In article ,
Kajikit wrote:

I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
both of which are at a premium in my apartment.

Okay, so assuming that the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
pretty they look?

AFAICS, you don't need anything more to get started----although I strongly
recommend a canning funnel (large bottom opening to accommodate chunky
stuff and big pieces going into the jar) and a jar lifter. You want to
move your jars into and out of the canner with straight up and down
movement so you don't tilt the jar. Regular tongs make it a little more
difficult to manage that, IMO.

Get the Ball Blue Book -- maybe $6-7. Or the Complete Book of Home
Preserving by the Jarden/Ball folks--there are about 17 different salsa
recipes in it.

I recommend using a tested and blessed recipe for salsa, Karen; the old
ways may not be acidic enough to satisfy current recommendations.
Tomatoes are now considered to be borderline safe for simple waterbath
processing and when you throw low-acid vegetables (peppers and onions)
into the mix, you're swimming in murky waters. Make half (or a third)
of a recipe to see if you like it. There's a new BBB out this year -
it's the 100th anniversary for it. And check out www.uga.edu/nchfp for
the most current info on the whole topic of food preservation.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009