Our state doesn't require a 'best by' date, just a processed date.

Everything I've read says best by 1 yr, unless sugar free or low sugar and those are less, but they don't sell how much.

I know alot of jelly can last much longer and be perfectly fine, I've got some over 10 years old. But some of the 10 yr old are turning on the top (I never use Fruit Fresh, just lemon juice).

Well I guess I'll just keep putting 1 year from processing since NCHFP says "for best quality" it should be used within a year. I guess I can explain that this is really a "best by" date and esp. the strawberry (and raspberry if I make any this year) should be stored in a dark cool (under 70 degrees) place and probably should be eaten before the year is up, while the pepper jellies and such could go longer, though I would recommend at least opening them within a year and storing in the fridge.

My "expired" pepper jellies will go to my aunt I guess since she loves them (esp. the spicier ones) and was just asking my mom about getting more.

I've got strawberries ready to reheat and jar up this morning (boiled for 3 minutes at 3:30AM and resting now), 1/4C lemon juice, I wonder if I should add Fruit Fresh (bought for my peaches last year and it worked well on them - just opened the last jar this AM for DD, nice color though canned 9/6/12)? I don't tend to use pectin, etc. since I'm marketing based on the "all-natural" (organic) no additives thing but it really might help the strawberries retain the color longer since I found they do fade. Of course since Ball started putting jars in flats rather than closed boxes my stash does get some light from the basement window. Maybe customers would store in a dark cabinet. But I'd hope they'd eat them right away and come buy more!

I've found that as long as they are not in bright sunshine, mine stay pretty well.

I used to do merchandising and I worked for Sony studios, Sony ship their dvds in boxes just the right size for 14-15 pints. I saved several of these boxes for pint jars.

I just did up some Splenda Strawberry Preserves, using the recipe on the Low Sugar Pectin jar. I only added 1 1/2 C of Splenda, much better for hubby than the 7 C of sugar.

I ordered the bulk pectin yesterday from nuts.com and it should be here tomorrow. I'm waiting to see how far 5 lbs of pectin going to go.

I just made strawberry mint preserves (like the Ferber recipe posted on Harvest, but I just boiled the whole mint leaves in the syrup, removed, then added the strawberries to heat through, no black pepper). Even with letting the berries sit in sugar 12+ hours overnight, then boiling briefly at 3:30AM and letting it sit uncovered (just a towel to keep any bugs out - we've got lots of spiders this year) for another 10 hours, I've got fruit float. And I stirred the preserves in the jar, skimmed the foam off each jar, before putting the lid on. Figured on 6-7 jars for 3 lbs of berries and 4C of sugar, only got 5. Should have used the quilted crystal jars so I could charge more ;-)

I didn't notice any difference in jars, but before I only used the quilted jars (1/2 pints). Now using pints.

I let the preserves set in the pan, off the heat for the 5 minutes someone recommended, then filled the jars. No fruit float, but it was a different recipe AND splenda instead of sugar.

I was joking - people would think the quilted ones were fancier so I could ask more. Ball does more for the jars (haven't checked this year - last year was about $12/dozen compared to $8 for plain - and I just picked up 2 unopened older BOXES of quilted from Goodwill for $8/doz).

Jars just keep going up each year. It was just 2-3 years ago I could get a dozen plain jars for $6.77 at WM, now it's at least $7.97 - maybe more this year. And I need lids too. Used my last box of RM lids, had to open a box of new lids& bands (I got a couple of those on clearance at grocery store last year). Still reusing jars (after we empty them I wash old lids & bands and store jars with those on top so can just pop jars in canner to heat and not have to wash again - just wash and heat new lids).

Oh, and by the time I got the last jar filled the pan had set 5 minutes (I'm slow when I have to skim) and still floating a little. But I think part of it is that this is a syrup, not a setting type jelly/jam. Didn't cook it long enough (or have enough natural pectin) for that.

Popped in a couple of replacement cherry toms today (broken stems) but holding off on more since it supposed to be 45 tonight (!) and I have to prep for market. Ones I planted 2 days ago look good, others are starting to look better now that it's dried out a *little* (only 1" of rain in the past 6 days), I'll fertilize tomorrow.

Did you get a chance to look at my post on the Tomato thread? Do you think N only (bloodmeal) or light balanced fertilizer (Neptune's Harvest is liquid, can use that, maybe as a foliar feed, with only 30% chance of rain this weekend I guess, it's a 2-3-1, don't know if I need the P&K though since soil was pretty good, figured just N washed out?)?

Time to go pick strawberries, clean the wet hay of the truck bed and start packing it for market. With all the tomato plants and the jams, fresh strawberries, I have to see if there's room on the table for some herbs (sprigs of oregano, I just got some tarragon from a friend last night to plant, and my cousin's mint)? Maybe some kale?