I have probably a bushel of mixed tomatoes (mostly paste types) now that market is ended. I did make slightly over 3 quarts of sauce last weekend, but next time will cook in my big Nesco roaster instead of 6qt Dutch oven so that I end up with a full canner load instead of slightly over 3 qts. I also haven't practiced with my new PC yet so just used it to BWB the quarts and it took over an hour to come to a boil on my glasstop stove, and half that to come back to a boil after putting the jars of hot sauce in. Since the PC uses so much less water, I think that it would take less time to boil, vent, and come to pressure, and definitely less time to process compared to BWBing quarts. I'm not sure I want more sauce, was thinking after I practice with the PC and colored water, just PCing whole or crushed tomatoes. But wondering if taste is better using lower pressure and longer time, or higher pressure and shorter time?

Well I know the FDA banned it's sale for food purposes back in the 1970s. Most say it was probably a result of pressure from the sugar industry and perhaps from people who make aspartine which was coming out around the same time. The reasons are unclear since the berry has been consumed for centuries with no ill effects. The FDA has a rule that says anything that had been regularly consumed before 1954 without health problems could have grandfather approval but apparently not this berry. Same thing with the herb stevia which is many times sweeter than sugar without the caloric penalties. At least you can buy stevia as a dietary supplement.

I've been drinking decaf for years now. If I combine caffeine and sugar, I get "the shakes." So a typical breakfast of coffee & a sweet roll would do me in. But the real reason I swtiched to decaf was because of tinnitus. Too much caffeine results in weird crackling noises in my ears. That said, I've tried all kinds of brands available in grocery stores. I like dark blends the best, and they are hard to find, especially in whole beans. I've found a good independent coffe house fairly close by that sells wonderful freshly rosted beans, but sometimes I simply can't make it over there. So I depend on the grocery store until I can make the trip. The Dunkin Donuts was good tasting but only came in pre-ground. So it staled quickly. Peet's has a few good choices: Major Dickason's, Sumatra, and Mocca-Java. Most of the time, however, they, too, are pre-ground. Starbucks Sumatra and Caffe Verona aren't too bad either. I've also used the Trader Joe's French Roast and Columbian. (I combined them to make a strong, bolder taste.) Maybe ordering online would be worth looking into. Then I wouldn't have to worry about getting to the local coffee house or making sure I stop at Safeway because it's the only store that carries whole bean Starbucks Sumatra.

Thanks for your input everyone. Ci_lantro, I guess I should have said 1500 - 1600 cups were made. I'm sure it wasn't all consumed, but they are small cups, probably hold about 6 oz, so 3 or 4 cups wouldn't be unusual consumption of over a 2.5 hour period. We are in the Pacific Northwest and hot chocolate would be unheard of at an event like this, but would be served at skating parties, carolling parties, that sort of thing with a large percentage of children. I would never serve caffeine to anyone without letting them know, as it can certainly be dangerous for some people. Why wasn't decaf served before? When I asked the same question, I was told "oh - it's too much trouble." Oh? I would say the majority are between 35 and 60 and the evening starts at 7:00. We have 5 - 100 cup urns, so I think I will do one decaf and see how it goes and if it goes fast, I will make 2 on the next round I can drink caffeine any time and will probably need several shots that night! One more question to those of you with experience with 100 cup urns - how long do you think a 100 cupper will take from plug in to finished perking? Thanks again Jane