Canning of lima beans

The lima bean is a green or light flat bean. It is use only for the seed, the pods being coarse or woody. Some lima beans are canned and they are handled in such the same manner as the frozen product except that they may or may not be passed through the quality grader.

In case it is the fresh beans, the beans are first washed carefully and stored. They are size-graded and then blanched in hot water at 88-95 °C – the amount of time depends upon the maturity of beans, varying from 2 to 3 minutes for young, tender beans to 7 or 8 minutes for more mature tougher beans.

The beans are automatically metered into cans. The filled cans pass to the briner where a boiling hot 2% salt brine is added to completely fill the can. The cans are sealed and heat-processed.

Some lima beans to be canned are allowed to mature and dry out on the vine before harvesting. In such cases, the beans must be soaked in water for purposes of rehydrating prior to further processing.
Canning of lima beans

Beets

Beets
Beets Processing
Beets require 50 – 70 days from planting to harvesting. They are harvesting by machine and brought to the processing plant in hoppers or trucks. Generally they are not cooled prior to processing. Beets are canned but are not frozen.

At the canning plant, the tops are cut off by machine, after which the roots are held for several days to allow the skin to wilt, thereby loosening it. The beets are then graded for size by machine. After sizing, the beets are washed with sprays of water or in a soaking tank, and are then peeled. Beets are peeled by steaming at 220 degree F for about 20 min. after which the skin is removed. The peeled beets are then trimmed. Small beets are canned whole while the larger beets are sliced prior to filling into cans.

The cans, to which beets have added to a point about 3/8 in. from the tops, are then filled with a weak salt solution. The cans are then sealed and heat processed.
Beets sold in the fresh sate are washed, but usually not topped. They should be cooled to 32 – 35 degree F and held in this manner until sold to the consumer. In this edition, they have storage life of 10 – 14 days. When topped and cooled to 32 degree F they may be held for 3 – 5 months.

Beets Juice and Health Benefits
Beet juice is among the most valuable healing juices available. Beets and beet tops contain a form of iron that is readily absorbed into the blood, nourishing and toning it and building red blood cells. Beet juice is helpful in the treatment of menstrual irregularities as well as the symptoms of menopause. It helps to strengthen the immune system and detoxify the kidneys, liver and gallbladder. It also is useful in treating anemia and liver disorders.

Beet juice is best combined with other vegetable juices to buffer its powerful cleansing action, which can cause nausea and dizziness because it releases nutrients very quickly. Also its strong, earthy taste is more palatable if it is combined with other juices. A combination of 3 ounces each of beet and cabbage juice mixed with 10 ounces of carrot juice furnishes the body with a good balance of nutrients necessary for all physiological functions.
Beets

Vegetable Processing after Harvesting

Vegetable Processing after Harvesting

After harvesting, the heat system can be applied as the harvesting criterion for crops for which the required heat units for optimum maturity are known (e.g., beans, corn, peas). Heat units may be expressed as F-days or F-hr. heat units are those days or hr above the minimum growing temperature multiplied by the degrees that the ambient temperature exceeds the minimum growing temperature. For example, the minimum growing temperature for given vegetables is 40 F (4.4 C), and during a 2 day period the ambient temperature average 60 F (15.6 C), then the number of heat units accumulated during the 2 days period can be calculated as

(60 F – 40 F) x (2 days) = 40 F-days

All vegetables sealed in cans or glass must be heat processed and sometimes at higher temperature to make them commercially sterile. Commercially sterile means that all disease bacteria have been killed, and all bacteria and bacteria spores, which might grow out and cause spoilage under the conditions in which the product will be handled after processing, have been destroyed. The time during which heat preserved vegetable must be processed top attain commercial sterility depends on the size of the container, the temperature at which the product is processed, the type of container (glass, metal or plastic), whether or not the product is agitated during heating, whether the vegetables product heats by convection or conduction, and other factors.
Vegetable Processing after Harvesting