Also, I noticed air bubbles in the jars after processing. I thought I had gotten them out before putting the lids on, but as I removed them from the water, there were air bubbles traveling up the sides. Enough that I noticed them. Now, after resting overnight, I don't see any air pockets, or too many bubbles anymore ... and all but 1 jar pinged shut and the seal seems fine. Do I need to worry about air bubbles like that, or is that a normal occurence when you remove jars from the boiling water? (I don't think it was a density issue - I did pickles and zydeco beans, and after processing they are all sitting up near the tops of the jars and there is liquid space underneath the veggies, they're not crammed full).

The OP inquired about the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving Pizza Sauce. In that recipe 1/2 cup of bottled lemon juice is called for. Since the recipe doesn't mention vinegar as an acceptable substitute, it shouldn't be used even if quadrupled (which clearly would be unworkable for other reasons, taste and consistency among them). Since vinegar is mentioned as an acceptable (though not optimal) substitute in various plain canned tomato products, it can be used for those recipes. The problem is that some may conclude that the ratio of vinegar to lemon juice in those tested recipes (4:1) holds true for all other products containing bottled lemon juice, and that's not the case. That's why the NCHFP says not to switch vinegar for lemon juice [barring those recipes where vinegar has been specified]. In an ideal world the USDA/NCHFP would have communicated more clearly the rationale, but they're over-stressed and under-funded and sometimes they aren't as clear as they'd wish to be. The Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce was developed and tested by Ellie Topp using red wine vinegar and red wine (which is also an acid). A scientist with a PhD in experimental foods, she has the skills and resources to develop new approaches to canning. Canning rests on science and verification, not assumptions. It is an evidence-based discipline. It can be very risky to conclude without proof that one can transpose a method or ingredients from one recipe to another. Perhaps red wine vinegar in some unspecified amount could be used in other recipes in lieu of lemon juice, but only lab testing would confirm that fact. There's no sense in arguing a hypothetical. I think this discussion has begun to get ugly, which is not a good thing for Harvest. I hope we can all just let it go. Carol

Thanks, I think I'll test it out this weekend. I have lemons in the house at the moment. Terri, That sauce sounds great. I'll have to find some chili peppers and make that for myself. I'm not really a fan of regular BBQ sauce. Tracey

Wow- thank you- I can sure use this! Trish in SC