I need to jump into the thread somewhere, so I might as well do it where there has been a reference to good old Washington State, where I live ( I love it here) My wife and I are thinking about canning again after all these years, and we were wondering whether we could make do with a waterbath canner, since all we will be canning will be fruits and veg. I'm not sure we would can meat, and if I had fish, I would pickle it...
I would like to can tomato-based salsa, though my wife says modern tomatoes are not acid enough for waterbath canning.
I told my wife that if there was a distinct advantage to having a pressure canner, I sure wouldn't mind forking out a few extra bucks for that, but i'm just a dumb male, and my experience of canning consists of moving full and empty jars around when my mother needed help.
And boiling down tomatoes for catsup-what a mess, I will stick to salsa if i ever can tomatoes.
Does anyone have any generic advice on whether waterbath canners have any advantage if you are concentrating on fruits & veg?