Thanks for the explanation that it was more of a food quality issue than safety.

I should add the qualifier that the food will only be safe assuming the person chooses the right processing time (and many don't when using mixed vegetables).

Using the example of tomatoes with corn, some assume since the jar is mostly tomatoes with only a little corn then they don't need the full corn processing time. That isn't correct. If it is a quart of tomatoes with only 2 tbls. of corn added it still needs the full corn processing time.

Or what if it is a mix of tomatoes with beans and corn? Or potatoes and beans?

Good examples of why that old guideline can be risky to use if the person is UNDER-informed.

Dave

I don't follow the outdated guideline and only use the tested recipes, so I know I'm good to go. I was just so disappointed to see some bad recommendations on the other group just when I was beginning to trust them! It really bothers me to see newbies receiving information and advice that is questionable or risky, which is why I was trying to verify the information on this topic.

One of my observations on the other site is that many of the canners--especially the new ones--don't bother to use a canning book at all...they just ask what the recipe is or how long to process something. I've been canning a few years now, and I still don't consider myself an
expert and review the instructions each time I begin a session. I keep the canning recipe out and make sure I'm doing it right.

Thanks for the input. It is appreciated.

Jill

Updating this post...

FYI, I just purchased the newest Ball Blue
Book, 37th edition, which is dated 2014. I was reviewing the basic info on canning and thumbing through the pages and came across this information:

On page 98 (the section for Meats,
seafoods & vegetables), under "Good Things to Know", "combination
recipes," Ball includes this statement:

"The length of processing time
for combination recipes must safely preserve the ingredient requiring
the longest processing time. Follow individual recipe for ingredient
preparation, jar size, and processing time."

As Dave has mentioned
before, when I asked about this, the results may not be optimal because
some foods may be overprocessed by processing for another item that
requires a longer time, but this information come from a reliable source, and I wanted to share it.

since i have canned 21 quarts of mixed vegetables this season ( as nchfp says, 90' PC. but i do 93' with cheap timers...tomatoes,squash, and green beans. ) and plan on adding it to soup, i'm not concerned if it's a bit mushy. i do have a question about using different vegetables. are onions considered a vegetable? they were not listed as exceptions , but i have not seen any non-pickle recipes where they were added except in small amounts. since i think they are related to garlic, i am a bit leery. i have, however, used other summer squash in lieu of zucchini. but since i've read that any immature squash can be labelled "summer", that doesn't mean they are all the same density. so i dice, not slice that.