Here's the sure jell version. SURE.JELL Dutch Apple Pie Jam 4 cups Prepared fruit (about 1 lb. Granny Smith or other tart green apples) 1-1/4 cups Water 1/2 cup Raisins 2 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. Ground allspice 1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin 1/2 tsp. Butter or margarine (optional) 4 cups Granulated sugar, measured into separate bowl (See tip below.) 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar Make It BRING boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling. PEEL and core apples; finely chop or grind. Add water and raisins. Measure exactly 4 cups into 6- or 8-quart saucepot. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice. STIR pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming, if desired. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. STIR in all sugars quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon LADLE quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.) Notes: I like to use apple juice instead of water. I forgot to put the brown sugar in once and it set fine (I imagine it is all the pectin in the apples). In the future I would probably use the brown sugar and cut back the white sugar by a cup. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/surejell-dutch-apple-57361.aspx

Christine, I agree with you that the shipping costs make them expensive, that is why is a good idea to share the bag with other people. In my opinion no single product is better than other, it all depends on the condition of the particular garden and I also think that not one single solution is 100% foolproof, only fresh soil is. If you combine a few things it also works. I did cover crops in Arizona and I planted right on top tomatoes and it worked for me, it was more to use a thick mulch for heat reduction, again different solutions for different gardens. Here with the nematodes it works the starvation diet, do not feed them! from time to time it is a good idea to treat the soil and let it rest. Doug, the crab meals are a good source of nitrogen, my neighbor in NY liked to fish and used to bury the fish heads deep in the soil to plant tomatoes. However when using anything like that, you have to be careful not to attract other unwanted creatures, nothing can smell. Here I will be even concern on the neighbors.:) Silvia

Morning all! Fran, I put in a bit more postage than what it was for me to mail my package to you. I don't think that I'll get back what I sent because we have a lot of veggie growers here, BUT if by chanace you dont have enough postage I'd be happy to send more if you need it to get my package back to me. I'm so glad that I bought the veggie seeds, I could almost hear how excited people were when I offered them up for grabs! Thank you to anyone who sent flowers in for me, I assure you that every single seed will find a good home. Lisa

I don't remember who posted this recipe or the link to the recipe, but it is very, very good. Although it has no added sugar and is lower in carbs (great for diabetics like me), it's not low in fat or low in calories. I usually make mini-muffins rather than a cake, for portion control. I haven't yet made the frosting, so I can't comment on it. The Fantabulous Whole Wheat Carrot Cake 16 servings in 9"x13" pan (12g net carbs; 15g total carbs including 3g fiber) 24 mini-muffins (8g net carbs; 10g total carbs including 2g fiber) 2 cups white whole wheat flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup Splenda for baking or 1 Splenda Quick Pack for even fewer carbs 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I like more) 4 eggs (I use jumbo eggs) 1 cup canola oil (or substitute with some apple sauce) 2 cups grated carrots 1 cup unsweetened crushed canned pineapple, drained Combine dry ingredients. Beat oil and eggs until frothy; stir in carrots and pineapple. Mix wet ingredients with dry until just mixed - do not over mix. Put into greased baking pans of your choice. Bake at 350° - 15 min for mini-muffins; 25-30 min for 8"x8" pan; 30-40 min for 9"x13" pan. Cool in pans several minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Frosting 1 1/2 cups cream cheese (1 1/2 8 oz. brick) 1 1/2 tbs. butter, softened 16 packets of Equal (or less to taste) 2 tsp. vanilla 0-2 tbs. milk to thin frosting if needed. Let cream cheese softened to room temperature. Add softened butter and beat with mixer until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla and sweetener.