ajsmama writes: So which one won the taste test? Too soon to tell. I was misleading when said 'tried' four different wines. Meant to say that have canned using that many. So far have only eaten the River Valley Red. And if had turned the bottle around for the picture would have seen that it is a sweet red wine. Pretty darn good anyways! Have eaten 4 of the 6 pints of it as of last night. Tonight will try the Cabernet Saurignon one over rice. Linda Lou writes: I think red potatoes are best when canned with a little pickle crisp in the jars. You still must peel the potatoes to insure you do not get botulism from the peels. Not even scrubbing is considered safe to do when canning potatoes. I'm going to try that. Pickle crisp now on my grocery list. And going to try pickling the brussels sprouts too. Thanks!

It's probably acidic enough - but without the cornstarch. Add the cornstarch after opening. That is easy enough to do. You'll have to guess at the processing time as with any made up recipe and I am not usually comfortable with doing that. I guess if I had to do it I'd use the 15 min. required for most of the other acidic fruit sauces but that comes with no tested guarantees. The Clear Jel question I can't really help with as I cut Clear Jel by half to begin with if and when I use it as it is just too thick for my tastes. I can pie fillings and such without any thickener and add my preferred thickener - cornstarch - after opening when I can control the thickness I want. I agree with you on the appearance and enjoyment part of the canning. But some things just can't be canned no matter how much we may want to do it. And when there is a safety question about it, I'm not usually willing to trade safety for either of them. Especially when freezing is readily available and has no safety issues. It's your choice. :) Dave

This is still my favorite. From Ellie Topp's Small Batch Preserving. CHUNKY BASIL PASTA SAUCE 8 cups coarsely chopped peeled tomatoes -- (about 9-12 tomatoes or 4 lb) 1 cup chopped onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 2/3 cup red wine 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon pickling salt 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 6-oz can tomato paste Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt, sugar and tomato paste in a very large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency, stirring frequently. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle sauce into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim Process 35 minutes for pint jars and 40 minutes for quart jars in a BWB. Makes 8 cups. Steve

Ah, nope, that's not mine. I don't use suet in anything except bird feeders! I use this one but frankly, I like Nancy's (wizardnm) pear mincemeat better. Still, when I have green tomatoes but not pears..... Green Tomato Mincemeat/Pie Filling (No Meat) 4 qt. chopped green tomatoes 3 qt. peeled and chopped tart apples 1 lb. dark seedless raisins 1 lb. white raisins 1/4 cup minced citron, lemon or orange peel 2 cups water 2-1/2 cups brown sugar 2-1/2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup vinegar (5% acidity) 1 cup bottled lemon juice 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 tsp. ground cloves YIELD: About 7 quarts PROCEDURE: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook slowly, stirring often, until tender and slightly thickened (about 35 to 40 minutes). Fill hot jars with hot mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath, 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts. My aunt makes green tomato pickles, she uses cherry tomatoes instead of sliced. I don't much like them, but I don't much like pickles.... Green tomato pickles 4 quarts sliced green tomatoes, loosely packed 1 quart sliced onion, loosely packed 1 cup pickling salt, divided 2 pounds light brown sugar 6 cups vinegar (5% acidity) 2 small red chile peppers 1/3 cup mustard seeds 1/4 cup celery seeds 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon whole allspice 2 teaspoons whole cloves Place sliced tomatoes and sliced onion in separate bowls; sprinkle 3/4 cup salt over tomatoes and 1/4 cup salt over onion; stir both mixtures. Cover both bowls and let stand at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. Place tomatoes in a cheesecloth bag, and squeeze gently to remove excess juice. Repeat this procedure for onion. Discard the salt liquid. Combine tomatoes, onion, sugar, vinegar, chile peppers, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and pepper in a large kettle. Tie allspice and cloves in a small cheesecloth bag; add to tomato onion mixture. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, over low heat 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Pack tomato mixture and liquid into hot sterilized 1-quart jars (with 1 piece of the chile pepper in each jar - cut if necessary), leaving 1/2-inch headspace; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on ring bands. Process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts. Store in a cool dark place. Store opened pickles in refrigerator. Makes 4 pints No, the slices do not get watery when fried, as long as you start them frozen. They are a little more "moist" I have to cook them longer to get them crispy. If you thaw, you can't even fry them, they just fall apart. Salsa freezes OK, it gets a little more runny, but not bad. I've never tried to freeze the green stuff, though. Annie