No, since they tell you to shell and then cook it would be 1/2 lb. uncooked as if just shelled. You are talking about an awfully lot of "tweaking" here. While some changes as discussed in your first post is safe, when you start rewriting so much then you are just creating your own recipe. That is when safety goes out the window. Fresh herbs normally can't be substituted for dried herbs - they change the pH. So with the exception of the bean substitution, all the adjustments you mention now are things that would be done AFTER the jar is opened, not prior to processing. So one has to ask, if you don't even like it then why are you making it? ;) Just can the 3 types of beans plain and then make the salad the way you want it at serving time. Dave

I didn't have bacon, so I did them up with olive oil and garlic. Plus two tiny cherry tomatoes, all I have yet, so I could see what the combo was like :). I felt they needed a little something, so I added a tablespoon of lamb and onion with middle eastern spices, last of a bag in the freezer. ZOMG, delicious! Thank you folks so much. I love these :).

Oh. I thought different vegies needed different ratios of salt and water, for safety reasons. Is that all wrong? Different veggies may benefit flavor-wise from different brine levels but that is a matter of taste. As long as you use one of the recommended salt brine levels - see salt brine charts referenced above in Joy of Pickling (JOP) for example - then you can safely ferment any vegetable or mixture of vegetables. This, of course, assumes you use the proper fermenting techniques too - enough brine to cover the amount of vegetables, time, air temps, cover, skimming, etc. Dave PS: Randy - feel free to start a new thread. That way the OP won'r be getting all the emails if it turns into a long discussion. :) This post was edited by digdirt on Sat, Oct 26, 13 at 11:16

AVOCADO BEAN SALAD 1 med. avocado, peeled, diced 1 c. cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed if using canned) 1 c. halved cherry tomatoes (or quartered and seeded small tomatoes) 1/2 c. thinly sliced onion rings (chopped green onions will also work, or 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives) 2 c. lettuce (this looks nice if you have red leaf lettuce, but any kind of lettuce or lettuce mix will work) Your favorite homemade or commercial dressing. Combine all ingredients except the lettuce and dressing. Place 1/2 c. lettuce on each of 4 serving plates; top with 1/4 avocado mixture. Serve with your favorite dressing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SPICY BEAN SALAD 1/2 pound fresh green beans (cut in half) 16-oz. can pinto beans (drained and rinsed) 16-oz. can butter beans, drained, rinsed 1/2 c. red onion rings (thinly sliced) Dressing: 1/2 c. white vinegar 1/3 c. oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 to 3 t. sugar 1/8 to 1/4 t. red chili pepper flakes (to taste) Leaf lettuce Cook fresh green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from boiling water and plunge into ice water until cold. Drain. In large bowl, combine all salad ingredients, except leaf lettuce. In jar with tight-fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients; shake well. Pour dressing over salad; stir. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until chilled. serve on lettuce-lined plates. Makes 8 (1/2-cup) servings. (Grainlady note: I use about 1/4 to 1/2 the dressing recipe because I like salads lightly dressed.) -Grainlady