1. You can leave out the celery with no problem. 2. Yes, they're referring to sweet green bell peppers cut into quarters. 3. You can process in pints rather than quarts. It's always OK to size down but you can't size up. Do keep the time the same. 4. I can't give you an answer on the garlic. This is an unusually weak brine and garlic is in no way comparable to celery. You could acidify the garlic cloves by pouring boiling hot vinegar over them and soaking before adding to the jar but that's still no guarantee of safety. If you want an extra-garlicky flavor, it would be safer to use the single fresh clove and supplement with dried garlic flakes. It's up to you. Carol

my opinion is that maybe the plum tomatoes pickle better than the regular toms because they have less juice inside. Anyway I like to pickle with plum toms. I pick them slightly small and none are really big toms. but if I slice a few in half top to bottom then I can get a few extra into the jars. I also like to use more vinegar in my brines. In fact I have always used all vinegar and no water. that makes for a very sour pickle that I like and it is also more safe because the pH is always low this way. So one thing to remember. You can always use more vinegar and less water. It simply makes for a more sour pickle. I like them this way. if you do use water. the water is important. you really want very soft water. hard water can cause a problem getting the pH low.

Robin, The green tomato salsa does have a lot of acid. It is 1 cup of bottled lemon juice, which is twice as acidic as vinegar. Yes, I would throw those tomatoes out, bloomville. Sorry, but I would use this as a learning experience. You can always use the USDA/extension websites. You can print out the information on them. The Ball Blue book is a wonderful book, too. Worth every penny. Here is what you need to know about discarding the jars: Handling Spoiled Canned Food Look closely at all jars of food before opening them. A bulging lid or leaking jar are signs of spoilage. When you open the jar, look for spurting liquid, mold, or an off odor. Do not taste foods that show signs of spoilage or foods from a jar with unsealed lids. All suspect jars of spoiled low-acid foods, including tomatoes, should be treated as containing botulism toxin. Handle spoiled foods in one of two ways: Place sealed jars in a heavy garbage bag, close the bag, and place it in a regular trash container or bury it in a nearby landfill. Detoxify unsealed, open, or leaking jars of food before disposal to prevent the spread of toxin. Detoxification process: Place suspect jars of food, including lids, on their sides in an 8-quart volume (or larger) stock pot. Wash your hands thoroughly. Add water to the pot to cover to a minimum of 1 inch above the containers. Do not splash the water. Place a lid on the pot, heat to boiling, and boil for at least 30 minutes to insure detoxification. Cool and discard the containers of food, including lids, in the trash or bury them in the soil. Scrub all counters, pots, and other equipment or utensils used in the process. Wash clothing and hands. Place sponges or wash cloths that were used in clean-up in a plastic bag and discard them in the trash. Here is a link that might be useful: Handling spoiled foods.

I am getting tired just thinking of all this, LOL. Basically, if your onion is within the amount for a halved recipe of the BBB and you're not adding green peppers but using raisins instead, you should be fine. Both apples and green tomatoes are acidic, the green tomatoes being more acidic, so if you change the proportions to include more green tomatoes and fewer apples than the BBB recipe calls for that's fine as long as it tastes OK. The main thing is to have enough vinegar-sugar syrup that the chutney is not too dry. Since the product has already been thoroughly acidified with the previous cooking, it seems principally a matter of heating through and sufficiently to blend flavors and plump the raisins. Your salt levels are not an issue, nor are the differences in time. You used less salt and didn't rinse while the BBB used more salt and did rinse. All-in-all the result is pretty much the same. Salt, sugar, spices are all flexible in this recipe. It's an undiluted vinegar-sugar solution with a low level of onion, so you have some latitude without the safety concerns of a salsa, for instance. So go by taste; when it tastes good and is the right consistency, jar it up. With a chutney there are fewer concerns with texture, so if your canner can't accomodate all you make, you could do two separate batches in the BWB with no problems. I hope this helps. Things have gotten a little confusing, but what you're doing is no different than many previous-generation cooks who often created excellent recipes from what was essentially a salvage operation. Take notes. You'll hate it if everyone loves what you came up with and you can't recreate it. Carol