It's hard for me to believe that people can be so irresponsible with their home canning--and what they promote for others to do! I saw a recipe online tonight for pressured canned meatloaf balls, which included 6 eggs, 3 cups bread crumbs, and 1 cup powdered milk--in addition to the ground meat, onions, garlic (sauteed in oil) and seasonings. NO!!! Eggs, milk, and flour are not safe ingredients in home canning. A few people commented (a little too softly) about their concerns, but the author brushed them off with her own reasoning. Her canning times were 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.

I'm not one of the experts here, and I'd guess all the "regulars" here know this is a recipe for disaster, but there are a lot of people new to canning who may not know all the guidelines and cautions. I was new once, still learning (always), lots left to learn. It might be a good reminder to say that cooking recipes are not canning recipes--even if they sound really tasty. If it's a cooking recipe, cook it and eat it, but don't can it, unless it follows all the guidelines. And just because you found a canning recipe on the internet does NOT prove it safe. Also, your grandmother may have canned certain items or with certain methods that were standard for her day, but rules change. Just because "no one died (yet) doesn't mean we should keep on using out-dated methods.

Your old canning books may be outdated and contain info that has been revised. Please use current USDA guidelines, and ask here when you have a question.

I am so thankful I found the Harvest Forum when I was just beginning. I didn't have to break any bad habits and had the benefit of the combined experiences from the good folks here--who also pointed me towards The National Center for Home Food Preservation--the go-to place for information.

Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation