was talking, she was taking the bottles of tomatoes that Doris had packed and was putting them in
"We'll boil the tomatoes and chili."
"Why not for everything?"
"Safety reasons. Open kettle cooking doesn't get hot enough for the beans."
"What do you mean?"
"Water boils around 200 degrees. Steam gets much hotter."
"Why does one need to be more?"
"Because we're preserving both low acid and high acid foods." She glanced at Doris and saw the question in her eyes. "Look, I'm going to do everything possible to make this process as safe as possible but germs are persistent. High acid foods like tomatoes already make it hard for any germs that make it through the heat to get a foothold. In low acid foods like the beans, the environment is ripe for germs to have a field day. We have to make sure they're pretty well wiped out from the beginning."
"Why don't you just do everything the hottest way?"
"Because heat kills flavor." Jay wiped her face on a hand towel. "Did you ever walk away from a pot of green beans on the stove and come back to most of the water gone and the damn things limp as a noodle?" she asked. "That's essentially what we're doing here."
"But why do we have to do it that way? Can't we freeze them or something?"
"The freezer space is pretty finite. What room we've got needs to be saved for whatever game we can get."
"Can't you can meat?"
"Not easily."
"Why not?"
"There are too many steps and too little margin for error. You've got to make sure that you've removed as much fat as possible. Then, there is a lot more bacteria in meat. To bring it to the temperature where it's safe, there'll be no flavor at all."
"So, what do you do with meat?"
"Smoke, salt or freeze it. And we don't have enough salt to spare."
"I'm ready for a new task."
Jay handed Susan a knife that she first dipped into the boiling water. "Chop four onions and three green peppers."
"What for?" Doris asked.
"Look, I'm getting pretty tired of having to explain myself to you." She poked Doris in the chest. "I wasn't even talking to you."
"I was just asking a question."
"Why can't you just do what I ask?"
"Why can't you answer the questions?"
"I think I've been pretty patient. I'm not used to explaining everything I'm doing." Jay fumed.
Susan stepped closer. "Jay, give her a break. You know that you wouldn't want to do something without finding out why first."
"I know, I know. I guess I've been on my own for too long."
"Your manners certainly show that," responded Doris nastily.
Jay threw her hands up. "I was trying to apologize."
"Doris sometimes doesn't know when to give it a rest."
"Hey," Doris exclaimed. "She insulted me."
Susan shrugged. "It's true and you know it. Now, how about we all take a deep breath and finish this task so we can go outside where it's cool."
"Fine with me."
"Agreed." Turning to the pressure cooker, Jay watched the steam coming out of the vent on the top. When it was a steady stream, she placed the rocker on top and pushed the cooker slightly to the side of the eye. She fussed with the pot until the rocking of the gauge slowed to just a couple of movements a minute.
"What are you doing now?"
"I wanted to make sure that the cooker was filled with steam. That gauge keeps the pressure steady at ten pounds."
"Don't those things explode?"
"That's why the gauge is on. It will keep the contents steady at a certain poundage of pressure. If things get too hot, the steam will blow the gauge off and release the steam to lower the pressure."
"So it's safe?" Doris was still standing well away from the stove.
"As safe as houses."
"What should I do now?"
Jay looked over and saw that Susan had diced almost all the ripe tomatoes and peppers.
"You can chop the green tomatoes."
"And then?"
"Toss them all in a pot with vinegar and some spices. After it boils for an hour and a half and pour it into the jars. Once canned, we've got the perfect chili sauce." While she was talking, she was taking the bottles of tomatoes that Doris had packed and was putting them in
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