I called for an explanation of the date codes and the crab was 4 years past - threw that out. Goya said not to use the paella either. We'll just have to see about the older chocolate - DD wants to make brownies this weekend so we'll just add some chocolate chunks. Found the studs (builders missed every single screw, and not all had anchors, 1 anchor pulled out), Secured the wire shelves but they still sag from the weight of flour, sugar, oils and vinegars so I may just make plywood or melamine shelves with cleats like we had in the old house. Not that I don't have enough to do... But when I was at my favorite store looking for shoe boxes without lids or similar to corral small items in pantry, I found an electric pressure cooker for $12! Tried it out tonight with frozen ham bone - 1 hour to make stock, then I turned it on "Brown" setting (329 degrees according to manual), added 3 cans of white beans and some spinach, we had soup for dinner in less than 1.5 hours from frozen bone. It wasn't in box but had manual, warranty card, and the little plastic thing that fits over the plug prongs so I think it was brand new. Just have to try Steam and Slow Cook settings, I'm hoping it will replace my slow cooker and rice steamer.

Deanna, I thought about straining out the juice, but if I had made the jam from the unfrozen fruit, it would have had the juice and I'm concerned that not using it would take away too much of the fruit's flavor. It doesn't take that much more boiling time to reduce the juice. It's the same juice that would be drawn out of the fruit by the sugar when you macerate it. I have thought about perhaps straining the juice and reducing it a bit then adding it back into the solids when making something like a pie or crisp to keep the crust from getting soaked from the already liberated juice and to keep the solid pieces from getting overcooked.

The food charts I have for how long you can keep bananas in the freezer gave no amounts of time, and one said "extended freezer time" - whatever that means (LOL). I guess the goal should be to use the frozen bananas in a timely manner (few months), but I was moving some things around in my refrigerator freezer and I found several ripe bargain bananas that were quick-frozen then placed in a FoodSaver bag, vacuum-sealed shut -- early last summer and promptly forgotten about. I made them into banana bread the other day for yet one more offering to the "throngs" for breakfast during their Christmas visit. When you vacuum-seal peeled bananas (or most food destined for freezer storage), they will last longer than in a typical storage bag because they are stored oxygen-free. Oxygen-free storage prevents the moisture inside the food from migrating from the surface of the food into the bag, drying out or creating ice crystals in the bag. A food science tidbit about using overly-ripe bananas for banana bread. When a banana bread recipe only calls for baking soda as the only chemical leavening, overly-ripe bananas are not as acid (6.5-7.0 pH) as a regular banana (4.6 pH) in order to react in partnership with the baking soda. The reaction may be a weak one resulting in a heavy banana bread. A good banana bread recipe, one that ensures adequate leavening, will use both baking powder and baking soda. If the recipe only has baking soda, make sure a portion of the bananas aren't overly-ripe, or there is another ingredient in the recipe that provides an acid ingredient. That could be some lemon juice added to the bananas to keep them from oxidizing and turning dark, orange juice, honey used as the sweetener, or yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk, which are all acid foods that will react with the baking soda. -Grainlady

Cindy, I'm not as WonderWoman as I used to be, since I am retired. It's much less busy than it was back when I was a single Mom with a full time job and still trying to help Dad farm. Just as well, I'm not sure I want to do it all any more, it's someone else's turn. Now I just want to do what I like, which is cooking and canning and farming! Thanks, AKgirl, but as you can see from my "failed bread" thread, I come here for expert instruction myself. I can tell you how to can venison or pluck a chicken or grow tomatoes, but darned if I can get that 100% whole wheat bread right. That's fine, I like a challenge sometimes. Angelaid, my husband and kids are spoiled so they'd eat it but they'd ask if I felt OK or if the oven was broke. (grin) Elery never baked much so I'm sure his kids would eat it without question, as would all of the grandkids on both sides of our blended family. I just like to bake, so I do. Annie