Violet

This is where I order. You can even see a pic of the weight set.

http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/prestoregulators.htm

Arby,

This is a seperate three piece weight set you buy. What comes on a Presto is a counterweight.It is only meant to hold pressure in the canner, not for regulating pressure for canning. A Presto uses a dial gauge. It will keep climbing in pressure if you keep the heat on high. The dial MUST be tested before you use it as it may be off by as much as 4 lb. and it would not be safe to use. I test many brand new gauges that are bad from factory.

I contacted Presto, as well as the National Center for Home Food Preservation a year or more ago. I came up with the idea to use the weights instead. Both Presto and NCFHFP told me it was fine to do so. You then leave the dial on, but you don't have to test it before use or each year like otherwise you would need to. You then use the weight off the set for your altitude. Most everyone uses 10 lb. weight. You then use the weight and it will rattle the whole time you are using it, but it will self vent and keep the canner at 10 lb. pressure. You don't have to sit and watch that gauge the whole time. Makes life easier, for sure.

Any more questions, just ask.

You order part number 50332 for the weight set. It comes apart. You have 3 pieces. The center is 5 lb. Add one ring and you have 10 lb. , add the third piece along with the other 2 and you have 15 lb. pressure.

Andrea,

So happy to hear they loved the mushrooms ! Makes you feel really good, doesn't it, when they like things so much.

Here I can get mushrooms on sale during the year so I can them when they are cheaper.

Judy,

I enjoyed reading your post about what you are making ! The ipod bands are a really good idea.

I am also sewing aprons. My grandson is 4 and I made him an apron. Getting him some other small kitchen things. Perhaps I will make him a cookbook, too. I think it is fine to give a boy cooking things. I am embroidering some flour sack towels now for a gift. So much to do, so little time !

I also made some fabric shopping bags. They are washable, unlike many you buy in the stores.

Not sure what else I will accomplish. I need to make more jellies, too.

Powd. and liquid pectin are not interchangeable. They are added at different times during making the jam. Normally it will never gel if you use the wrong type for your recipe. Sorry !

Here is a liquid pectin recipe. You can leave out the raisins, of course.

Dutch Apple Pie Jam

1 pound tart green apples

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup water

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine

1 pouch Certo liquid fruit pectin

Peel, core and finely chop enough apples to measure 2 cups.

Place in large pan with raisins, water, lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice.

Stir in sugars and butter or margarine.

Place pan over over high heat and stir until it comes to a full boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and immediately stir in liquid fruit pectin.

Bring to full rolling boil and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Stir and skim foam for 5 minutes to prevent floating fruit. Pour quickly into jars, filling up to 1/2 in from the rim. Process in BWB for 10 min.

I am now wanting an Aebleskiver Pan. They are little round pancake things. You can put the apple pie jam in the middle of them. I didn't get to eat any on our recent anniversary trip due to my blood sugar being too high that morning. My husband said they were really good. The lady served them with apple cider and cinnamon syrup. That would be easy to can, too !

Darlene, there is a seperate recipe for the apple pie jam using liquid pectin online if you ever need it. I use powd. because it is cheaper to buy here than the liquid. Hope it gels for you. If not, you can always call it syrup ! Sometimes I add the allspice, sometimes I don't. It is all good.

I like mine about 1/4 of an inch thick. I use my applepeeler/corer/slicer handcrank machine. Works really well.

I do not dip mine in anything. I just put on the trays and dry. Takes about 4 hours, or so.

Dry until they show no signs of moisture when you bend them. I like mine crispy. Normally I go by taste. I just eat one and see how dry it is.

I store mine in ziplocs in the freezer. You don't have to, but I just do for longtime storage.

It is my understanding that gelatin products should not be canned because they are an animal product. I am not sure of the ph level of them. I should see if I can find out more about this. Of course, there isn't any info in the USDA guidelines about that.

There are always more things that pop up that I need to find solid answers on.

Interesting question for me to research.

Glad you are trying this recipe. You can make juice from those peels and make jelly or something. I save mine and add to other juices for my sugar free jellies.

This has both white and brown sugar. I get so many requests for this:

APPLE PIE JAM

4 cups tart apples, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

4 cups sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 box powdered pectin

1/2 teaspoon butter

Add water to chopped apples to measure 4 cups.(This is NOT 4 cups each, but water placed on top of the diced apples to come up to the 4 cup mark.) Place apples and water into large, heavy saucepan. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice.

