Wow this is a hard one. It is a wonderful and kind offer but I'm not sure how practical it is.

First because many times chemo patients are on restricted diets so you'd need to find out about any of those. Second, there is the shipping problems (postal restrictions, USDA across state lines restrictions, not to mention packing issues) so avoid liquids.

Third, it is all going to depend on his taste buds and digestive system given the effect chemo has on them. Appetite and chemo just don't go hand in hand - except for ice cream. ;-) Lastly, given the severe understaffing I'm not sure I would count on the nurses for much help beyond their duties. And after the marrow transplant he'll be in isolation anyway for a period of time so nothing can be brought in that isn't hosp. approved.

As for the new recipes, "1/4 of all the above goes into a jar, then fill to 1" headspace with hot broth." There is no way to know if that meets the 1/2 and 1/2 rule or not. How much of the jar does "1/4 of all the above" fill and how much room is left for liquid? Given the extra long processing time it is probably safe but it may scorch in the jar.

The chicken stew - just use the beef stew instructions in Ball Complete and sub chicken for the beef.

The squash - if it is on freshpreserving.com it is fine to use.

Dave

Thanks for the thoughtful answer on so many points, Dave!

Re: chemo and allowable diet; he actually hasn't been restricted through his other rounds of chemo except fresh fruit/vegs need to be peeled or well washed and no deli meats. The unit he's in in the hospital focuses on blood cancers and has incredible and plentiful staff; part of their job is to help their patients find a way to eat so heating the contents of a jar won't really be extra work if it means he eats. I understand at some point he may not be able to eat things brought in from outside, but he should be able to while going through the chemo phase the first few weeks.

It breaks my heart that he's going in for this horrendous 4-5 week long process and the thing he is dreading the most is the food. I know he might not like anything I send, but if I find even *ONE* thing that tastes good to him that he can enjoy or even tolerate and eat safely, all my effort will be worth it.

I've shipped jars of stuff to family for years and, while I haven't looked it up recently, I did check in the past and there's no issue with authorities as long as I'm not sending alcohol. :)

Re: the Chicken Curry recipe - I messed up copying the packing step and don't know if I can go back and fix my original post. But it should say "pack ingredients to 1" headspace. Ladle hot broth over ingredients, leaving 1" headspace (you may have room for only a few tablespoons of broth)." So, it's definitely not following the 50/50 rules for soup, more like following instructions for raw pack canning of straight chicken according to the other Ball books. I haven't cracked open a jar yet, but it doesn't look scorched. If anything, it looks way more liquid-y than I expected.

I'll definitely try the squash soup, good to know I can trust the Fresh Preserving website.

Kathy

Thanks so much for asking!

He's actually doing as well as can be expected. Today is 3 weeks after his bone marrow transplant and, so far, his blood tests are showing really positive results! I'll be going East to "babysit" him for 2 weeks next month. Part of my job will be helping to fatten him up <G>, so I'm looking forward to that. He's been told not to eat home canned foods for the first 100 days, but I will likely take a suitcase full of fresh things from the garden (herbs, garlic, lemons, veggies) and frozen foods (tomato sauce, pesto, soups, etc) with me. :)

When my FIL was widowed and got sick, we couldn't get down south very often to cook and freeze for him. He had plenty of food coming in from all the little widows in the neighborhood (he was a catch! A rich doctor!), but they would make these huge casseroles, mostly which would be thrown away!

I started cooking comfort foods (soups, casseroles, enchiladas etc) and freezing and packaging them with a foodsaver. Most things we could freeze flat, so they were stackable. Every once in awhile we would ship him an overnight package of frozen meals, so he could have at least one home cooked meal a day. We packed them in styrofoam coolers designed for shipping. This may be an alternative. Nancy

Kathy, I don't really have any advice, but I just wanted to say that I'm happy to hear your brother is doing well and that you'll get to spend some time with him. Maybe you can do freezer meals while you are there, but I think I'd rather just spend time visiting if I were you!

Annie

Thanks, Nancy, I am thinking about taking some frozen food with me when I go next month to care take him for two weeks. I like your approach for packaging; I'll look into TSA and airline requirements to make sure that will fly. :)

And thanks, Annie, I appreciate your kind words. Yes, spending time is the best; I'm thinking I can do most of my cooking while he's taking his frequent naps. :)

Kathy