I've had great success with ohioheirloomseeds. Its a small company so the variety is a little limited but has all the variety's I was interested in and I always like to support good local business. Prices were really good and they have an ebay store that they have auctions for even better value. So far great germination rates and every seed was correct to description. Ive had good success with johnnies, there was a mix up on an order last year but was corrected unfortunatly too late for the season but it was corrected. Their variety is great and always had good germination rates. Burpee has been the least favorite mail order ive used as year after year they get my order wrong and respond very slowly to issues. The in store seeds at HD or lowes are good but are pricy and who knows what treatment the packs have had. I like my local garden centers for a lot of things but seeds. Unfortunately it seems like I have the worst germination rates from them.

I don't ferment anything except cucumbers so I won't address the mash - there have been discussions here on it. Just didn't know where you were headed with the reference to "recipes" - yes, canning plain tomatoes (crushed, sauce, etc. all good as long as you don't start adding low-acid veggies) is very straightforward and it' all there on NCHFP site also in Ball Blue Book. Salsa - that's a can (no pun intended!) of worms but the NCHFP did add a Choice Salsa recipe that's a bit more flexible. They did publish a study on salsa acidification, but only tested tomato/onion/pepper blend as well as separately testing how much acid (lemon juice but lime is the same and more appropriate to salsa) was required to acidify full pints of either onions or peppers. Once you start adding garlic and fresh herbs like cilantro though you're in uncharted territory. Annie did get her recipe (in 2 recent threads, the Condensed Leesa thread and the Auntie Anne's) tested, revised, and re-tested, there is some room for customization there too as discussed. But basically you have to start with a tested safe salsa recipe and then sub lemon/lime juice mix for vinegar if preferred (I mentioned above can't decrease the fluid volume), sub hot peppers for bell (again, by measure/weight not count - if the recipe says "1 medium bell pepper" then consult the Ball Complete book to see how many cups that is, then measure your prepped chiles to substitute), sub onions for peppers and vice versa, omit sugar, adjust salt, black pepper, and dried spices to taste. Beware of changing dried herbs - some don't can/store well, for example, I would rather leave oregano out than sub basil b/c basil goes bitter. If you have any questions about whether a recipe is safe to can, just post it here and Dave or one of the other MFPs can review it (usually by comparing to an approved recipe, so if you've modified one it helps to post the original, its source, and your modifications).

Sharon, I'm glad your pot roast turned out so well. I agree, leftovers are perfect "hot beef sandwiches", with some mashed potatoes and gravy over everything. As I've mentioned before, I'm also one of those poeple who doesn't put the carrots and clery in the pot roast because the vegetables flavor the gravy. I like potatoes in pot roast, but I'd prefer them mashed and so they get cooked separately too, usually. The only difference of opinion we have is on the use of sirloin. Sirloin is one of my favorite pieces of beef, not fork tender but juicy and flavorful, so I like it rare and sliced very thinly, I'd never "waste" good sirloin on pot roast, LOL. round? Now round is imminently suited to braising. Annie

This was really, really good! I was happy with the recipe, but the meat itself was fantastic. I have never felt completely successful with pot roasts. I always seem to have dry meat under the gravy. This roast, which I wound up cooking almost three hours at 225° and then letting it rest for another 20 minutes while I strained all the juices out, let the fat rise to the top, removed the fat and returned the juices to the pot with all the chopped onion, was delicious. I cooked it to an internal temp of 175° worrying that it would be overdone, but it was perfect. I found a reference on the web suggesting an internal temp of 165° but it was not tender enough and the juices were too bloody for a pot roast. I blitzed the juices and the onion into a smooth sauce and added just a little, about a teaspoon, of cornstarch stirred into a couple of ounces of red wine to thicken it. The meat sliced smoothly and perfectly and was meltingly moist and tender. It was certainly the best pot roast I have ever made and I thought this is what you would get if you ordered a fancy braised beef in a good restaurant. Everyone enjoyed it and the simple sides of baked sweet potato and steamed green beans were perfect. I'm looking forward to cooking my other piece in a more savory manner, undoubtedly with mushrooms and red wine. I will be looking for more PRIME cross cut chuck. Thanks again for all your help and if you see a prime grade cross cut chuck, grab it, in fact grab all you can. Lee