I'm using Savage garden here: according to the book, "fluffy dabs of cottony tufts" are a sign of mealybugs. I have absolutely no experience here, but I've heard reccomendations of "Ortho Systemic Insect Killer" as a good pesticide, particularly in wettable powder. It might just be a fungus, I don't know, does it look like a fungus or some insect material? Either way, i'd treat it with a fungicide or insecticide. watch the bical like a hawk, red spots can mean spider mite, and that's bad news. Give it a thorough inspection after misting. If you can see any webbing on the leaves, treat with an insecticide as fast as you can. If not, keep watching it, I was almost sure I had spider mite on my aristolochioides, but it's fine now, so hopefully yours is too. As far as I know, leaves turning brown aren't a sign of any pest, just stress. How are your conditions? I can't see why Ampullaria would be in stress, it's such a hardy plant, which leads me to believe it may still be in stress from shipping. Sorry I don't have too much experience in pests, I've only heard them described, so I'm not sure.

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

I have not heard of anyone using Pickle crisp in fruits, just pickled vegetables. To me, the taste of it would not be something I would like in fruits. I can taste it, sort of a bitter taste. It does make the pickles crisp, though. From the Ball company on Pickle Crisp: Pickle Crisp is a natural mineral salt that keeps cucumbers and vegetables firm; yields crisp "fresh pack" pickles. Not recommended for "fermented" pickle recipes. This product replaces the need for old-fashioned firming agents but it does not replace "pickling salt" used in pickling liquid recipes. Pickle Crisp is a dry granular product that is added to each jar after vegetables are packed and before the hot pickling liquid is added - before heat processing. Add 3/4 tsp (4 ml) Pickle Crisp to each 500 ml jar; 1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) to each 1 L jar and 2 tsp (10 ml) to each 1.5 L jar of fresh pack pickles. Each 78 g package yields 18 - 1 L jars. Each package contains three 26 g pouches, each yielding six 1 L jars, for a total of 18 1 L jars. Available in stores selling home canning supplies, also available online. Yes, if you use part fruit that is under ripe you will get a firmer gel due to the higher pectin. Here is a description of the different types of fruit spreads: KINDS OF FRUIT PRESERVES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JELLY: is made from strained fruit juice. The product is clear and firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of the container, yet soft enough to spread. BUTTERS: are made by cooking fruit pulp and sugar until thick enough to spread easily. Spices are added depending on personal taste. The butter needs to be cooked slowly after the sugar is added to prevent scorching. Finer butters can be made by straining the pulp through a food mill and then through a fine-meshed sieve. JAM: is made from crushed or ground fruit and tends to hold its shape but is generally less firm than jelly. Jams are cooked until they round up in a spoon. They should be made in small batches and cooked rapidly until the sugar dissolves. CONSERVES: are jams made from a mixture of fruits, usually including citrus fruit; often raisins and nuts are added. Conserves are cooked until the mixture will round up in a spoon. They should be made in small batches and cooked rapidly. MARMALADE: is a tender jelly with small pieces of fruit or peel distributed evenly throughout. It should be cooked in small batches and brought quickly to the jellying point after the sugar is added. A marmalade commonly contains citrus fruit; part of the white rind should be cooked with the fruit for most of the pectin is found there. PRESERVES: are whole fruits or large pieces of fruit in a thick syrup, often slightly jellied. Preserves should be cooked in small batches in wide pans. If the syrup gets too thick before the fruit is tender and clear, add boiling water. If the fruit is clear and tender but the syrup is too thin, remove the fruit and cook the syrup rapidly to the desired consistency.

Second the issue. Pickling lime was only used as a presoak and should NEVER be added to any pickling brine. The pickles are not safe to consume!! Even if only just made, they contain too much of the caustic lime, as it would be like trying to eat Draino! Its always a good idea to research ingredients that you are unsure about, and never guess at any substitutions. Pickling lime is a very old crispingp rocess and today, its been replaced with a much safer product that can be mixed with vinegar salt picking brines. The sediment you have will never dissolve and once shaken it makes a very cloudy brine, but soon settles again. If you plan to make pickles again, I suggest that you read through some of the many recipes and instructions mentioned on this forum. Mrs. Wages makes a few nice pickle mixes and none contain any pickling lime, although Mrs. Wages also is the only maker/seller of pickling lime right now, as Ball has discontinued that a few years ago due to the Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride) product being much safer to use and mixes with brines.