I definitely need some calcium chloride for the next round of pickles. These are from 06 so it's not too surprising that they're mushy! I cut my 2008 bread and butter pickles into thicker slices and ended up with a texture more to my liking. So far I've pureed one jar of them and mixed with catsup and some additional spices to make sloppy joes. They were okay but a *little* on the "weird" side. My younger son said, "Hey, what's this whitish-greenish seed looking thing??" (I think it was a mustard seed!) and my elder son said, "I don't know, but I smell pickles!" LOL! Thanks for all the suggestions for ways to use these. The peas, pickles, and cheese salad sounds kind of, how shall I say....yucky! :-D I appreciate the idea, however, and just might find myself intrigued enough to try it some day! I don't really do macaroni salad, but potato salad is a thought, as are the deviled eggs. I have chopped up sweet pickles and put them into tuna salad in the past, so that could be another option. I've never eaten sweet pickles on a green salad--could be interesting! The tip about pickling the beets with the leftover brine sounds good, since I also have a couple pints of home canned beets lurking in the closet!

Hi, kweeper, welcome to the forum! I am not familiar with this product, but I had a look at the lid you linked to. It says they're designed for water-bath canning, which to me implies standard canning jars; it also says it's size G70, and some of the jars on the site, like the one I've linked to below, say they have standard mason jar openings and also say they take size G70, so it sure looks to me like you're good. http://www.fillmorecontainer.com/Jars/16-oz-Economy-Jar-CT.htm I bought a bunch of one-piece lids from Kitchen Krafts a few years ago to make some slightly fancier-looking jams, etc. for my friend's wedding favours, and they worked great. They didn't have a "button" but you could tell when it sealed as the whole lid curved in a bit, then popped up, presumably the same idea. http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=PG1991 I see KK now also is listing a button lid that looks exactly like the ones in your link, and THEY say it fits regular mason jars. http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=PG1999 Sure seems like a good bet to me. Let us know how they work out, eh? Afraid I can't help with the six-ounce jars. I suggest giving two different 4-oz ones. ;-) (Any excuse to do more canning!) Enjoy, Zabby

Yes you can use it. It only counts if it has been well sealed to a jar as that causes a marked indentation in the sealing compound. Keep in mind that lids only need to be heated to 180 degrees for 10 mins and they should not be boiled. And that jars only need to be sterilized if they are going to be processed for less than 10 mins. Anything that is processed for 10 mins. or longer does not require pre-sterilization. Dave

I have 4 kids so we do try to be frugal whenever possible! We save printer paper that is only printed on one side for scratch paper. We save school notes that are one sided so my kids can draw or do math problems on the other. We save big plastic yogurt containers and such for leftovers. Why buy tupperware?? And with these containers I can sent leftovers home with family when they come over for a big meal. I also save grocery store bags and pack my kids school lunches in them instead of buying those small paper bags. We save napkins from the bags of fast food restaurants. We also save the condiment packets and use them when needed or to pack in school lunches. I save some sales flyers for my kids to do crafts with. I also save some egg containers and some cereal boxes for the same thing. Sometimes we stuff newspaper inside some food boxes and tape the top shut. Then my kids play store with those items till they are falling apart and we then recycle them in our recycling bin. When a board game is missing too many pieces to use anymore we still save the pieces and my kids use them for crafts or to invent new games. I save all gift bags we receive presents in and most of the tissue paper. We then reuse them to give gifts. If my kids get a present they don't really like or my dh or I get a present I don't really need (and we have no gift receipt) they go on a closet shelf and are re-gifted to someone different for a birthday or holiday. If my kids tear out the knees of a pair of pants then I cut and sew to make them shorts or capris for that spring and summer. If my kids get a stain on anywhere but the sleeve of one of those long sleeve t-shirts then they wear it under a regular t-shirt for a new winter shirt. When I get address labels in the mail from one of those places that try to get you to donate money I save them and actually use them! I have never paid to get address labels made. When we are expecting rain we put a few buckets outside to catch the rain and then use that water later to water plants. Speaking of water we have all made a conscious effort to save on our water bill by turning off the water when brushing our teeth and only turn it on to rinse our toothbrush instead of leaving it on the whole time. We also all try to turn the shower off as we lather up with soap and shampoo and then turn it back on to rinse off. If we have pencils that are too small to write with anymore, but have good erasers left we save them so we can still use the eraser.