Sally, not all recipes have been altered for safety, some have been altered because they were too time consuming and people just didn't make them, or they are foods that aren't as widely used anymore.

Sauerkraut, for instance, is one. The recipe is the same, has been for generations, but before refrigeration it was a necessary method of preservation so you could have that cabbage in the dead of winter. Now it's not such an issue.

I use many of Grandma's old canning recipes, including one for sweet relish and one for apple butter and they still conform to modern safety standards. I no longer open kettle process jams, nor do I use paraffin, but those are not safety concerns, those are simply convience matters for me.

Add our country's propensity to need everything doused with butter and packaged with a lot of sugar or corn syrup, and our tastes have changed. We've gone from a nation eating mostly food we can produce ourselves like fresh vegetables, fruits in season, meats in moderation, to a nation who believes that a 20 ounce steak is a normal portion, potatoes are either fried or slathered in butter or gravy and vegetables are something to be consumed only because they are good for us, not because we like them. Sigh.

So, our tastes have changed, our lifestyles have changed and our food supply has changed. Add the fact that the government produces guidelines that will protect the most careless canner in the dirtiest kitchen making every mistake possible. Home canning and preserving has certainly changed, but many of those changes are due to our changed lifestyle.

The only substantive changes I've really seen is the time necessary for processing vegetables and the amount of acidity in some products has increased due to further testing. the only one that I find impossible is the addition of lemon juice to tomatoes. That's just nasty, I hate it. And yes, I know it's against the rules, but I pressure can my tomatoes without additional acid. I know what the rules are and what the risks are and choose to take them.

As for "my mom canned for years and I'm still here", well, RobinKate had the best comparison. I didn't have seatbelts when I was 3 either, and I'm still here, but I sure wouldn't chance that with my grandkids. Vehicles have changed, traffic has changed, times have changed. Much like our food supply.

Annie

Cinnamon pickles?
Tell us more, please.

Rusty

Cinnamon pickles....Oh my gosh. Are they great. Bright red because she used red hot candies in the syrup. She promised to send the recipe to me. I goggled it yesterday and there are lots of recipes for this pickle out there, but I know her's are divine! Sweet and crunchy with a nice cinnamon flavor, they are great. She said she uses very large cukes, but not yellow ones, so there is a nice thick piece of cucumber and she takes out the seeds. If you want, when I get the recipe, I'll post it.

I'd like the recipe sally! Please do share...

Sally, I buy preserves and pickles,baked goods, etc.. from vendors at farmers markets and never think twice about it. Now to be honest, I don't eat the jam or pickles because I don't care for that type of thing, but Moe does and he is still alive.

I wish our farmers market sold fresh butchered rabbits.

Ann

As soon as the lady sends me (by mail, no computer) the recipe, I'll post it, but she said she's really busy canning, as that is how they make their living, so it might be a little while. What a sweet couple they were.