Okay, I made the following 3 recipes in the last two days with expected and actual yields... Italian-Style Tomato Sauce (Ball Complete Book) 9pts - 10.5pts Tomato Paste (Ball Complete Book) 9cups - 2.5cups Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce (Ellie Topps) 9pts - 6.25pts I understand that the expected yield is an estimate based on tomatoes used, consistency desired, etc., but my out put seems generally pretty outside the realm of what I would think a reasonable variation. And I have to admit the amount of time and effort compared to the output on the last 2 recipes above, especially the paste, have me wondering if this is all worth it!!! I cooked the paste for probably about 13 hours total; maybe 4 in a crockpot and the rest on the stove since the CP seemed too slow. I was aiming for the consistency of paste out of a can; is that too thick? I am very much in learning mode and am not ready to give up yet, but I'd love to hear any comments any of you with more experience might want to share on how to know when to stop. Any ideas on how to tell if the consistency will change (thicken) when cool? Or .... ? And in the meantime, tomorrow I'm going to do some raw pack tomatoes cuz all of the above doesn't matter! :) Kathy

I share your concerns about this book and posted some similar comments about it a year or so back when I first looked through it. I don't know if that discussion is still around but others voiced concerns about it at that time. It sure doesn't adhere to the commonly accepted guidelines and could easily mislead new canning folks into some risky practices. His processing methods raise all sorts of questions and litmus paper testing isn't all it is cracked up to be by this author since false readings are common. There are much better books available IMO. Dave

Harriethomeowner, And, do you still have any of the 'business attire' from your court reporter days, or did that transition into the new career? The equipment....What to do with it? If it isn't state of the art for today (and I doubt it) I would get it out of my house ASAP and use the space for something else, even if it is blank space. So, my houseguest still has her college books (she is 67) and her mother's, also! I asked her why she kept them, and she feels they would be useful if someone wanted to learn Swedish, chemistry, english, etc. That's for the mother's books. She doesn't feel the information is outdated at all........yup, a 70 year old chemistry book is my idea of a great way to learn about atoms and molecules......and polymers too. So, I've been driving around with all these clothes in the back of the van since the Goodwill store moved from downtown to a strip mall that is out of the way. I have a friend that does a lot of closeup photography and lost some of her backgrounds. Shazam, do we cut up this black silk skirt, or donate it and go buy some black silk? No brainer! Oh, look, there is some more in varying colors, double shazam! Wonderful repurpose!! Barbara

thanks for the posts. yes, we let her read. Our main rule is chores before anything. She can read all freakin day or night if she wants but her chores better be done first. So she has no sane reason for hiding out and reading in the bathroom. In fact, that was all she did today. Finished those damn books. So now she has nothing again. BTW, reading is only something she just recently got into, as in not even a year ago. We "made" her read when she was in trouble for this or that and she hated it. Totally agree with pseudomom's idea that it is all petty stuff but piled all together it is a mountain. She already did the hide in the bathroom and read till you are doing crappy in school thing. She won't be going to college. No clue what her plans for after high school are. Keep working fast food I guess. If I am to disengage it isn't my problem. We don't expect her room to be spotless...she is a teen afterall. But we do expect dresser drawers to be closed, the dirty laundry off the floor so you can see it, garbage where it belongs, and a decent bathroom, ie, nothing growing in the toilet etc. We have already taken tv away. She only watches certain things anyway. Because tv was a huge thing for her. All important. Her mom is the same way...don't jump all over me for saying the truth. Her mom and her used to sit and watch tv all day long. That was it. Yes, I agree her dad is too soft on her. He feels like he has to save her from turning out like her mom or like her brother. I just discovered something today. Has to do with her issue with relationships. you all know how I have been saying that she won't call her friends etc and make any plans with them or invite them over etc. Well since she got in trouble, she decided that it is time to call her friends. Wants to go do something with them....knowing the answer will have to be no. Had no problem calling them today. Although she should not have even been on the phone...she gets real content it seems when she is "grounded". So it looks like she gets to tell friends "sorry, dad says I can't I am in trouble" so she looks like she is "trying" to do things, and she gets off scott free without feeling like she is hurting the "friendship". this isn't the first time she has done this. total sabotage. She always did like the victim role. The girl is so afraid of any kind of relationship. A definite issue that needs to be of more focus in counseling i think. I keep saying it is so hard to "give consequences" to this girl. Because we have taken things away. Or we don't give or offer them...like a cell phone...she has one, but she can't use it. She pulls crap like she did with the friend thing, so she won't have to say no to "friends". So that way it is like it is the parents fault. She is content if we leave her with just reading. Which makes the hiding in the bathroom thing all the more bizarre. I tell you ladies....I can't begin to explain the strange things this child does or even begin to wonder the why's of it all, other than she is seriously disturbed. Some of it I recognize. Not in a good way either. Because of being around kids like that in the psych. center where I used to work. That stuff is the really manipulative things, that if you were not aware of it might even seem some what normal. She can still manipulate her dad very well. It used to be all it took was her tears to flow...but I finally got her dad to see that was just an act with her...so she hasn't pulled that for a long while. She is moving on to bigger and more sneaky things. It is nerve wracking for me. Just disengaging doesn't quite take care of all that goes on here.