Trudy

I wanted to try that recipe Andrea, but didn't want to to pay the price for that much red wine vinegar. I'm still thinking about doing it using cider vinegar. I still have a lot of purple onions that I need to do something with. Let us know what you decide to do, and how it turns out. We have a restaurant supply but I never looked for vinegars there! I'll have to check it out!

I use the rack from my regular pressure cooker. It is smaller the one from my canner.

Happy Birthday Canned Nerd! Be sure to make a wish and blow out all the candles!

My internet has been down, but I still want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKI!!

I never could get Smashwords to take my credit card #. It kept saying to 'enter a valid credit card # and type' even though I had already entered it?? The Amazon link worked the first try, so I have it now!! If I didn't have so much canning to do I would start it right now. I guess I can wait until I fall in bed tonight. lol

oops! Found the recipe in 'So Easy To Preserve". I really did check there first, but looked under 'figs' instead of 'strawberries'. A friend of dh at work brought me 4 gallons of figs today to can on halves. He wanted strawberry figs for his part. I have had them before and they're good but too sweet for me. The recipe just calls for 3 C. mashed figs, 3 C. sugar, and 2 boxes of strawberry jello. I'm wondering if you could use the sugar free jello since there is already so much sugar in the recipe?? Anyone ever try that??

Is there a safe recipe for Strawberry Figs? I know that usually you can't use gelatin in canning, but I think I remember someone talking about a recipe on here. I've tried a search, but couldn't find a recipe.

I just finished 77 Days in September. It is hard for me to find something I can't put down, but this was one of them! I just started What So Proudly We Hail. Hope it is good.Thanks ANewMe for the list.

Windmorn, Were you talking about the vinyl screen or the wax paper? Jeepers, do you poke holes in the wax paper, or just leave solid?

Thanks Mt_Rider and CGA. I had already decided to not try the cheese cloth. when I read the comments on drying jalapenos, it said that they would put off a strong smell and might iritate your eyes. I already have trouble just cutting them for salsa, so I decided to just order some already dehydrated. They should be here in 2 days. I really appreciate your speedy answers though!

I'm ordering a nesco dehydrator friday, but in the meantime I need to dehydrate some peppers with my old dehydrator. It doesn't have a screen for small stuff, and I wondered if I might use a piece of cheesecloth on the tray to keep the pieces from falling through the tray? Anyone have a better idea?

Violet, I use citric acid in my tomatoes. That is the same as using lemon juice, isn't it? If not I can use the lemon juice.

Happy Birthday Madison!

I want to can some tomatoes with only a tiny amount of jalapeno pepper. Could I add about 1/4 of a pepper to a jar of raw packed tomatoes and process as usual, without having to add vinegar? Or maybe add a little dehydrated jalapeno and still raw pack them?

Andrea, I have been canning my tomatoes with 1/2 the salt for several years now, and I don't notice the difference anymore. Not sure if I'm ready for salt-free yet, but I was thinking about trying 1/4 t. per quart next time. You are welcome AH. I think you will like the difference. Now I will tell about the experiment that didn't turn out as well. I have been wanting to try the Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup from Gardenweb so I asked Violet about it and she said it was safe to can. So... the first batch was so good I decided to make a quadruple batch. I had everything on the roasting pan and ran out of garlic. I finished the soup without the garlic and put it in the fridge overnight.I tasted it the next morning, and it was the best soup I have ever tasted! BUT- It was supposed to be tomato-garlic SO.. I wraped the garlic in foil and roasted it- added to soup and processed. I noticed it was a little dark when it came out of the canner so I tasted it. :yuk: It was so bitter I ended up dumping 20 jars of soup. I guess it was the large amount of garlic. The recipe called for 2 heads of garlic for each batch, so I added 8 heads for 4 batches. (I only used 4 or 5 cloves (roasted on the pan with the tomatoes, onions and carrots) for the first batch that was so good.) I will make this soup again, just add less garlic. Here is a pic of the first batch before it was blended, and yes it is as good as it looks! Just less garlic next time!

Violet, Where can I find the recipe for the tomato strawberry jam? My 2 favorite foods in one jar...bound to be good! I wish I could send you some of my tomatoes. I should have taken a picture of 2 10 ft. tables, a card table, and box lids everywhere of beautiful red tomatoes! I always get at least 10 boxes every year (250 pounds). Sometimes I go twice. I have been buying from the same people for over 30 years, and I still only pay $5 for a 25 pound box. (Already picked) I picked up my order last Sunday and imagine my surprise when I saw that they were all red and ready to can!! Usually they are at different stages so I can put up a couple canners full every other day or so,but with so much rain, they hadn't been able to pick all week. I have been working day and night trying to get them all done. Makes me think of mom11 and her canning marathons ( except I don't have no chicks to help me) ! I sure miss her posts!

Before I found MrsS and learned to stay up to date on canning changes, I always canned my tomatoes from my 1981 BBB. Raw packed in own juice in bwb for 45 mins. I know now to add citric acid and process for 85 mins., but that turns them to sauce. It's kinda hard to change after doing something the same way for more than 40 years, but last year I decided to try crushed tomatoes and then pressure canned tomatoes, but didn't like those either. So this year I tried adding the calcium cloride (aka pickle crisp) and they turned out great! I'm a happy canner now!! Look at the difference! Left side bwb 85 mins WITH 1/2 t. calcium cloride ... Right side bwb 85 mins without calcium cloride! Tonight we are having pepper steak with tomato chunks instead of tomato sauce.

7 quarts and 1 pint of Violet's Sweet Chunks, and 7 quarts red potatoes. My first attempt with potatoes, and they turned out great! I'm a happy canner!

7 pints of blueberry pie filling.... I was kinda nervous about attempting the blueberry pie filling because I have read so many posts saying it didn't turn out good. I made a double recipe from the BB so I would have a canner full of pints (And a little left over). I cut the clear jell down to 1 cup instead of 1 1/3, but it was still too thick, so I thinned it down some and it turned out very good! I think I'll try about 2/3 cup on the next double batch.

35 quarts green beans, 15 jars dewberry jelly, and 21 pints blueberries. I put 15 quarts of sweeet corn and 3 gallons of blueberries in the freezer. I want to try blueberry pie filling with the 2 gallons of berries I have left. Boy, I'm tired and canning season has just started!

The best freezer I ever owned was a huge chest type from Sears. It had 2 rows of sliding baskets and I put milk crates across the bottom. It was so easy to sort everything in baskets! I had a soft absorbent cotton mop that I used just for reaching the bottom when defrosting. I kept that one for twenty-something ? years. Then we bought a mobile home (less space) and went with an upright. NOT happy! It's great if you have all square boxes or stuff that stacks well. If not, it's kinda hard to stack whole chickens, turkey or anything odd shaped, and always have something from the 'pile' falling out and landing on your foot. I hope to one day have enough room for another chest freezer! (I do agree about the back strain though)

I just finished 'After The Storm', and it was good! Reading 'Deep Winter' series now.

I don't know why that wouldn't be just as good or even better, IF only my foodsaver were working! lol I really need to invest in a new one.

WOW what a house! Congrats to you and your family. Hope your move goes well.

Happy Birthday Stephanie! Hope your day was everything you wanted it to be.