Dave, Unfortunately, the lack of the word "bottled" when checking canning books ,articles and even recipes on this sight is pretty rampant. My canning books are not very old they are from BHG and Ortho cannning. But I did not get the recipes I use from there. In still checking the internet for canning instructions bottled is hard to find unless you are specifically googling it. The Ball blue book I have is old and doesn't specify, but I haven't used that for a recipe either. I have never been afraid of old recipes from old books or old people, as a matter of fact an old time tested recipe or method was always more appealing to me. I didn't think there was a reason for concern. How this happened is the way it could easily happen to anyone, and that is the scary part. I started canning as a teenager with my mother and grandmother. I was taught my recipes through them. No reason to think they were not safe as my entire family has been eating from these canned goods our whole lives. Becoming an adult and trying out some canning recipes of my own I stuck with the simple things, like tomatoes, sauces, relishes and jellies. I got them from books published and sold at reputable bookstores, put out by reputable companies. "Better Homes and Gardens Canning" book and "Putting Food By" Since people have been canning for years and recipes passed down from family to family, neighbor to neighbor, where was the worry? None of my books ever mentioned an expiration date on their kitchen tested recipes. And if you aren't trying a lot of new methods or trying to perfect your own recipes, You may not ever have reason to go "hunting" for the latest techniques and guidelines. And therefore never come across any new information. I didn't have a pressure canner so didn't attempt anything more complicated that a BWB could accomplish. Anything else I wanted to preserve, I'd just freeze. Getting more interested, I found Gardenweb and the wonderful community of people interested in the same things I was. Getting recipes from here is so easy and everyone is always talking about safe recipes, were very concerned about it actually, and cautioned us always to beware of other recipes off the internet, possibly not tested, which I always took to heart. I may not have done a lot of research on my own about canning methods, but I am not unaware of the dangers of food going bad. Repeatedly checking for good seals, and healthy looking jars of food. I have always used bottled juice in tomato recipes, not because it was specified but because it was more economical and handy. These days especially, everyone is more concerned about healthy eating and fresh is a no-brainer to anything bottled. Any cooking we do now, we are urged to use fresh instead of canned, or processed. Fresh herbs instead of dried, fresh vegetables instead of frozen, fresh lemons or limes instead of bottled, chemical treated juice, Of course why not? the taste would be better, use lime instead of vinegar for salsa? of course it would be a better more authentic flavor. Unless of course you knew that there was a health reason why bottled is absolutely necessary. Who would think fresh would be less healthy? Botulism is not a minor food born illness. Basically, it would be very easy for vital information to fall through the cracks. How many novice canners fall into this category? quite a few I would suspect, that is what is so scary. Obviously I need a new book, though I never thought I did before. I will be going to the bookstore and checking the "newer" canning books and looking for "bottled Juice" in their instructions. Obviously I need to be wary of recipes and if I'm going to can I need to investigate thoroughly the methods being used. Obviously canning is not just a hobby but something that takes a lot of time and dedication to do right. I just hope other novice canners will find the information they need when they need it. Or quite possibly people who do not consider themselves novice canners because they have been doing it all their lives but without any updated books or new recipes. And I really do feel that "bottled" should be specified in all recipes where it is required for food safety. Especially in todays mindset of fresh always being better. It just makes sense.

LOL! But FOAS, mousse is this year's discussion! There was a mid-20th C. dish that was (it pains me to say) popular (I only know about it because it was something my father's parents fed to my mother when she first met them, and she still talks about it). It was canned beets prepared with butter. I'm sure there must be some kind of delicious, fresh food, fine dining version of buttered beets, but there's no better way to conserve and highlight the can flavor than heating it in butter! I've had canned julienned beets served to me in salads, and they're fine. I'm not a total can snob, and I use canned tomato products and corn. But there are some vile things that come out of cans too. There's a good reason why a lot of Americans are scared of beets. :)

* Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 10:22 Another spinach lover here. We most often cook it the way Althetrainer mentioned, sauteed with garlic. I often buy the spinach pies at our Middle Eastern bakery but have never made them at home. Since I rarely buy tomatoes out of season, we eat a lot of spinach salads during the winter. I’ve posted this one before. It’s on the lighter side and a good complement to heavy dishes like lasagne. LEMON SPINACH SALAD 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms 1 lb. young spinach leaves, washed and stemmed 6 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. salt 1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese 1 clove garlic, slivered Finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon 1 hard cooked egg Freshly ground black pepper Wash mushrooms and combine with spinach. Chill. Mix oil, lemon juice, salt, cheese and garlic. Chop up egg and sprinkle over salad. Add lemon rind to salad and grind pepper on top. Pour dressing over salad right before serving and toss. Note: Best if dressing is made about an hour ahead of time and garlic pieces removed before pouring on salad. Crumbled bacon pieces can be added if desired. ------------ Vegetable timbales have always been one of our family favorites for meatless meals. It’s common to find recipes for them in early 20th century cookbooks. Photobucket SPINACH TIMBALES 2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach 4 eggs 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice Cheese or hollandaise sauce, if desired Cook spinach according to package directions; drain thoroughly. In small mixer bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Stir in cooked spinach and remaining ingredients except sauce. Divide mixture between 5 greased 6 oz. custard cups. Place cups on a rack in a 10" pot or deep skillet. Fill skillet with hot (not boiling) water to 1/2". Put a loose piece of foil over the cups, shaped so that the steam drips back into the pot instead of on the custard cups. Cover with lid and cook over medium heat for 18 to 22 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Loosen edges with knife; unmold. If desired, serve with sauce. Makes 5 (1/2 cup) servings. o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 11:33 Elery and I even made AND ate spinach this weekend, we did individual spinach and swiss cheese quiches for the "appetizer tasting". They were fast and easy and we did them without crust in mini muffin pans. Annie o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bob_cville (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 14:46 beanthere_dunthat, The mint chutney that I usually use is a dark green runny paste. If you have a Coconut-mint chutney that you like then I'd substitute that for both the mango chutney and the mint chutney. A more authentic version of this recipe I came across started with making your own cheese. Yeah I'll get right on that. I found a mexican farmer's cheese at one local grocery store that was more like the "paneer" that is typically used, but to me the Feta cheese is pretty similar in in texture and "bite" in the dish, and although the Feta is much more strongly flavored than then usual "paneer", there are enough other strong flavors in the dish that you really don't notice it, and it is much easier to find feta than "paneer" or mexican farmers cheese. o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by denise8101214 (My Page) on Sat, Jan 23, 10 at 15:49 I got this from a friend who got it from epicurious. I have made it MANY times and everyone loves it. It is nice to make for a big family breakfast as a savory casserole in addition to the french toast type ones. Spinach and Cheese Strata, epicurious * 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed (fresh works great too) * 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large) * 3 tablespoons unsalted butter * 1 teaspoon salt * 1/2 teaspoon black pepper * 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg * 8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb) * 6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups) * 2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup) * 2 3/4 cups milk * 9 large eggs * 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop. Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat. Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses). Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard). Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Strata can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Here is a link that might be useful: Spinach and Cheese Strata o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Jan 24, 10 at 19:45 There's some pretty tasty recipes here! I don't do spinach, so I couldn't help much. Maybe I'll give it a try again....in the next 7 years. Then again.... I just drew a name for the next Cookalong... Caliloo (Alexa) hope you can pick something fast, so I can get it started, I have to leave town for a few days tomorrow. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Jan 24, 10 at 22:00 Caliloo?? o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 7:22 TTT o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 7:46 Here I am! I actually already got to pick something (corn last time) so if I can have a second shot I will choose...... BROCCOLI! However, if you want to give someone else a turn to pick, I will certainly withdraw my suggestion :-) Alexa o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 9:07 Alexa, I drew your name fair and square so you are on! **********Broccoli*************** Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #20-----BROCCOLI o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 10:02 Well, I almost didn't do spinach last night, because I've been eating spinach almost every day, and want to branch out into other veggies. But I decided to just try something different than what I usually do, which is spinach salad, or throwing a handful or two of spinach into whatever soup I'm heating up. So, I made spinach pesto. I used a basic basil pesto recipe as a template, but changed the ingredients quite a bit, keeping with the general idea of pesto. It turned out quite good, and even DH liked it. He says he doesn't like garlic with spinach (go figure) so I wasn't sure if he'd like this, but he loved it. I used 2 cloves of garlic, but I think one fat one would have been better - it was a bit strong. I'll write out the recipe as I made it, though. My recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's recipe for Pesto, from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Spinach and Goat Cheese Pesto 1 or 2 plump garlic cloves salt 3 tablespoons (or small handfuls) of walnuts 3 big handfuls (or cups, loosely packed) of fresh spinach 1 4 oz. package goat cheese 2 tablespoons pecorino Romano (optional, to taste) 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 squeeze, aprox. 1 teaspoon lemon juice pinch cayenne pinch freshly ground nutmeg In a food processor, process the garlic, salt and walnuts until fairly finely chopped, then add the spinach and olive oil. When smooth, add the goat cheese, lemon juice, cayenne and nutmeg, and process to combine. Sally

I worry about the situation for those living and gardening in Europe, with winter coming on and an iffy fuel situation for heating. Fingers crossed for a mild winter this year! bart, I'm so glad to see you posting as I remember that you had some health challenges when I was last here. I wish you all the best in every way. I know your rose garden is very challenging, and I hope you remember to take care of yourself first and foremost. I've learned that gardens can be very ephemeral, but one can always try again when things don't work out. Sheila, I'm so sorry that your irrigation system was giving you fits. They can be a challenge but are so necessary in the west. I'm glad that your roses are doing well in spite of this and everything else. The old roses are tough, in addition to being so beautiful