"Unfort smelling green bean juice again. So I guess I am losing liquid aain in the raw pack green beans. DANG. The instruction booklet is poor for the American.... So I have underlined stuff in it. It says jigging 1 to 4 times per minute, NO WAY. if do so guage goes down past the 10 lb mark on the dial...... DUH>>>" Yet another example of why it is often said here to never use your canner manual for directions for canning. Use it for cooking instructions only. Rather use the current existing directions found at NCHFP. You are losing liquid from the jars not only because you are using raw pack but primarily because you are adjusting the heat while the processing is in progress. That should be avoided at all costs. Trying to get a weight to jiggle just right by playing around with the heat source will always cause liquid to siphon out of the jars. It is far better to allow higher pressure and more frequent jiggling than it is to adjust the heat setting once processing has begun. With a bit of experimenting we can each determine where our heat should be set for uniform processing so no further adjusting is needed. Dave

It makes sense that since spider mites are in the arachnid family, they are tougher to get rid of...pesticides for most insects don't work on spiders. I did want to comment on a previous statement (jennq) that once you have them you will always have them...not true! I had a room full of houseplants of all kinds, and they (unfortunately) attacked my "maryjane" plant, which was in the center stage (they were all on the same table) with a vengence. I had been away for a few days and came home to the cannabis in a tent web...covered. I took it outside and disposed of it. That was four years ago and I never had another spider mite. So...yesterday my partner finds a huge majesty palm tree at Lowe's for $5. He brought it home and it was completely covered in webbing and mites (he isn't experienced at looking closely). I probably should have tossed it, but I cut off all but one inner leaf, stripped it of all soil and gave it an underwater soapy neem bath, then gave it a hand sanitizer rub, then repotted and have it in my bathroom for a few weeks. Of course, my anxiety over my other plants getting mites may outweigh my dysfunctional rescue urge here. I wonder if anyone has EVER successfully cleared a plant of spider mites...? I understand plants are more susceptible to these critters when the plant is stressed with watering issues (consistancy helps), but this opens me up to a ton of other questions...

Clare, I didn't say before, but I'm sorry your celebration wasn't what it should have been. Annie, believe it or not, a restaurateur who has any idea what they are doing would far rather you send something back than walk out dissatisfied. Ticking customers off on a regular basis is death to a restaurant. I cannot tell you how many times over the years I had to drag a criticism out of a customer who was obviously not enjoying their meal because something was not to their taste or poorly prepared. And I worked in a very nice restaurant! But chefs are people, like anyone else, as are those who write the menus, and yes, the servers, and everyone is subject to error or just a bad day. Clare, some customers will sabotage their own complaint by making it in a rude or aggressive manner, but I just don't believe that was the case with you. I think you got one of those waiters who gets his nose in the air because he's part of the "foodie elite" who know how things "should" be prepared. When I was training staff, that attitude brought tongue lashings from me, I can tell you. If you like your food prepared a certain way, you don't care (nor should you) what some foo-foo trend says about it, and you're the one paying for it anyway! I used to have customers who ordered their prime rib well done and asked for ketchup. That is not the way that I would eat it, but then, I like it mooing at me and many wouldn't eat it like that! Anyhow, I figured that since I have a secret penchant for Chef Boyardee's Beefaroni, I haven't the cheek to criticize the tastes of others! :D

For best quality, use canned foods within 1 year. However food properly canned and with a vacuum seal will last indefinitely