Violet

Both of you have posted some really nice step by step instructions. The finished loaves of bread look wonderful ! Thanks for giving the lessons.

The soup should be canned in chunks, like regular canned winter squash, then puree after opening. It is the adding of additional fats/butter/oil that is unsafe. Also, plain butter is not safe to can. If it were, it would need a pressure canner since the ph is very high. I contacted Elizabeth Andress about the butter. She said it was not safe. She is the lady who wrote the USDA canning guidelines. As for the venison, there will be some fat, but they also tell you to remove excess fat prior to canning. I know some cook the meat, then put in the fridge, remove the fat layer. Then heat to boiling point again, put in the jars and process. It is safe to can using these guidelines : http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/mod01/01600849.html

The starches also include flour, tapioca, and no barley, either. Starches change the density, also the ph of a food. Flour has a very high ph level. This is why you don't can fats/butter/oil.The fats surround particles of food, allowing botulism to even survive pressure canning. I know there are a few tested recipes that allow for adding oil to saute in, but those recipes are highly tested for safe preservation. That, and a few HIGHLY acidified marinated pickled items. Again, not all foods can be processed in that manner. No bacon added to green beans for above reason. Some foods protect the botulism spores differently than others. No thickening of tomato product before canning, not salsas, not ketchup, etc. not even with Clear Jel. Clear jel is only approved for canning pie fillings or jams. It is because they are high acid foods, not low acid or borderline acidic foods. The canned breads and cakes are not safe even for short storage. They should never be sealed. Only made and put in the fridge for a few days or frozen. The seal will create the anerobic condition in which botulism grows. No canning of pickled eggs. I know someone said eggs, but this include pickled eggs. Potatoes must be peeled before canning. The peel harbors the botulism spores since they were in the dirt. No amount of scrubbing can insure it is gone. It is the stuff you can't see that can grow. That is all I can think of to add right now.

I use Pomona's Universal Pectin because you only need about 4 tsp. per batch of jam. You can use sugar, no sugar, honey, anything you want. I use Splenda in mine. Most of the time you order it online from Pomona's. You can buy in bulk from them or in packets. Packets can be bought at some health food type stores. One box will make approx. 20 cups of jam.

Check the packages of the Ball mixes, they may already have dehydrated veggies in them. You could pressure can salsa with less vinegar for 35 min. You still need some vinegar in it. As for making salsa, you should not drain the tomatoes. You need the juice for the right density when canning it. If it is too thick the heat will not be able to penetrate it to safely can it. I also make Annie's salsa. (Hey, Annie is getting married, BTW !) I read the post about the jars on the bottom of the canner. It is also for circulation of the water all the way around the jars, that is partly why a rack is used. That and so they don't break. It is good salsa, for sure. Mine doesn't get any hotter as it sits. I think yours will be fine, Happy Camper.

Yes, it is boiling water bath processed for the pickled garlic.

You can use your convection oven but it will be expensive to run. Walmart has some good basic dehydrators. The American Harvest/Nesco is usually good to start with. I suggest the 500 watt ones. Need a dehydrator with a good fan and heat source. Otherwise it will take forever to dry and some things can mold or spoil before they dry. I have two of the American Harvest 500 watt dryers. I even bought several for gifts.

You should start with 2-3 inches of water in the bottom of a canner. My old canner book says 2 quarts, but now the recommendation is 2-3 inches of water. It should not go dry with that amount, if so, then you probably have a leak in the seal. When you can soups, you fill the jars half full of the solids, the other half of the jar with the liquid part. That should keep it from being too thick. Here is a link to National Center for Home food preservation on canning soups. I know you need to have dried beans fully rehydrated before you add them to soup, but I try to not overcook them. : http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/soups.html Barley is considered a thickener and should not be added to soups or other canned vegetable/meat products. http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/pepin/flp/docu...ablesSafely.pdf

You can also use a baby nasal bulb syringe instead of a neti pot. They only cost about a dollar. That is what my ENT doctor recommends for use. I also have a really good thing called a Nasalene. It is a large syringe type deal with a large rubber tip on it. A friend of mine that works for an ENT doctor sent it to me. I use it all the time.

I agree, I think you would wind up with a tiny bit of mushrooms in the jars if you didn't cook them first. I love them canned as marinated mushrooms !