Sometimes I feel a whole lot like the Grinch, spoiling people's canning. I don't know if that recipe is safe or unsafe. It's the not-knowing that's the problem. It's on the higher-risk end, though, because you have to have acid to counteract the oil and then more acid to raise the pH of the low-acid onion, peppers, celery and garlic. How much I don't know. Also, 10 minutes processing time is great for jams, but it seems awfully short for this. 1994 is the date of the last USDA revision and the NCHFP recipes developed since then, as well as what you see in new editions of the Ball Blue Book or any of the current sources, work from those standards. The USDA is planning a new revision now, but I don't know how soon it will come out or what will change. There's always new research changing what we assumed, like the listeria problem with certain refrigerator pickles. Who could have imagined? The trick is there are a lot of great recipes out there in books like Chesman's and then scattered amongst them are those that are doubtful. I'm not suggesting abandoning the book, just being selective. In "Blue Ribbon Preserves" Linda Amendt suggests canning curds, which are loaded with eggs and butter. When I asked her about it, she said the recipe wasn't tested (I don't know how she arrived at the pressure and time) and that she no longer cans her curds but refrigerates them. That's a really popular book. But there's been no revision or errata sheet and she hasn't said anything on her website. It gets kind of worrisome when you think an author has changed her own practices but hasn't acknowledged that in print. So the odds are that nothing would happen if you ate that sauce the rest of your life. But the potential for problems is definitely there. I'd refrigerate it; I don't see why it couldn't be frozen for long-term storage. It might be worth taking a small amount, if you have the space, and doing a test-container for the freezer, just to see how it holds up. Carol

Sometimes a recipe may seem superficially risky but testing determines it isn't. However, I'd need to know something much more specific from BH&G re their testing and also the qualifications of their staff before accepting at face value the assertion a recipe is fine to can. I've purchased the last two annual BH&G canning special issues and in both cases I've seen recipes I wouldn't trust without some data. However, I've had difficulty emailing BH&G and getting any kind of response. Maybe someone else will have better luck. I think things have changed in the food publishing world. It used to be that Sunset, for example, had excellent testing facilities and experienced staff and I trusted their recipes. However, a recent recipe for canned tomatoes called for Fruit Fresh to acidify. That is not equivalent to citric acid and told me they're no longer reliable. Similarly, our local paper, The Oregonian used to have experienced canners on staff and good links to OSU Extension, but last canning season they published a melon jam with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. I never did get a reply as to how the author of the book they reviewed determined that amount was sufficient for a low-acid fruit. And Penzey's a few years back published a home-canned mayonnaise-type sandwich dressing. I told them it posed risks but I never heard anything. It seems the way a lot of these publications "respond" is by ignoring their readers. Carol

There is a Carolina Cayenne listed above(developed in the U.S.A. 100,000-125,000)that gets in the range the add says. When I grew it ,it was hotter than regular Cayenne but I only grew it once. There are probably tons of hybrids/developed cayenne types out there that are in all different heat ranges. I was refering to Cayenne in general. Maybe it was my growing conditions but in general , I don't think Cayenne peppers pack that much heat. I haven't grown them in a while. I use mostly C.Chinense,Baccatums and Pubescens for my powders and rubs heat. Annuums I use mostly for flavor.Especially Chile Negro , Poblano and Cascabel. For short intense bursts of heat a lot of the Frutescens do the trick. I grow a lot of Pubescens too. They'll fool you though. They have all 3 kinds of Caspaicin in them so they feel hotter than they are. They hit up all the receptors in your mouth. I'm more into using several types of peppers to blend together to get the taste and heat i want. I'm growing several strains of 7 Pot,Trinidad Scorpion ,Nagas and Bhuts this year with a couple seasoning type peppers to mellow them out. I guess if the growers are using a similar strain to the Carolina Cayenne type for their powder it could reach up to 125,000 units. I've just never had a Cayenne that I thaught was anything to write home about as far as heat goes. I did like yellow Cayenne better than the other ones for taste when I grew them a few years back. I've grown several different ones.Regular assorted Cayennes,Long Slim,Long red,Yellow,Carolina,Thomas Jefferson,African,Purple,Super,Orange,Golden,Turkish,Picante,Portugal,Processing and sweet.

Congratulations on the granddaughter! That has to be exciting for you, and I can see how it will take up a lot of your time - but in a wonderful way. I was afraid that I had not sent you enough for all the garlic that you sent me, but the timing was a bit off. I'm getting more chilies now, but will be making them into sauce so that I have that for later. The leaves freeze nicely, and so those should be good for whenever you want to use them. You might want to dilute the Habanero sauce I gave you - think of it as a tincture of chili - a little goes a long way, which is why I put it in such a small bottle. You can dilute it with water or a flavorful vinegar, such as white Balsamic (which is what I use). I also mix it with mayonnaise for use on my sandwiches.