I like "Blue Ribbon Preserves," but some of its recipes don't follow currant canning guidelines and I avoid those. The curd is an example. Hence, the caution about using some of its recipes without careful checking. However, comparing the recipe on page 254 (I'm assuming it's that one and not the "Easy Spaghetti Sauce") to the one in "So Easy to Preserve," which is a standard, safe canning guide, the 15-pounds of tomatoes recipe calls for 2 cups of low-acid vegetables (1 cup each onions and sliced mushrooms) plus let's say an added 1/2 cup of assorted fresh herbs. It also has increased acidity with the cup of red wine. The oil is precisely half of that in the "So Easy to Preserve Recipe" as is the tomato weight. The "So Easy to Preserve" recipe calls for 2 cups of low-acid vegetables, not including the pound of mushrooms, which is about another 6 cups sliced or 2-3 cups cooked down. In other words, double the tomatoes and more than double the low-acid veggies than the "Blue Ribbon Preserves" recipe. The processing time (also pressure canned) is also 10 minutes less for pints than "Blue Ribbon Preserves", which calls for a full 30 minutes for pints. I'm not "official" so take it for what it's worth, but in this case I'd feel comfortable canning a recipe more acid and processed for a longer time than the University of Georgia-approved one in "So Easy to Preserve." Carol

Sometimes the USDA/NCHFP will develop a recipe for boiling water bath, like a plain tomato recipe with added citric acid, and from their lab data extrapolate a pressure canning processing time. They don't do separate testing if they can test once and let the data serve multiple purposes. But some recipes, like the spaghetti sauce, are developed and tested without added acid specifically for the pressure canner. That's the case here, and the processing time reflects the pH and density as is without additional acid. You don't "have" to remove peels, but be aware that peels, especially around the stem, harbor the most bacteria. Also, some people object to a bitter taste from sauces that contain bits of peel or a leathery texture from remaining bits of peel in the final product. But that's a personal preference. I'd rather peel but some people don't. Carol

First, I simply don't understand why they went bad while thawing, although that's not germane to your questions. It just puzzles me. When I thaw them, I either plop the still-sealed zip-lock bags into a sink of cold water and thaw them in it, or pour them into a colander/strainer and thaw them there....some of the water drips into a bowl under the colander, but that just means that I can cook them down into sauce more quickly if I am going to cook that batch down into pasta sauze or pizza sauce. With cores and blemishes, I haven't tried removing them from frozen tomatoes, but I think it will be a PITA. If I have tomatoes like some of the heirloom beefsteaks that commonly have cores and I want to freeze them, I run them through the strainer first, and freeze the resulting puree. With straining, I just rerun the 'waste' through the strainer another time or two to ensure all the good stuff gets separated from the skins. It is amazing how much more you get if you just run the waste through once or twice more. Then I feed the waste to the chickens, so it isn't even wasted, and if they don't eat it, the squirrels and the turtles who roam the yard (especially this year) will. And, anyway, there's no such thing as silly questions.

Can it if you like, you don't need to convince me that it's safe, you only have to convince yourself. If you are comfortable, do as you wish. As I have said, commercially available products are processed with equipment that the average person doesn't have access to or can't afford. They can heat things to higher temperatures or at greater pressure than can be done at home and so are able to preserve things that the average home preserver cannot. Not only does the product have to reach a certain temperature, it needs to reach it within a certain time and maintain it for another particular period of time. Very thick or dense items can be problematic, as the heat may not penetrate to the center for a long enough period of time or quickly enough to avoid spoilage or toxins. Other things just aren't tested, so there is no way of knowing whether they are safe or not. Other things are not recommended because of quality, like that rutabaga. It gets "strong". People don't like it. The recipe goes away. It's not unsafe, but the quality suffers. Some of the canning recommendations break their own rules. The NCFHP has a recipe for 3 bean salad that calls for oil, but you aren't supposed to can "fats". I leave the oil out because I don't like the final product, but it's tested and safe. There's also a recipe for lemon curd that calls for butter and egg yolks, although it's recommended that you use it within 3 months because it separates and discolors. Again, a quality issue. But it's been tested for safety at specific times and temperatures, it's not a "I guess that's going to be good" time or process. The fact remains that there are no caramel sauce recipes that have been tested and found to be safe for home canning. Maybe it is OK, but how do you KNOW? Simple answer is that you don't know, you just think it is, or guess that it's OK. If that's enough for you, then can away, but if I can't guarantee it's safe, I'm not going to tell other people that it is. I'll tell them I don't have any way of knowing and let them decide for themselves. So, do as you wish. Lots of people take risks. They do shark diving and bull running and free climbing rock faces hundreds of feet off the ground. Some die or are horribly injured, others survive. Whatever risks you are willing to take are yours to take, whether it's canning or riding bulls. And, if you're really set on canning caramel sauce, the closest I found was this. I love pears, so it sounds really good to me, but it's not actually caramel, there's no cream. Close, though, and contains only high acid fruit (pears are 3.5-4.6 pH) and sugar, along with some vanilla. Pear Vanilla Caramel Sauce from Food in Jars 2 pounds ripe pears 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste 1 teaspoon sea salt 3 cups granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups water Prepare a boiling water bath canner and four half pint jars. Core and chop pears. Place them in a blender with the vanilla bean paste, salt, and 1/4 cup water. Puree until smooth. You should have between 3 and 3 1/2 cups pear puree. Combine sugar with the 1 1/2 cups water in a sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sugar reaches between 250°F and 290°F and darkens to the color of an old copper penny (the higher the temp, the more assertive the caramel flavor). Do not stir the cooking syrup. Instead hold the handle and gently swirl the pot to move things around. Once the syrup has reached your desired temperature, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pear puree. It will bubble and spatter, so take care. Stir puree into the sugar and return the pot to the heat. Continue stirring and cooking, until the pear caramel sauce reaches between 215°F and 225°F (the higher the temp, the thicker the finished texture will be). As you stir, take care to really work the bottom of the pot, so that the caramel doesn't stick and burn. Remove caramel from heat and funnel into prepared jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Annie