The latest info on the calcium, when mixed with water is that if it darkens or turns an off color, toss it. Why would you want to mix the WHOLE PACKET of calcium powder with water in the first place?? They give you EXTRA calcium in that packet anyway. If you are only using PART of a package of the Pomona pectin, like 1/4 or 1/2 or 3/4, measure out the whole packet of calcium powder too, which is a tiny amount, and then measure only the 1/4 or 1/2 or 3/4 amount of it. PUT THE UNUSED PORTION OF THE REST OF the CALCIUM POWDER BACK INTO THAT SMALL PACKET, fold it over and tape it shut! Then mix that measured amount you juts got, with some water (any amount of water up to 1/4 cup!). I think your 'over analyzing' showing way too much concern about a 'small additive' that is used to trigger the setting up of the Pomona pectin (citrus based). I have not tried it yet, but I bet if you mixed a little BAKING SODA or CALCIUM CHLORIDE (Pickle Crisp) into water, it would ALSO make the Pomona pectin set up just exactly the same!! Because you seem to indicate that your making small batches of jellies, you may want stick with the low/no sugar pectins from SureJel or Ball, etc., ss they only make about 5 cups at a time. If you find the Pomona too difficult or confusing to deal with. These other pectins do not need calcium, BUT must be exact when measuring the total liquid for the batch. NO THERMOMETER NEEDED FOR ANY OF THESE!! Here is a example of a (no recipe!!) the I used to make my apricot preserves. I simply cut up and removed the stones of about 35 apricots, added a little mango nectar juice, and a small package of cut up dried California apricots and acup of water. Used a WHOLE BOX of Pomona, but mixed it with some water and the rest of the mango juice in a blender until it was dissolved. Added plenty of asorbic acid, and Splenda to the now boiling apricots, as well as my favorite 'acid blend' to boost the 'character' and flavor of the 'cots. TASTED until I felt it was sweet enough with the SPLENDA. Then, while boiling, I poured in the dissolved Pomona. Stir well while bringing back to a boil again. Then, I added the WHOLE packet of calcium that was now mixed with a little water (still a 1/4 cup). Stirring while adding it. The spoon now showed a coating and soft globs forming when I lifted it out. Got my jars ready and filled 13 pints. Then BWB processed. End result, perfection!! NO recipe, no worrying, no failure, no probelms, and no setting up failures!! simple... Pomona is good stuff!! It is virtually foolproof!! Best of luck!

I don't have the steamer, but do things the old way. I juice them by crushing and straining thru a bag. I use the pulp for jam, and the juice for jelly. I also use the pulp for butters.

My sister used a DAK years ago and loved it, and then several garage sale/thrift store bread makers that were disappointing after the DAK went to appliance "heaven", until she finally found a Zojirushi (V-20) at a garage sale - which she loves. She lives in a retirement community in Texas and at Christmas she puts the Zo to work making not only bread (usually around 20-loaves), but she also makes jam in it to give to her neighbors for Christmas. I taught her how to make consecutive loaves so it doesn't take as long to make each loaf. The first Zo (S-15) had the bucket in it and had a 4-cup flour capacity. I have friends who have used one of those for over 20-years and make at least one loaf of 100% whole wheat bread in it each week. They had to replace one small part on it in all that time. The V-20 had a 5-cup flour capacity and a horizontal loaf, so we were able to make 1-1/2# and 2# loaves, instead of just 1# loaves. And for those of us who used the V-20 for making dough (that was my first bread machine), we could use recipes that had much more flour than the 5-cup capacity AS LONG AS we only used it for mixing/kneading, and took the dough out of the machine as soon as kneading was complete and let it raise outside of the bread machine. It was a real workhorse in the kitchen when it came to making bread dough. For many years Zo's were one of the only bread machines that was capable of making 100% whole wheat bread, and I made loaf-after-loaf of 100% whole wheat bread once or twice a week for years in my first Zo. My second Zo was an X-20, and both still run today. When King Arthur Flour started selling the Zo V-20, they used them for mixing dough in their test kitchens because they did a better job than a stand mixer. In their catalog (catalogue) they showed a side-by-side picture of a loaf of 100% whole wheat bread mixed in a stand mixer, and one where the dough was mixed in the Zo bread machine (baked in a loaf pan), and the bread machine mixed loaf (using the same recipe as made in the stand mixer) was about 1-inch taller than the one made with the stand mixer. The Zo just did a good job of kneading because of the two paddles. Stand mixers tend to aerate the dough. I've taught a lot of Bread Machine Classes over the last 15-years, and I still do mentoring for the Extension Office one-on-one when they get someone who has a new bread machine and needs some help with it. In those classes each person brings their own bread machine, and I've seen a lot of junk machines. It's no wonder so many of them die of loneliness unused on a shelf someplace, or are donated to a thrift store. -Grainlady

Chia has different applications whether it's wet, dry or milled into flour. It's a little like (emphasis on little) the difference between vanilla pudding and tapioca pudding when you leave chia seeds whole. Soaked chia seeds makes for easier digestion; and once soaked are more than 90% moisture and soak up seven times their weight in moisture. I use a 1:9 ratio (or 1/4 c. chia seeds to 2-1/2 c. water), or any thickness you like, and store in the refrigerator and add it to baked goods, kefir/yogurt, as an extender in peanut butter or mayonnaise, add to pudding and cooked cereal, even added to butter where it will reduce the calories by 45% per total volume. Chia gel is a very good egg substitute -- for one whole egg use 2 T. of chia gel. Once chia seeds are added to a liquid you will see the viscous fibers on the outside (looks like a layer of gelatin around the seed). Always add the dry seeds to water, not pour water on the seeds (or they will clump together), and mix quickly with a small whisk. Let stand 5-minutes and whisk again. This is also called "prepared chia gel". It's best to let it sit for 15-minutes before using the gel to allow the seeds to fully hydrate. Another benefit of soaked chia seeds, they have a very high ORAC score. ORAC stands for oxygen radical absorbency capacity, or the antioxidant value of a food. The higher this score, the more free radical fighting power the food involved posses. They are higher on the ORAC score chart than unsweetened cocoa powder and Acai berry. Chia seeds can also be sprouted and grown as micro greens. Added to beverages to aid in staying hydrated longer. Sources for this information: "The Magic of Chia" by James F. Scheer "Chia Seed Remedies" by MySeeds Chia Test Kitchen -Grainlady