How common is botulism? How can botulism be prevented? What are the symptoms of botulism? the answers to these and many more questions can be found at the web pages of the Center for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/foodborn/botu.htm and from the USDA , the "Gateway to Government Food Safety Information" may be found at http://www.foodsafety.gov/ as well (although the server was down when i last checked) the USDA "Home Canning Guides" at http://ext.usu.edu/publica/foodpubs.htm there's plenty of info out there folks, so take advantage of what the health pro's are offering to help us "can" safely at home. regards peter g