The USDA standards are established principally for the home food preserver. Many recipes are not USDA-approved but are still tested and safe. Lots of labs have that capacity. For example, Oregon State has a small entrepreneurship program which supports new purveyors of small-yield bottled food products and offers lab facilities for the testing to assure products are safe for sale. However, they would still have to be safe when processed and meet FDA plus any state regulations. Basically it comes down to the credentials of the person(s) who wrote the book and what they have done to assure food safety according to the criteria Dave indicated. One of the problems I have with many recipes/books is that the author(s) may have credentials but not necessarily credentials appropriate to home food processing. So Rick Fields, for example, does sell commercial pickles and relishes. However, he has available to him processing equipment not available to the average home preserver. Without his assurance of specific testing and safety in the home environment who knows how suitable the recipe is? I might add that in the home environment developers of canning recipes need to be sure they fall within a certain margin of error because there's more individual variation when you have many cooks using different product. In a commercial environment there's much more consistency. So Beverly Alfeld, for example, in her pickling book never goes above 4.3 pH, even though the limit for higher-acid BWB is 4.6 pH. She believes that leeway is important. Basically, I operate with a do not assume stance. My default position with any doubtful recipe is it isn't safe without very specific assurances, not merely the generic statement emailed by Williams-Sonoma. Carol

Kathleen, if you see more of the clear on the rocks style glasses (not the tall ones) or the tall multi-colored style please pick some up for me. I think I paid $8.50 each for two of the clear and a the set of six tall multi-colored was about $48. If the price is really good (less than half)I'd take some more! AMCK- I have the tall multi-colored ones. If I knew that the glasses with the monogram were available, I'd have snapped those up instead. I don't think they were in the stores. As I said before, I also bought a couple of the clear to use upstairs. We did an addition with small area that houses shelves, a below counter fridge and microwave. We don't consume much upstairs, but when I'm working or someone is ill, a plastic glass is a good thing!

I got the home catalog for several years, probably because I have bought the odd item or two from the cooking catalog but I always thought the items overpriced. I spent a long time looking for a pedestal bedside table and almost bought the one from WS Home but finally bought one from a Stanley line that I like so much better. It ended up being about 400 while the WS Home one was around 700. I love perusing catalogs but as a diehard TJMaxx shopper, I know I will see a good deal of the merchandise the following year for a whole lot less. The small stuff anyway. I still don't understand WS cooking store or catalog much. A favorite place to browse ( dh likes it too- so he can sip coffee), and I may pick up the odd gadget or linen but most of those pots and pans and mixers are not exclusive to them and can be found so much cheaper than at their store. Does anybody go in and buy All Clad there? I guess they do. I do admire those Ruffoni pots, however... But I found the Staub pumpkin pot that they heavily feature in autumn for a hundred less. I have this genetic vein that always wants to get the best deal, sometimes it annoys me like crazy ...doesn't matter if it's a small item or big item...definitely made things difficult when we built our house.

If you like the store then go work for it part time. I did. It was a dream come true. The people are hired because they know the merchandise and are users. You get big discounts and that is why most employees are there. Everyone is part time. Throw in your cooking stories and you will have a ball. The staff is made up of people like all of you who will become life long friends. As you see them as a sales person is truly who they are.I have been to them all over the country and I know you all agree. They knew me as a customer before I had cancer and when I got cancer and was bored they said come be with us and pick your own hours. They begged me to. I did and gave cooking demonstrations. I was so alive and happy doing that. The best customers in the world go in there and there is no pressure. I was too sick to stay but it was my decision to leave. After I was done with cancer I celebrated in many ways and one meaningful way was with them. You betcha. At this time of year I do think of my dear, dear friends who are working very hard and I go in to give them a few hundred quick kisses and hugs. I hope one of you does work for them.