More wise folks than I will no doubt chime in here, but this is my two cents. The weighted gauge is a primary standard, which means it is accurate when used correctly no matter what the dial gauge reads. Dial gauges need to be calibrated, even when brand new, and even then can be off by up to several pounds in either direction. So, you should do your canning by using the weighted gauge, not the dial. The dial is just a " rough approximation" of your pressure. If you let the weight jiggle more than the 1-4 times per minute, your pressure is actually somewhat higher than the nominal pressure on the weight. Your food will be "overcooked" slightly in that it will have been canned at a slightly higher pressure than is needed. This is perfectly safe, AS LONG AS you don't run out of water in the canner. Food can always be canned at a higher pressure and/or for a longer time than the recipe states with no safety concerns, if ALL OTHER FACTORS ARE STILL EQUAL ( proper packing of jars, venting of canner, proper canner cool-down, etc). The food may have quality issues, but not safety ones. Increasing pressure and/or time is never a substitute for proper safe procedures. On the other hand, if your canner did boil dry, the food is underprocessed, and you risk damage (warping) the canner. Once the canner boils dry, there is no longer the correct amount of steam inside the canner, and therefore the temperature is no longer correct, either. The safe thing to do, especially considering that we are talking about meat, is to either reprocess within 24 hours (but preferably sooner) those jars that were in the canner when it boiled dry, OR to freeze the meat as soon as it cooled down. But first, check your canner carefully to make sure the canner and lid are not warped. To prevent boiling the canner dry, remember that you can add more water to the canner initially, especially if you are doing a long processing time. The water level can come halfway up the jars when you first load the canner. After the canner vents and starts building pressure, start turning your heat level down on the stove so that you "coast" up to the correct pressure instead of "blasting" up to pressure. When the canner is running at pressure, you may only need your stove to be a medium, or even lower to manintain the correct pressure. Fiddling too much with the heat (to get up to pressure as fast as possible, then turning it way down because you are overpressure) causes siphoning, which is when the liquid in the jar is drawn out during canning. So, it is best to find the "sweet spot" on your stove heat dial where your canner will hold the right pressure, and not fiddle with the temperature much if at all during the actual canning. You may want to try canning a few jars of colored water to find that sweet spot on your stove. Sharon

Thought I'd chime in with one more thing, since I just read the "4 y/o Bosch bites the dust" thread... Maybe it's attributable to my fastidious dish rinse routine or sheer dumb luck, but I have managed to make my low end Whirlpool Gold d/w last 12+ years. Not even really sure how old it is -- it was here when I bought this place 10 years ago and I vaguely remember hearing that the previous owners replaced all appliances two years before I bought it. I have not, not once, not a single time EVER, had to have it serviced. It sounds pretty much like a freight train during an atomic bomb detonation but it runs every time, all the time. That is the kind of reliability I need in my life. I'm wondering if I can realistically expect that with a Miele or Bosch or any other manufacturer (including Whirlpool) for that matter. ::Thinking twice about even posting this, due to the jinxing risk::

Hi, I have a similar problem in that I only need to lose about 15 pounds, but am having difficulty doing it. When I quit smoking, I gained about 10 lbs and my appetite increased. Bummer! I also recommend the fitday.com web site. When I started tracking everything I was eating on that site, I realized that I was having a chocolate-covered caramel after lunch and dinner, which added about 110 calories to my daily amount, plus my daily glass or wine or bottle of beer. Bob Greene, Oprah's health and exercise guru is very emphatic about cutting out alcohol while you are trying to lose weight. When Lent started, I gave up alcohol and any sweets or desserts. Guess what - I started losing weight! I also exercise on the treadmill about 4 or 5 times a week. Plus DH and I have cut back on our portions and we have become used to the smaller portions and are not hungry. I do get hungry for a snack in the evening, so I either eat 2 or 3 pretzel sticks (the oat ones), a dill pickle, a small apple or the 100 calorie cheez-it packs. I would definitely replace the frosted mini-wheats with the Shredded Wheat and Bran cereal. You don't need that extra sugar. I would check the nutrition informatin in the granola bars, too. Sometimes the so-called healthy snacks are filled with sugar and fat. Wherever possible replace white bread, pasta, etc. with the whole wheat versions. They are healthier (also better for weight loss) and I think they taste better, too. I wouldn't replace your dinner meal with a salad, you will not satisfy your hunger. Protein is the thing that really gives one that full feeling. I know that if I have eggs for breadfast, I don't get hungry until early afternoon, whereas if I eat cereal, I get hungry mid-morning. So do you eat eggs and cheese? Cheese can be high in fat and calories, though, but it is a good source of protein for vegetarians. If possible, I would add fish to your diet. Some vegetarians do eat fish, I'm not sure if you do or not. Keep up the exercise. Is it possible to do it in the morning? That seems to be more beneficial for weight loss, but if after work is the only time for you, that's fine. Exercise increases the metabolism which helps your body to burn calories more efficiently. Good luck.

I would like to make my own potting mix this season, but I'm very new to this and could use a little help please. I estimate I need about 8 cubic feet (50 gallons) to do all the flower boxes and planters. The flowers will mostly be petunia and begonia this year, but some others too. Can someone please share a recipe to make a potting soil that would work well for my application. And any tips that you could share to help me make this the first time. Thank you!