I am still questioning the amount of liquid to pepper ratio, I had to make a second batch of the liquid to fill all the jars & I really packed those jars tightly I thought (based on the pic, do they look full?). Again, I am complete beginner, but I also did a few batches of pickled peppers from the Ball recipe book, and the ratio of peppers to liquid was perfect--no more no less than needed to fill the jars. NCHFP recipe calls for 7 lbs of peppers to 6 cups of liquid, Ball calls for slightly under 3 lbs of peppers to 8 cups of liquid. I'm happy with the taste of both, but am still questioning the proportions.

Ended up the perfect advice, LindaC! I added all the rest of the liquid, then added flour in a cup at a time until it felt right. Total was only about 81/2 cups! No where near the 11 written. I ended up making hamburger buns and sandwich rolls (or very small loaves) from it. It's good, a little dense for burgers, but it'll eat!! Sure does taste good! Here's what they looked like when all baked....minus the bit that I sampled first! :-) Thanks again! Deanna

Q. Doesn't baking soda need an acid to work? A. Yes. These ingredients/foods are commonly used with baking soda in leavening: citrus, vinegar, cranberries, rhubarb, apples, berries, apricots, orange juice, honey, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, bananas, carrots, pumpkin, molasses, cocoa and chocolate (listed in decending order from high acid - pH of 2.0 to lower acid - 6.0). Baking soda is an alkali, or a base, and it reacts with acid to make carbon dioxide. Without acid, baking soda can't properly do its job. But think of it as "lightening" the baked good because of the carbon dioxide, not just leavening, because eggs also contribute leavening. Exception to the rule (isn't there always one!): Occasionally you find a recipe that doesn't contain an acid counterpart. There's still some carbon dioxide produced, just not as "lively". The baking soda that is left unnutralized can have a soapy, bitter taste. That's another reason to sift, or thoroughly mix, dry ingredients together to make sure they are evenly distributed throughout the bulk of the ingredients, and to break up a soda "lump" that can remain because of the quick mixing techniques normally used on chemically-leavened baked goods. The alkalinity can also cause color changes - yellowing the pigments in flour, can accelerate browning, and alter the colors of chocolate and molasses. If the recipe also has cream of tartar in it, that's also an acid that is used to complete the reaction of the soda. -------------------- Q. Doesn't baking soda begin to react with the liquids immediately? A. The liquid ingredients cause the blending of the acid and alkali ingredients in a mixture to create a chemical reaction that makes carbon dioxide. Not just the liquid. If the acid ingredient is a liquid (sour milk, yogurt, etc.,) it is the cause of the reaction. It may take the blending of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to perform the reaction. Baking powder reacts once with the liquid, and then again with the heat from the oven (hence, double-acting baking powder). Hence - the tests for activity level of chemical leaveners. You mix soda with vinegar (a liquid acid) to test it's activity level, while baking powder only needs to be tested with hot water. --------------------- Q. Can the batter be frozen in balls if only baking soda is used, or will they go flat when later thawed and baked? A. Generally speaking, you can freeze cookie dough, even when only leavened with soda. Occasionally you find a recipe that doesn't perform as well when the dough is frozen. Eggs also perform part of the leavening. -Grainlady

Sure sounds to me as if the pectin has been doubled. And why is this called a relish if it has pectin in it...that would make it a jam or jelly (if just the juice is used)? I would do the following before making this recipe: ~ look at other jalapeno jelly/relish recipes to compare the amount of the chopped vegetables, sugar, vinegar, water, etc. ~ contact either or both of the web sites for Sure-Jell and Certo to see if they have an answer to your question ~ contact the person who made the relish or the company to see if they might answer your question - they might not ~ ask the experts over on the Harvest forum! First you have to decide if this "relish" is technically a relish or a jelly. Compare sweet pickle or hot dog relish to pepper jelly, in other words, to see just what you have. This may have been made from an old family recipe that called it a relish to be served on meats when it is actually a vegetable jam/jelly with the consistency of a "jelled" product. Teresa