The info from NCHFP was very interesting. Rosemary, I'm sorry you felt as if you were being singled out. The responses were not intended as rude, especially from those specific people who replied to that post. They were merely pointing out that altering approved recipes changes the equation, which is also what Dave was referring to when he asked if the NCHFP reply also knew of your decision to double. I'm sure if you called and asked your extension office would tell you the same. Substitutions, additions, or assumptions based on a different recipe have the POSSIBILITY of having dire consequences, not an automatic death sentence. It's all dependent on what level of risk you're willing to assume. I'm sure the recipes are tested to be much safer than the absolute minimum, so as to not cause issues with inadvertent oopsies. People on this forum were right to correct a tip that could mislead other people in the future on something that might be a much bigger safety issue--who knows who might read that thread in two years. They do it to educate and help, not to put people down. Personally, I have learned so much from being a part of this forum and am grateful. Aside from safety issues, another reason to not increase herb/spice quantities is that they change flavor over time in the jar. Many herbs are really best with just a short (or no--basil) cook time, and longer just brings out bitter notes. I just opened a two-week old jar of apple butter that was amazing at canning time, but just that period has changed its flavor, causing the spice to become nearly overpowering.

My first batch of Kung Pao didn't go that well. I put them whole in the blender, and ended up with powder as I had to blend too long to get rid of the lingering pods. The next batch I broke the pods up a fair amount with a spoon first, and ended up with slightly flakier result. What are your technique tips for crushing red peppers?

I'm with LindaC on this one. I seldom measure accurately, but use the taste test. To me, basil is one herb that loses its flavour on drying (and there are others), so you need to add more - and of course it does depend on how old the dried stuff is. The smaller the particles, the shorter the flavour holds. That's why you shouldn't buy dried herbs in bulk - if you can't use them up within a year or so, toss them, especially ground herbs or finely chopped herbs. Things like whole nutmegs can last for years without losing flaovur.

Squashing some misinformation above... cows in feedlots don't have "large amounts of antibiotics". If you think that, then you don't know what antibiotics are for, or how highly regulated they are. As well, you don't know what antibiotics are if you believe they are "fed to these animals" or if you think antibiotics somehow "help them gain weight on less feed"... I didn't read the rest of what you posted because clearly you speak of things you do not know about. Thank you to all else for the helpful information, because what I was looking for was about the difference between dried manure and composted, not some hit-piece on feedlots (which I have nothing to do with, but I don't agree with false information being loosely passed around, especially when it makes farmers look bad... because a farmer, I am). If you'd like a little fact of the day... you will not EVER eat meat or drink milk that is raised in the USA, that has ANY antibiotics in it, organic or not. This is a FACT. These things are the most highly regulated commodities in the United States, and there are withholding periods specifically so that no antibiotic is ever in the product for human consumption. This is dangerous information to spread around. As well, it is a FACT that these things are not just generously pumped into animals... like your dog, when a cow gets sick, it may get treated with an antibiotic (like penicillin, just like what us humans get in the hospital) to make that cow not sick anymore. It is not something that helps them grow, it it not something that is ever used in large amounts or if not needed, and it is not something us humans will EVER consume from food produced in the USA. Thank you again for the information on manure for the garden.