Dry all last year and the beginning of this year (except for a 2ft snowstorm in Feb) until the last week of May when we got a month's worth of rain in 1 week. Alternating cold(30's) then hot (90) then cold (40's) temps in May and June, finally got tomatoes out the beginning of June and MORE rain! Poured for about 20 minutes at dinner last night, weather.com is showing 0 inches but I'm guessing 1/4". More gentle rain overnight, clear this morning and then this afternoon another T-storm. So I'm saying 7.5 -8" this month plus the 3.5" last week of May. Tomatoes are looking sad - I started replacing some yesterday and also planted 6 I'd been holding back. Haven't checked today to see how they've held up in the driving rain (had a couple broken last week). Peppers are still in 6-packs, I guess I can say they're hardened off though they may sunburn when I can get them out, 1 is blooming. Squash looks like it's loving this weather, cukes OK (seeded before squash and they're smaller), spinach is bolting and the kale and Asian greens are just OK. I guess I'll try to harvest mustard greens, tatsoi and bok choy for stirfry mix rather than salad greens since lettuce is so far behind. Carrots are disappearing, lettuce is barely coming in after seeding twice (every time I seed we have a downpour) but the arugula in the mix is getting tall (not bolting yet). Radish bulbs are finally starting to show above the ground 3 weeks after seeding and I don't know what's happened to my chard and beets that I've seeded twice. Beans are doing OK, but I lost 2/3 of my edamame. The only thing I'm harvesting right now that is doing really well is strawberries and they're coming to an end just as market season is beginning. Blueberries and brambles are coming along though.

Bottle had 32 fl. oz and only about 1/3 was consumed. Small amounts is do-able. Pile is about 3'+ wide, and is a new pile just started this week while the other is full and cooking in the center. New pile: On bottom are rolls for paper towels/toilet paper, paper egg crates, shredded brown packing paper, and layered veggies/fruit scraps, and half finished compost/leaves. Thank you!

I would use it. FYI, Reading Lady posted a cool & very informative excerpt on this subject on the pressure canning thread, linked below. Scroll down towards the bottom of the thread for her post. FWIW, the 'best use' dates are good to have but, IMO, I think they've turned into a quasi marketing tool. (Products didn't always have dates; I recall using a Sharpie to label my new purchases since I stock up on frequently used items when they're on sale.) Ends up that I lot of people think they're going to drop dead if they eat something that is 'out of date', DSII being one of them! So long as the seal is intact & the product passes the sniff test, the product is almost certainly safe to eat. OTOH, I get some screaming deals on product w/ a close approaching sell by date when it goes into the drastic reduction bin. Here is a link that might be useful: Pressure Canning thread

This is a totally different idea, but I wanted to mention it because I recently rediscovered my immersion blender. I wanted something I could take out of town with me that was small and easy to pack, and...I know this would sound odd to some...offered a little bit of ''help'' in case I decided I wanted to bake. (A readily-available kitchen is a good thing.) Anyway, I realized my immersion blender (Kitchen Aid) had a whip attachment (like a miniature hand-mixer) that I'd never used. Eureka! Of course I had to try it out, and it works beautifully. If your friend doesn't have one, she would probably love it for blending soups, making smoothies or chopping things. The best part is they're not terrible expensive. (FYI; maybe not for now, but for the future.)