#Canning 

Perfect video, sweet lady! I finally made it to the end lol. Again, I LOVE that you made this video, it's SO important that people don't forget the simple methods that kept - and still keep in some parts of the world - alive and thriving for new generations to grow strong. If the world really gets as bad as it's been heading towards, then we all might be forced to resort back to those simple methods anyway. People like you, my dear, are the exact ones that are going to help those clueless government-dependent people (dare I say fools? lol) get back on their feet when we all own nothing and are equally suffering.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE you for this. Pressure canning never worked out for me because when I started it, I lived at an elevation where the pressure canner I got - a gift from my favorite aunt because I couldn't afford one myself - could handle the elevation. I gave up for awhile, then I started watching wonderful Heidi and Rain Country, and I did my own research, and I learned exactly what you said: the US is the ONLY country where it is illegal to waterbath everything, and it all comes down to money. People would not buy pressure canners when literally every pioneer survived and thrived just fine on waterbath canning up until pressure canners were put in stores, so the USDA/FDA said it was "dangerous" to waterbath low-acid foods. The same with re-using lids, they said it was "dangerous", but if there is nothing wrong with the lid, then it is perfectly safe and cans just as well as most brand-new lids. So I learned to waterbath everything. And I have no regrets. Why "fix" something when it was never broken? If you do it right and don't skip the important steps, anyone can safely can any type of food.

For the water level, most rural dwellers in Europe and Asia who can (again, only water bath canning happens outside the US) put the water only up to the neck of the jar. I'm not sure what that method is called, but they successfully can like that all the time. But everyone is free to put the water at the level they feel more comfortable with.

You are EXACTLY right: water bath canning is nothing more than slow-build pressure canning. It's literally the same thing but at a more gradual build. And for THAT reason, it's also safer than pressure canning. (that's not to say that pressure canning can't be safe if you do it right; anything can be dangerous if you do it wrong).

I want to add that the Amish sometimes add about a teaspoon of vinegar (theirs are usually around 9%, though, unlike the ones sold in stores which are 3% to 6%) to cut down their waterbath canning times.

Did you say Ph strips? Use to test food?

Can you water bath Homemade soups?

Can you water bath spaghetti with a meat sauce?