I lurk far more than I post, and have been wanting to get into canning for quite some time. Lots of local farmer's markets in my area with great fruits and veggies at inexpensive prices, so it would seem to make sense for me to can. Due to all the great information you guys have posted on canning, I decided to take the plunge. Asked for a pressure canner and Ball canning book for Christmas, and I was off.
Decided to keep it simple for a test run. I got 6 pounds of Grannie Smith apples, put them up in medium syrup. It went off far easier than building an FN/FAL in the garage, and all the jars sealed properly. I plan to open and eat one jar every two months to judge taste, and see how long they'll stay good. I'll put up some more fruits, then try my hand at low-acidic veggies using the pressure method instead of hot water bath. Eventually I'd like to can meats, soups, and fish, but figure I'd better work myself up slowly.
Just wanted to say thanks to all the posters that put out so much info, it was a great help. Love this forum.