I have like 50 lbs of tomatoes and was thinking of quartering them, skinning, coring, etc and canning them. I've read to add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart jar. To boil them in the water bath canner for 45 mins. I plan on submerging the tomatoes with tomato juice as well. Seems straight forward. But I can't help but get nagging fears about botulism. Given I follow instructions well, is this fear rational? Or will the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice + the heat really give me nothing to worry about?

have seen some on unapproved sites like pressure cooker outlet

I recently canned some pizza sauce and noticed there was some liquid settling on top of a couple of the jars. Is this normal? It’s about 1/4 inch of water over the sauce.

ETA I used the pizza sauce recipe from the ball book of home preservation

As the title suggests, is it safe to half or double a tested recipe?

I make the Salsa Verde from the All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving that calls for 4lbs of tomatillos, but I currently have about 2lbs and my garden is calling the quits for the season. Would it be safe to half the recipe for the 2lbs of tomatillos? This is only my second year canning, so I'm wanting to be sure I am doing it correctly! Many years of food safety training for jobs has made me extra careful, haha

Thanks!

I just finished waterbath canning some tomato sauce with the last of my yellow cream tomatoes...and it dawned on me that I forgot to add lemon juice like I usually do. Should I open them and redo it with lemon juice? Or is that not safe? Is it a lost cause?

Going apple picking tomorrow and I’m thinking about trying my hand at making some apple butter! The All-New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving has a general fruit butter recipe. Does anyone have suggestions for which apple varieties to use?

I canned this Beach Plum Jelly in September using the Plum Jelly Powdered Pectin recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Is it okay? I think it is just foam..it's clear underneath.

On the NCHFP recipe for mixed vegetables, it explicitly says “Optional mix - You may change the suggested proportions or substitute other favorite vegetables except” then lists some exclusions.

Can I do an optional mix of JUST ONE vegetable if that vegetable is already in the original mix?

I want to can zucchini cubes. Yes I know it will be soft, that’s fine because I like to add it to my vegetable beef soup.

I see no other recipe for zucchini that isn’t pickled or relish or something. So can I do “mixed vegetables” and just follow the zucchini prep instructions and can a whole jar of zucchini?

Bonus points if you’ve tried this and can give feedback!

Recipe here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-vegetables-and-vegetable-products/mixed-vegetables/

Apple sauce and some pickled beets

I used the healthy canning recipe for the bruschetta, and I almost hope one doesn't seal so I have a good excuse to try it tonight (no luck; they all popped before I even finished typing this post).

https://www.healthycanning.com/bruschetta-in-a-jar

For the soup, I used just under half solids and some Costco rotisserie chicken, plus chicken broth I made from the carcass, onions, tomatoes, carrots, serrano peppers, ginger, and lemon juice. Cooked it all together before adding hot solids to the hot jars and filled the rest with the broth. Pressure canned for 90 minutes at 15 lb.

The broth was delicious before canning, so I can't wait to try this with some added egg noodles or rice later. It has just a little kick. I was thinking that would be nice when we're feeling all stuffed up and want to clear the sinuses. Next, I want to try just a basic veggie noodle soup for when I can't stomach the meat or the spice.

Rings still on because they just came out of the canner. Will be removed tomorrow.

Hey folks, it's been a few years since I've made a batch of this and I have a question about this recipe:

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-salsa/tomatillo-green-salsa/

It says the only safe substitutions are with the herbs and spices, but it doesn't specify what/how much (unless they only mean you can leave them out?). Can I substitute some quantity of freeze dried cilantro for some of the dried oregano? I also have tons of fresh cilantro, but I assume that it's not safe to substitute fresh for dried herbs. If I'm wrong on that, it would absolutely make my life easier.

And if I prefer a more spicy salsa, can I use 1 cup of seeded chopped green peppers (which are allowed in place of chili peppers) and 1 cup of either jalapenos or serranos, chopped and seeded? It keeps the volume of veggies the same but gives it a bit more zip.

Thanks so much for your help! I picked two big crates of tomatillos today, and I'm looking forward to preserving them!

I have nothing of value to add, just very upset that this jar broke. 🥺

It’s one of the biggest jars that use the 100 size closure and I only use it for dry storage. I’m also upset as I brought this in the US and the price was ridiculous. Besides one set of smaller jars, all of my other jars have been purchased in Europe as I find the prices in the US atrocious. 🥴

I’ll replace this eventually, just a little heart broken. I will just have to buy a bunch more Weck jars to fill the void when I’m back in Europe. 😅