Just looked up that recipe and it sounds super! I almost always use Granny Smith apples in recipes because they are always available in stores here in Misery and I love the sweet/sour taste. Other favorites? tracydr writes > ... If using the mushrooms, could I use dried instead? Drying mushrooms seems to really intensify the flavor. Yeah, I know... duh! I just mean more than expected. The "browning and seasoning sauce" in the recipe is something new to me & was surprised to see cornstarch.

An update - popped open a jar of our tweaked chili sauce tonight (we're calling it our "North of the Border" chili sauce - did another batch tweaking the spices to make a "South of the Border" flavor). DH's comment - "Don't you dare change a thing - it's gooood". I think it just needed some time to meld all the flavors back together. Weird how that happens - in the future I certainly won't start making notes on what to change without tasting it after being on the shelf for a couple of months.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the recipe would look something like this with your "tweaks" (I have doubled the tomatoes, or rather left them the same while halving the other ingredients and leaving out the hot peppers, so this still makes something like 5 pints rather than 10 which would not fit in *my* BWB): Tweaked recipe (makes app. 5 pints?) Ball Zesty Salsa Recipe (from freshpreserving.com) 10 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (about 25 medium) 2.5 cups chopped seeded green bell peppers (about 2 large) 2.5 cups chopped onions (about 3 to 4 medium or 1 large) 5 oz cider vinegar (or lemon/lime juice)* 1.5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (app. 1.5 tsp) 1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro 1/2 Tbsp salt 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, optional *Note this is halving the acid, as previously noted this may be borderline, it would be safer to increase the acid to compensate for the "increased" volume of tomatoes. NCHFP acidification for tomatoes is 1 Tbsp per pint (2C), so that would be 2.5Tbsp (1.25 oz) of lemon (or lime) juice for the 5 "additional" cups, assuming the original recipe had *just* enough acid (vinegar) with no wiggle room. If using vinegar it would be 5 Tbsp (2.5oz) additional, for a total of 7.5oz (so say 1C). There is still the density issue as Dave said - though I think that "substituting" 5 cups of tomatoes in the (halved) recipe for 1 1/4C peppers would help, it really depends on what kind of tomatoes you're using. Now, compare above "recipe" with Annie's tested/approved recipe: Annie's Salsa Recipe 8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2-1/2 cups onion, chopped 1-1/2 cups green pepper, chopped 3 - 5 jalapenos, chopped (app 1/4C) 6 cloves garlic (may be reduced) 2 teaspoons cumin (may be reduced) 2 teaspoons ground black pepper (may be reduced) 1/8 cup canning salt (or to taste) 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (may be reduced) 1/3 cup sugar (optional) 1 cup 5% apple cider vinegar 2 cups (16 oz.) tomato sauce 2 cups (16 oz.) tomato paste Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into hot pint jars, seal and process in a boiling water canning bath for 15 minutes. Makes about 6 pints Annie's does have about 3/4C less low-acid ingredients and 2C less tomato, plus adds tomato sauce to thin it out (though my notes say that it is optional - if you're using beefsteaks and not paste tomatoes it may be thin enough, you may want to add more paste and less/no sauce, just make sure it's soupy). See the thread linked below for complete notes (malna, I had made the same notes myself, took a lot of digging through old threads!). That thread also has link to NCHFP salsa acidification guidelines. All in all, I think you're better off just trying Annie's.

Tried this the other night--sort of "cabbage rolls/Polish Pigs" without the rice-- nice change of pace. Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: 2014/15/16--to try--main dishes & sides Unstuffed Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage ================================ source: Gourmet 11/2008 1 (2-pound) head green cabbage, quartered or cut into sixths-- lengthwise and cored 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, divided 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 pound ground beef chuck 1/2 pound ground pork 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice 1/3 cup dried cranberries 3 tablespoon red-wine vinegar 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley Accompaniment: steamed rice . Cook onion and remaining garlic in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in ground meats along with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, cranberries, vinegar, and brown sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt. Sear cabbage pieces lightly in bacon grease then place in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet with broth, 1 garlic clove (sliced), and a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook, covered, turning cabbage occasionally, until very tender, about 45 minutes. (Add more broth or water if necessary.) Pour sauce into skillet with cabbage and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/unstuffed-sweet-and-sour-cabbage-350572 Unstuffed cabbage