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Canning/Jarring - How Do I Not Kill Myself?
There are two ways to not kill yourself (by botulism)
1) Make sure the pH is less than 4.6 (i.e. you want it to be acidic). For most jams, this is a non-issue. If it is, squeeze in some lemon juice. Simple. For stuff like Tomatoes, you should probably get a pH tester to be safe.
2) process your cans in a "12D" process. Basically, hold it at a high temperature long enough to reduce the possibility of a bacteria surviving by 12 base-10 logs. so if you had a 1,000,000,000,000 bacteria before (actually, a pretty low number), you now probably have 1, for all intents and purposes, you now have a sterilized product. This is often what you want to avoid doing when you step outside the line since you probably don't have the equipment that will bring the cans/jars to the appropriate temperature for to achieve this, and just boiling the jars in an open-top kettle will not achieve this level of sterilization.
The Fest: Our Humblest Apologies to All
It looks like a lot of the problems faced looked like they weren't really the fault of Ed (although at some point someone should have probably demanded a cap on attendance with the number of tickets sold vs. number of vendors). A lot of it looked like poor choice of venue, combined with a seemingly professional event planner that performed poorly and didn't do the job they were paid for. Coupled with a lineup of vendors (with great histories) who traveled great distances, to provide a service outside of their restaurants that they normally wouldn't, the makings were ripe for a logistical nightmare.
I truly hope that SE and Ed find a better promoter and event organizer, and keep working at this, because it truly is a great idea, and it is clear that many people wanted it. Lets hope they take this lesson and use the next available opportunity to show us how this really can become the great festival it was billed as. Ed seems like a smart guy, and I don't think these problems would happen if they bring this event back. I just hope the Bay Area is forgiving enough to let them have one more chance.
Who Makes the Best Vanilla Ice Cream?
Probably only available in California, and only in a very few stores, but the Strauss Family Creamery vanilla would blow any of the above out of the water.
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I second the cheeseboard, and I guess I should count myself lucky to live only a few blocks away...just close enough to catch whiffs of their pizza if I'm out walking around the neighborhood.