Too late now. The vinegar destroyed the cuticle and part of the cells. Wherever you got that horrible recipe for whatever it was you were doing, throw it away and stop using that website as it led you badly astray. Nonetheless, it is too late to start broc and cauli and many kales anyway, so you can take this opportunity to plant the appropriate plants for the season. Look at it as a fortunate occurrence. Dan

Megan, Oh, I am having a malfunctioning brain. I am in the middle of six batches of Habanero Gold and for some reason I thought you asked about it instead of Annie's Salsa. Where is my head today? I can't imagine honey wouldn't work as there is such a small amount in the recipe, and I feel better about it knowing Marcy has safely used honey in her salsa. Carol, I know. When I first found the recipe, I found the pressure canning version and, even though I have a pressure canner, I prefer BWB so I didn't try the salsa until a year or two later when I realized it could be water-bath canned. I, too, watch for the answers from Readinglady, Digdirt, Linda Lou, Annie and a couple of others because I know they know what they are talking about, and with some of the others, I am not as certain. I even miss Ken, even though he had his cranky moments, because his answers were always so technically correct. I have old canning books too, but if the recipes in them that I've used have worked out well, I keep using them. Many of the more modern changes apply more to pressure canning than BWB canning as far as I can tell, and I mostly BWB or freeze or dehydrate. With the new (OK, it is two years old now but still feels somewhat new to me) glass-topped stove not being ideal for canning, I'm afraid to put a loaded pressure canner on it. If the combination of weight/heat cracked the glass top, I'd be buying myself a new stove because it is not warrantied for the use of pressure canners. Marcy, I miss using my pressure canner, but the new glass-topped stove has a built-in dehydrator mode, so I like that better than the old stove. My newish glass-topped stove had an instruction manual that said, basically, you cannot can on this stove and if you do and you break the stove's cooktop, your warranty is voided. I do BWB but carefully because I know it is mostly discouraged for other reasons than just the cooktop breaking. The weight of my BWB even when filled shouldn't be heavy enough to be a problem like some people have had with a fully-loaded pressure canner breaking the glass top, and none of the BWB processing times are long enough that the cycling on/off of the heat is an issue. I know my burners cycle on and off to avoid overheating, but they never cool enough that the canner stops boiling, which some folks have experienced with the glass-top stove. Since most BWB times are for 10 or 15 minuts only, I don't think any of the BWB times keep the cooktop hot enough long enough to crack the glass as some people have experienced with pressure canners. If my burner cycled off long enough for the boiling to cease, I'd BWB can on the side burner on our grill outdoors or something. I think most of the people who have trouble with the glasstop stoves breaking or cracking have older models and that the newer models hold up better to canning, but I might be wrong about that. Also, we put the old stove in the garage and kept it in case I didn't like canning on the new stove, but I suppose we can give it away or sell it or something because I have canned for 3 summers now on the new stove and like it fine. Carol, My peppers, okra and beans were wilted today, so I put the sprinkler on the garden and I don't care if having wet foliage on the tomato plants kills them all because they are starting to burn up some in the heat too. I noticed the ones on the edge of the garden near the driveway are burning up the most. I need to get back to the jelly making. After I finish, unless it starts raining or something, I'm going back out to the garden to harvest beans, tomatoes and peppers. I might be making salsa again on Sat. or Sun. afternoon. The paste tomatoes are producing fine, but my heirloom tomatoes are slowing down and the plants are burning up. August might be a 'skimpy' month for tomato production. Dawn

Hi Lars, I didn't think of draining the liquid; that would have been smart. It has been simmering for an hour now, and I want to give it another hour or so. I was hoping to salvage the cooking liquid by doctoring it up somehow (but, you're right; I wouldn't want to make it too salty either). If all else fails, I could drain off the liquid and then serve the meat with some gravy I froze after Thanksgiving. In Maryland, wine is sold only in liquor stores, not supermarkets. Sue

With butter as a reduction, with pork, scallops, etc... Here are two T&T (except I used pork, not lamb) Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction By: PGRAYMENDOZA "This recipe for lamb chops is a favorite in my house. It is an easy and quick recipe for two people (we eat two chops each). Rosemary and thyme give it great flavor. If you double the recipe, remember that the sauce will take longer to reduce." Ingredients 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme salt and pepper to taste 4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup minced shallots 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar 3/4 cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon butter Directions In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter. Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Balsamic-glazed scallops Total time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 16 sea scallops (about 1 1/2 pounds) Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste 1/4 cup top-quality aged balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon very sharp Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce Dash cayenne 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon chopped chervil 1. Rinse the scallops and remove any white membrane. Pat dry and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside. 2. In small bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, tamari and cayenne. Set aside. 3. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully lay the scallops into the sizzling butter and cook until crusty brown on the first side, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn each scallop over. 4. Immediately pour the vinegar mixture over the scallops. Cook them 2 to 3 minutes, until just cooked through. Spoon the remaining glaze around the scallops and sprinkle with the chervil. Serve immediately. Each serving: 262 calories; 29 grams protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 86 mg. cholesterol; 353 mg. sodium.