Measure sugars. Stir pectin into fruit. Add butter. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in both sugars. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle quickly into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on finger tight. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Apple pie jam !!! It is so good. I really need to take time and make up some low sugar for myself. I have only made the full sugar version so far. Makes a lovely gift.

If you don't have one, those apple peeler/slicer/corer hand crank machines are great ! I found mine at the Goodwill for $4. Really saves me time.

A tip, I put down some old bath towels on the floor under the cutting board when using the peeler. Plus, I open up the drawers under and near it, too. Close a towel in the drawers. It will catch a lot of the splatters and saves me from a lot of sticky cleanup. Toss the towels in the wash and Voila ! it is mostly cleaned up.

The bacon is not safe to dry. Only jerky is safe to dry as far as meats.

Arby, yes, it can be frozen just fine that way.

You are really best off using canning/pickling salt for all canning. If you use table salt, it would be better to use uniodized anyway. It will still have anticaking agents in it, though. The iodine and anticaking leaves a sediment in the jars. It can also make foods mushy. In salsa that won't matter, but in some other things it could.

Some kosher salts have anticaking, some don't. You will find the amount you need different than regular canning salt.

I disagree, salt does not preserve the food other than in high amounts like in jerky. It also is needed for fermentation in pickles. Other than that, it can be ommited and is only for flavor.

You can check out the USDA information and find that is what they say about salt.

Yes, you can make double or triple amounts as long as you add all the acid needed in it.

Suzann,

You have the safest kind with the weights. They self vent so the pressure won't keep climbing like a dial gauge canner could.

Please, just put in a few inches of water in the bottom, no jars. Then turn on the heat. Let it steam, then time that steady stream of steam for 10 min. Then, put on the weight. It may hiss at you, but remember, it is only air, it won't bite or your canner won't explode or anything. It is just a little noise that happens for a moment. Then, as it builds pressure it will start to jiggle. On that brand it should jiggle a couple times a minute. At least that is what I have read. Check your manual as they may have changed how many time per minute it jiggles.

Then once you let it jiggle for a few minutes so you can familiarize yourself with it, turn the heat off. Let it stop jiggling and depressurize. Remove the lid and let it cool down.

Relax, it will be fine. It won't explode on you. It has a safety plug on it, too, so if anything ever did go wrong, it would pop out first. As I said, you have the safest kind of canner with that weight.

Try again, OK ?

Wow, thanks for the information ! That is not good. So many people canning and no lemon juice ? I got some citric acid crystals, so maybe I should get more than I have.

I will look if I remember at the store for the bottled lemon juice.

I use a lot of fresh lemons, too. I have it in my iced tea every day.

This seems to be increasing with more and more foods.

You will find some recipes here :

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_salsa.html

Headspace for salsa is 1/2 inch. The majority of foods are, but there are exceptions. Meats, dried beans, pie fillings are an inch. The headspace will vary on foods, but with salsa, whether BWB or pressure canner, the headspace stays the same.

You are welcome. Glad to help.

You could, but it will be more thin and the flavor will not be as rich.

No, the frostbitten tomatoes can only be frozen, not even pressure canned. Remember, the pressure canner and BWB canning instructions are equal in the way they kill bacteria. All steps, including acidification are needed for both methods. Pressure canning will not make them any more acidic. They can only safely be frozen and used at that point.

The salsa needs to be thin ! The density of the salsa is just as important as the acid level in it. You need to drain off and thicken AFTER canning it.

If you freeze tomatoes that are ripened and the vines were not dead or frostbitten, then you could freeze those, then defrost and can, since they would have already gotten their full acidity in them.

It is when they are left on the vines, the vines get frostbitten or die, then you pick them, that it is unsafe to can them. They need to be frozen and not canned later.

I hope that makes sense.

This is what USDA says:

CAUTION: DO NOT CAN

TOMATOES FROM DEAD OR FROST-KILLED VINES.

Yes, you can safely omit the cilantro.

Vlynn, I do hope your tomatoes don't die from frost. If you like green tomatoes, you may like the green tomato salsa recipe.

If it frosts, then the tomatoes are not safe to can, only freeze. They lose their acidity if they get frost bitten.

Alright, Tracie !!! It is so good ! I also cut down on the sugar last time. It was too sweet for me, as well. Next time I won't add any sugar until I taste it.

I open my jars of salsa, then add a little instant Clear jel to thicken it up before serving.

This is one of the best salsa recipes, in my opinion.