Zabby, The whole cloves (Spice World) peeled garlic that I buy in 3 lb containers aren't packed in anything. The minced garlic (I don't buy anymore) is packed in olive oil. Garlic remains the only thing that I have been unable to ferment by itself. Really convinced me just how good its anti-bacterial qualities are. Salsa...... Subbing chopped parsley leaves for the cilanto really helped for me. Yesterday batch #1 4 cups tomatoes 4 cups peaches 1 1/2 cups sweet onion 1 1/2 cups green bell pepper 1 Biker Billy jalapeño 2 Bhut Jolokia peppers (very hot) 7 garlic cloves 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1/8 cup canning salt 1/8 cup parsley 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup lemon juice 15 oz can tomato sauce 12 oz can tomato paste BWB for 15 min = 6 pints Batch #2 8 cups tomatoes 4 cups peaches 2 1/4 cups green bell pepper 2 tbs manzano pepper powder (hot) 10 garlic cloves 3 1/4 cups sweet onions 1 tbs cumin seeds 1 tbs fresh ground black pepper 3/16 cup canning salt 3 tbs parsley 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1 cup lemon juice 15 oz can tomato sauce 12 oz can tomato paste BWB for 15 min = 7 pints and aprox 2 for the fridge to be frozen today. I forgot the tomatillos and will just chop them into the 2 or so pints that I'm going to freeze. Or I might pressure process them. The peach skin didn't seem to hurt a thing. The peaches were a bit hard, but I liked the flavor and they sure diced nicely in my new onion dicer. Tomatoes are the only thing that I have to dice by hand and they took forever as I am so stinking slow at things like that. Thanks again, Annie!! jt

If your canner is a Presto then spend the $12-15 to buy the 3 weight set. That way you don't have to worry about getting the gauge tested and can just ignore it. The weight set is discussed here in many threads. If another brand with a gauge then you may be forced to have your gauge tested regularly to be safe. But I am more concerned about your inability to control the stove heat and prevent the radical pressure changes that causes the siphoning. Is the stove gas or electric? It does take some practice sessions with the canner and just some jars of water in it but it shouldn't be that difficult to control your pressure. All the way on until your t10 min. of continuous venting is done, then put the weight on and as soon as the pressure gauge reaches 11 bls., slowly begin to reduce the heat in small increments. Hope this helps. Dave PS: As to the "cool air on the jars" bit - yes, instructions say to "not expose them in a draft to cool" but they do need to be out of the canner and on to the kitchen counter. ;)

vschalf, that's my recipe. If you want to can it safely in a boiling water bath, you cannot reduce the acid ingredient, which is the vinegar, because of all the other low acid vegetables included in that recipe. In fact, I think the National Center for Home Food Preservation is going to revamp their guidelines on home canned salsa and the recommendation for acidity levels will probably increase. HOWEVER, you can substitute lemon or lime juice for the vinegar, many people have done that and like the end result, but that will only work for you if it's the vinegar you object to and not the general acidity level. You might try to add more sugar, that seems to decrease the flavor of the acid ingredients, but it might just make it too sweet. It's funny, I started out pressure canning that recipe because I was trying to get rid of some of the vinegar. It didn't taste right, it turns out that my family LIKES the vinegar. Only apple cider vinegar, not white, the apple cider vinegar has a sweeter flavor. You may just not like the recipe and might have to find another that is closer to your taste. Check the website for the National Center for Home Food Preservation or this one from Michigan State University, they have several recipes. You will find that all of them contain pretty much the same levels of vinegar or citrus juice, that's what makes them safe to can. Happy Canning! Annie

What sort of "updated research" or "further testing" are you looking for? As with all the USDA tested and approved recipe instructions, once recipes are tested and approved, assuming the instructions are followed, then no further testing is required. Nor is any done unless some sort of problems are reported. There are no issues with this particular recipe except that some folks insist on modifying it. And given all the government funding cutbacks to USDA research likely even less will be available in the future. Dave