Dave - I don't cook often but when I do - I do it well!!! My sauce is very simple. And everyone that has ever tasted it says it is the best they had. I am not bragging here. The trick was passed down to me by my great grandmother. In the past, I used Tutta Rose Crushed Tomatoes with Basil. And did nothing more than add some salt, pepper, basil and meat. And still made a better sauce than anyone. Now, with using my own tomatoes, I used the same princeples. But since I couldn't can the tomatoes with basil, I added alot of basil. Some salt and Pepper. And added meat. I took a meatball recipe from the "Soprano's Cookbook" but used half ground beef and half pork for the meatballs. I swear by this. The meatballs are so much better. My mom does all beef. And her meatballs are so heavy. The ground pork lightens them up a bit and gives the sauce a better flavor. I also added a few links of browned italian sausage. So on that note - yes, I did cook for an army but I froze several quarts. And with fresh tomatoes, I don't think I could have made a better sauce. I am not sure how I can do this with less tomatoes, cook it for a few hours and still get the same flavor, but I am going to experiment this winter. I'll keep you posted!!!

Only tip I have is to remember to adjust for altitude :-). First jam I ever made was with a couple bags of mixed berries from the frozen food section, box of SureJell pectin and sugar using the recipe in the pectin package. With fresh peaches don't forget the fruit fresh (or vitamin C). I want to try the habanero gold jelly recipe.over on harvest and try canning peaches. I just need to coordinate my free time. Mary - Is it anything like this one from the Harvest forum Apricot-Pineapple Conserve 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dried apricots 1/2 cup golden raisins 1 1/4 cup strained fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (or more, to taste) 4 cups sugar 1/2 cup sliced almonds (I omitted) 1 (3 oz) pouch liquid pectin In stainless or enamel pan, mix apricots, raisins, orange juice, and lemon juice. Let stand 2 hours. Add undrained pineapple and orange zest. Stir in sugar. Heat stirring constantly till the sugar dissolves. Stir in almonds. Increase heat and bring to a full boil. Stir in pectin and return to a boil, stirring. Boil, 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim foam. Allow conserve to cool about 5 minutes to keep fruit from floating. Stir gently to distribute the fruit. Put into jars (makes 6 half pints.) Leave 1/4 inch headspace. Cover with hot lids and process half pints in bwb for 10 minutes, or 15 minutes for pints. Below is a link to Splenda's Jam recipes. Another option is to use Pomona's pectin (I haven't used it, but it will apparently gel anything and you can use as little sugar as you want or use a sugar substitute like Splenda) We need a canning party! jen Here is a link that might be useful: Splenda Jam recipes

I used to grow a couple of extras, but then I was always "finding" a place to plant them in the garden, which meant I was overcrowding things. But since I've never had a plant not make it, I now only grow exactly the number I need. Truth is, tomato plants are tough and once started, you have to mess up badly to kill them. And since your backups would probably have had the same treatment, they'd likely be goners too. If you're experienced with seedlings and have a good set-up you shouldn't have problems. Of course, if you are accident prone or have an unsafe growing spot, that's another story.

The magic thing about tomato plants is when soil is placed around their stems they will grow extra roots and make the plant sturdier. 3/4th a bucket of pure vermicastings is a generous amount for six plants. Toss it on and then step back quick and run and get the canning supplies. You can save some for later in the summer or you have enough to share around to some of your other favorite plants. I bet your daughter had a great time! So cool!