While it is safe, you may want to do a comparison "test" of frozen vs. canned to see which you prefer long-term. Sugar does offer its own preservative qualities, so without some level of sugar you're likely going to experience changes in texture, color and flavor over time on the shelf. Sweetness can be introduced with other ingredients, but unless you use honey or other natural equivalents you will find there are some other losses. Also, you might want to try small batches with sucralose or alternatives and see if there are issues over time with bitterness. Carol

Rhubarb has a pH of 3.1-3.4. There seems to be a misapprehension about the use of lemon juice in many preserves. Except for a few fruits (i.e. figs, melons, bananas) or savory jellies such as pepper jellies lemon juice or other acid is not required for safety in sweet preserves. Lemon juice is often added to improve the set, especially in traditional preserves without commercial pectin. To set a preserve needs a proper balance of acid+pectin+sugar and sometimes it can be difficult to achieve that balance. Rhubarb is traditionally regarded as an "unreliable setter." It is often preserved in combination with other fruits higher in natural pectin. If a rhubarb recipe calls for lemon juice it's to improve the likelihood of a good set. Carol

As mentioned, the Villware is a very efficient machine and will make very short work of berries and their juices. The Chinois is used for very small jobs, and is just too labor intnsive to deal wth getting all the berries to release their juices. The older Foley that has teh crank on the top, isn't as aefficient in getting juices out either, s its paddle applies very little direct pressure on the fruits when its cranked. The Villware comes with a screen with holes that can handle tomatoes with ease. No cooking is needed and they can crank out a lot of tomatoes without skins and seeds. The desging is such that its a spiral auger that forces the juices out the holes and carries the seeds and waste out the end. I run that waste through a second time so it gets all the rest of the liquid. To do raspberries, you would need the finer holed 'berry screen'. I have had no problems making totally seedless red raspberry jam with this, and the later designs use twist on connical sieves and have a O ring seal on the cranking shaft. Mine has a motor unit too, so when I do tomatoes, a bushel can be done in just few minutes. The very old models of these food mills have wing nuts on the body that hold the sieves on, and some older ones sometimes have moving shafts that tend to leak. My old one did that, but the newer one doesn't leak a bit.

Sigh -- it won't grow in NC even in the mountains. It is just too humid in this State and doesn't get or stay cold long enough or ground frozen deep enough as it does in the Northern States, which is what it needs, and it gets too warm in the summer for them. In my research, here and there are a few old plants growing in NC but they are always spindly and bitter rather than sour. Having been raised in Ohio I remember that everybody seemed to have a pass-a-long heritage rhubarb plant and I thought it would grow anywhere. Not so. Sigh -- Sure would be nice to trade some rhubarb stems from zone 4 or 5 for our native Muscadine or Scuppernog grapes zone 6, 7 (best), 8 and 9. I know those grapes can't be grown in the North! Nancy