Violet

She does MANY unsafe and crazy things !!! I would not ever follow any of her advice for home food preserving. She has no training, just makes up her own things. What will people do if they get sick or poisoned when something really happens and we may not have any health care ??

It is NOT safe. It is too thick and dense. Some sort of liquid must be added for safety reasons. Please, and I keep repeating myself, don't follow what you see on peoples blogs and from books and websites where people who have no food preservation safety training publish this stuff, if you value your safety and the safety of your loved ones. You can get botulism.....

Canning tomatoes. Just taking them out of the canner. Just half the box was ripe, so will have to wait to can the rest later. They look good, though. Not much floating at all. Canned some of the juice by itself since they had so much juice in them. No need to waste it!

Well, sorry you didn't call me at my office ! I would have told you that adding broth is best. Now you know. At least you can still use the meat. Next time you will know to do it better. You can always send me a PM and I will answer as soon as I can.

Soak in epsom salts. I rub Aspercream on my feet each day before I put my socks on. Guess won't stay on your hands, though. My doctor says to take plain aspirin, too.

Each thing you do to prepare is just one thing better ! I am making my own soap now. We love the stuff. Shampoo bar, bath soap, shaving soap, all in one ! Then, some of my first batch I am going to grate and make laundry soap out of it. May try dish soap out of it, too. Was a different recipe the first time and not our favorite. Just keep learning and doing as much as you can. It all helps and adds up !

Raw pack with broth. I usually use boneless skinless chicken thighs. I suppose if I started with raw legs I would cook a bit to get the meat off the bones. Still would pack in broth.

Sorry, double post. I am having a hard time getting posts to load at all today. Very slow...

If they are 3/4, then I would say OK. The ones half full may have too much air in them and not a good seal. Can you open them and use them in a few days ? Or do you have too many ? All that air may cause the tops to dry out and also turn dark. I always use broth in my meats, not raw pack by itself. I find it turns out a better product.

I buy chuck roasts or chuck steak and cut it up. They have chuck roast on sale here, too. I hope to get some to can.

Canned a box of peaches and one box of tomatoes. Need at least 2 more boxes of tomatoes.

None of them are safe ! Not even enough acid for the tomatoes alone, let alone adding low acid things. PLEASE, do not use links like this online. Stick with USDA tested sites. The recipe for stewed tomatoes would never be safe in a BWB canner. They must be pressure canned. There are plenty of safe recipes from the University of Georgia or the BAll Blue book that a person doesn't need these dangerous recipes and sites.

You could remake it, but the texture is more gummy like. Not really what I prefer to do, but it works. Then you can always stir in some instant Clear Jel and it will thicken up each jar as you use it. Not the regular kind, but the instant Clear Jel.

I think chuck meat is the best for canning. I use beef boullion in my jars. You can add it and leave 1 inch headspace. You don't have to raw pack meat. The broth gives a better product in my opinion. You don't need to precook, but browning is nice. I do that when I am not overly busy. I like the end results when I brown it first. Then you have the broth to thicken after opening. There is also beef in wine sauce from BAll blue book that is good. The only thing with the stew is that you don't have that much meat as in just a jar of plain meat. I can mushrooms by themselves and that way I can add to foods that I want them in. I used some on pizza last night.

I used vanilla vodka last time. It is really good. Before I used plain vodka.

I think the jalapeno salsa in Ball Blue Book is good, too. I feel canned out this week ! However, I am juicing crabapples and making jelly now.... never a dull moment. I forget what a dull moment is.

It should be good since it is sweet. I would use it.

Also, homecanned dill pickles are not softer than store ones. Not unless you used cukes that were not freshly picked or you have hard water. You can add Pickle Crisp to the brine, too, and that will keep them crisp. It is calcium chloride, what the commercial industry uses. You can buy in stores with canning supplies from Ball, called Pickle Crisp for home food preserving.

You are probably using an unsafe recipe to start with. If it is old, it was most likely made to use vinegar that was at least 7% acidity. Nowdays you must use 5 % acidity vinegar, no 4 % acidity, and you need at LEAST half vinegar to water ratio for pickles for the brine. Some veggies need full vinegar, not diluted. Then, ALL pickles need processing, too. Not just heating and putting a lid on them. They need to be done in a boiling water bath canner. Your pickles could have botulism, since you used an old recipe. Take all of that and put in a big trash bag, tie shut and toss. Jars and all. Do NOT open them up or you may contaminate yourself with potential botulism. Yes, toss the jars and all. Please, do not instruct people to try to save the jars when there is potential botulism ! Jars should not be stored with the rings on. They rust on, plus food can be underneath and mold, etc. The only reason you need a ring is to hold the flat lid on during processing. If they are sealed, then they are sealed and won't come off unless, as in this case, their is spoilage and it breaks the seal. You wash all jars of food in warm soapy water, along with the rings off the jars. Dry them, label the jars, and store. Store the rings in a container or something where they will be able to be used year after year. Safe recipe that is good for pickles. I use this one :KosherDill (Heinz Recipe) 4 lbs pickling cukes 14 cloves garlic, peeled & split 1/4 cup pickling salt 2 3/4 cups distilled or apple cidervinegar 5% acidity 2 3/4 cups water 12 to 14 sprigs fresh dill weed (or 2 T. dried dill weed or dried dill seed perjar) 28 peppercorns Wash cucumbers; remove 1/16 inch from blossom end, cut in half lengthwise.Combine garlic and next 3 ingredients; heat to boiling. Remove garlic and place4 halves into each clean jar, then pack cucumbers, adding 2 sprigs of dill and4 peppercorns. Pour hot vinegar solution over cucumbers to within 1/2 inch oftop. Immediately adjust covers as jar manufacturer directs. Process 10 minutesin BWB. Makes 6-7 pints. Ifyou want hot pickles, add dried hot chilis to each jar.

I don't like the Tattler lids. They don't pop when they seal, they also can have a false seal on them. I had one that looked sealed, but when taking off, it just came off so easily. It could not have been sealed. It was jam, so it was OK, and not like something that could have had botulism. Plus, I don't want to have to store all those plastic lids and rubber rings. When I take off a lid I want to just toss it and not have to wash them. I could not afford enough for all the jars of food I can. I got 2,500 lids in bulk and use them instead. Got from Lehmans online.

The Chinese make plastic eggs... seriously, then are melamine or something. They make the insides as well as a shell. They look real and they are being sold in China. The people say they taste just like eggs. I saw a whole show on it and how they do it. How horrid !

5 qts. pinto beans, 38 or so pints of chili.

That is not flu, but either food poisoning or something like norovirus. Flu is cough, congestion, fever, chills. Not an intestinal issue.

NIce ! Honey is expensive. No, heating vinegar will not harm it.

It is in the current Ball Blue Book. Page 68.