Valhalla Acres Mercantile

07/29/2026

07/08/2026

August 5, 2025 Marlene Geiger 4 Comments If tomatoes can be diced and canned commercially, why are there no tested recipes for home canning diced canned tomatoes?   The USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation do not recommend home canning diced tomatoes due to safety concerns. Univ...

04/18/2026

In a non-canning group I belong to, a woman was talking about some jam she home canned using allulose as a sweetener. When told that Stevia was the only natural alternative sweetener tested safe for canning, she said she'd test the pH of the jam before eating it. I explained that acidity is far from the only consideration; in this case, for example, water activity and density could be affected by the sweetener.

BUT NOTE: ***We cannot accurately test acidity at home.*** In home canning, absolute accuracy in pH testing is necessary. Even a fractional difference in acidity can result in food that is unsafe to eat. To get equipment that tests food pH accurately costs thousands *and* it must be calibrated before each use, which isn't cheap, either.

Additionally, it takes know-how to get an accurate reading, even with the right equipment. For example, both the liquid portion and the solid portion of the food must be tested, which requires proper drainage, weighing, blending of solids, and more. Temperature during testing also matters. If the sample is too hot or cold, most meters will give a false reading.

And this is just ONE thing home canning recipes are tested for, using many, many jars of food, including those innoculated with harmful microorganisms (to ensure processing reliably kills them off). There is a reason it took Ball two years to publish the fully tested elderberry jelly recipe I posted yesterday.

Home canning is not the place to experiment in the kitchen. Tested safe recipes from Ball/Bernardin or The National Center for Home Food Preservation website are what you're after if you want food that is truly shelf stable and safe.

Photo by Shreveport Bossiere.

04/12/2026

Tune in tomorrow for my interview!

03/31/2026

How to tighten rings on Ball jars.
NEW INFO (TO US)
Until recently Ball recommended fingertip tight plus more.
Tighten until resistance is met, then 1/4 turn more.
Now their website says tighten only until resistance is met.
We do not know when this information changed, but here it is now.
https://www.ballmasonjars.com/canning-how-to-videos.html

02/19/2026

Download this food safety poster here:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2022-01/362156.pdf

01/27/2026

Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce
Still have peaches in your freezer???
This bbq sauce is great. Make it now and it will be good to go for BBQ season.

PRO TIP: Frozen peaches are great for canned sauces, but should not be used for salsas. Processing times for salsa recipes are for fresh peaches not frozen (mushy) peaches. The density of frozen peaches may cause the product to be under-processed, therefore creating a food safety issue.

PRO TIP: a pepper is a pepper. You may substitute hot peppers for sweet peppers or use a combination. Just be sure to use the exact amount called for in the recipe.
https://www.bernardin.ca/recipes/en/zesty-peach-bbq-sauce.htm

01/25/2026

Jams and Jellies: Let’s Make Orange Chocolate Marmalade

01/24/2026

Let’s unbox some stuff!

01/21/2026

Dehydration VS Freeze Drying