the mock apple rings probably (I'm not familiar with the recipe) should be processed ... hopefully someone with more knowledge than I will jump in here.

As to the okra -- it has been sitting at room temp for 48 hours?????
There are recipes which call for refrigeration after jarring. Plop the jars in the fridge now and wait for one of our gurus to jump in.

kahlanne, I think you should go to the Harvest Forum ... go to the top of this page, and under Forums, select Garden Forums... scroll down and select Harvest ... its in the left hand column ..
post your recipes and someone should come along to help. Wish I could offer more assistance, but I'm not one of the gurus (my term, not theirs)

Good luck. and you ARE smart to ask

kahlanne, the USDA rules say that EVERYTHING must have a HWB to be safe, and that all pickles must contain at least 50% vinegar of at least 5% strength in the brine. Those are the rules here in the United States.

I know other countries have "rules" that are more relaxed. Chase is from Canada, for instance, and her famous dill pickles do not call for a hot water bath.

I know I've been criticized for saying so, but I've used Chase's hot-brine-without-water-bath and her pickle recipe, although I did increase the vinegar. When I water bath processed the dills, they got soft and I decided to take an informed risk and use her method.

Can I guarantee you that your okra is safe? No, I can't, they were not processed according to the USDA safety rules, and I don't know how much vinegar was used, etc. Vegetables are low acid and can cause botulism, which can kill you.

The apple rings may be safer, if they are actually made from apples. Fruit is a high acid product and can even be canned in plain water, if it suits you. You may get a bad seal and the food might spoil, but you'd probably notice that before you ate them.

So, I guess the government's answer is "no", they were not processed in a safe manner. Without knowing your recipes and ingredients, I couldn't conjecture any further.

Annie

And pay attention....if they are bad, they won't make you sick as perhaps a raw egg might....they will give you botulism, whice is a neuro toxin created in a low acid, low sugar airless enviornment.
And if there has been the botulism toxin growing in the jars....bliling won't fix the problem.
Linda C

annie, lindac ... the recipe for the mock apple rings is posted under the same heading over on Harvest ...
it's a lime-soak using overripe cucumbers and they were only rinsed and soaked in water once. Will one of you take a look at it. I make pickles with a lime soak, but this recipe is scary. Kay
(Linda Lou responded on the okra)

Thanks so much for all your help. I realize now that I was using the older way of canning and that guidelines have changed. However, I would like to know if my okra recipe is safe if I would have used a boiling hot water bath of 10min for pint jars afterwards. Here is the actual ingredients...
1tsp dill seed per jar
1clove garlic per jar
1 hot pepper per jar
Okra
1/4cup salt
1 cup water
1 qt vinegar (5%acidity)

The jar was packed with okra, hot pepper, dill seed, and garlic. Bring vinegar, water, and salt to boil. Simmer 5 min and pour while boiling hot over the okra.

***Process in hot water bath for 10 min (pint jars) from the time the water boils.)***

I posted a response to this over on Harvest.

Carol

LindaC, this is from the Massachusett's Department of Public Health:

Because high temperatures destroy the botulism toxin, persons who eat home-canned food should consider boiling the food for 10 minutes before eating to ensure safety. More information on safe home canning can be found on the Utah State University Extension SchoolÂs website at: http://extension.usu.edu/cooperative/publications/.

This is from the Center for Disease Control website:

How can botulism be prevented?

Botulism can be prevented. Foodborne botulism has often been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn. However, outbreaks of botulism from more unusual sources such as chopped garlic in oil, chile peppers, tomatoes, improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil, and home-canned or fermented fish. Persons who do home canning should follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce contamination of foods. Oils infused with garlic or herbs should be refrigerated. Potatoes which have been baked while wrapped in aluminum foil should be kept hot until served or refrigerated. Because the botulism toxin is destroyed by high temperatures, persons who eat home-canned foods should consider boiling the food for 10 minutes before eating it to ensure safety. Instructions on safe home canning can be obtained from county extension services or from the US Department of Agriculture.

So, boiling foods for 10 minutes seems to be a widely accepted safety practice, but I don't think I'd want to boil any pickles for 10 minutes or I'd have mush.

Annie