Canning Food

By Gary Garriott
Broadcast: September 1, 2003
This is Sarah Long with the VOA Special English Development Report.
People have always had to find ways to keep food safe to eat. Methods to dry, smoke and salt food were invented thousands of years ago. The process of canning is much more recent. This storage¹ method keeps food safe to eat for long periods of time. Today, canning is one of the most popular methods of storing food.
Canning uses heat to kill 1)bacteria² and other micro-organisms³ that cause poisons⁴ to form in food. Canning also takes away the air that these organisms need to live. One popular method of canning uses a water bath.
Clean fruits or vegetables are placed in glass bottles. The food can be put into the bottles either hot or cold. The cold method is used for soft fruits and vegetables that could lose their shape or taste. Firmer fruits and most vegetables are usually cooked. They take up less space in the bottles.
After the food has been placed in glass bottles, boiling water is poured into the bottles to about three centimeters below the top. Then covers are placed on the bottles, but are not turned all the way. The bottles are placed in a large container filled with warm water that is then brought to a boil.
The water must completely⁵ cover the bottles, from three to five centimeters over the top. When the water boils, any air in the bottles will be 2)expelled. The boiling continues for several minutes. Then the bottles are allowed to cool. Finally, they are placed briefly⁷ into cold water. This makes a strong barrier⁸ to keep the air out. In other words, a 3)vacuum⁹ is created.
When the bottles are completely cool, notes can be placed on them to identify what is inside. The bottles can then be stored in a cool, dark place at a temperature of between four and twenty-one degrees 4)Celsius¹⁰.
Canning allows your family to enjoy foods that might not come fresh throughout¹¹ the year. It is also a good way to store food for six months to a year, or even several years, in case of an emergency. It does not cost much to continue canning every year once the equipment has been purchased.
You can get more information about canning food from the group, Volunteers in Technical Assistance¹². VITA is on the Internet at www.vita.org.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Gary Garriott. This is Sarah Long.
注释:
1) bacteria [bAk5tiEriE] n.细菌
2) expel⁶ [iks5pel] v.驱逐，排出
3) vacuum [5vAkjuEm] n.真空
4) Celsius [5selsjEs] n.摄氏度

1 storage   

n.存储器，储藏，保管，库存，仓库

参考例句：

• How much will you have to pay the warehouse for storage?你得付多少仓库保管费？
• He is charging a storage battery.他在为蓄电池充电。

2 bacteria   

n.(单数bacterium)细菌

参考例句：

• Bacteria are invisible to the naked eye.细菌是肉眼看不见的。
• The biology of bacteria can be quite hard to understand.细菌生物学有时会很难理解。

3 organisms   

n.有机物( organism的名词复数 )；有机体；生物；有机体系

参考例句：

• The organisms can be divided into discrete categories. 有机体可分为许多互不相联的种类。
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed. 细胞是构成一切生物的单位。

4 poisons   

n.毒药( poison的名词复数 )；酒；极糟的食物；极有害的思想（或心情等）v.毒死( poison的第三人称单数 )；污染；放毒于；对…有不良影响

参考例句：

• The poisons generated by remorse inveigh against the system, and eventually produce marked physical deterioration. 由悔恨产生的毒素侵袭着身体组织，最终造成明显的体质恶化。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• She has put into the small, unwise head of the chipmunk the untutored fear of poisons. 花栗鼠愚蠢的小脑袋里却有天生的对于毒药的恐惧。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

6 expel   

vt.把...开除，驱逐，放逐，排出，喷出

参考例句：

• They were told at first that they should simply expel the refugees.一开始有人告诉他们应该直接将那些难民驱逐出境。
• The headmaster may expel the boy from the school.校长可能要把那个男孩从学校开除。

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

8 barrier   

n.栅栏，障碍，壁垒，关卡

参考例句：

• You must show your ticket at the barrier.你在关卡处必须出示许可证。
• The driver jumped a horse over a barrier.骑手骑马跳过障碍。

9 vacuum   

n.真空，空间，真空吸尘器；adj.真空的，产生(利用)真空的；v.用吸尘器打扫

参考例句：

• Sound waves will not travel through a vacuum.声波在真空里不能传播。
• He sells vacuum cleaners.他经销真空吸尘器。

10 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

11 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

12 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。