The soil is not soaked, but damp a foot down after a couple of days. Sound like plenty of water for a week at least. In other words you are probably over-watering. You don't want soaked soil anytime. Lightly damp 6-8" down at the root level is plenty. And if yours is that wet that deep 2 days later then it was way too wet on day one. The tuna can approach is based on the "most vegetables need no more than 1-1 1/2" of water a week" guideline. So when the can is full you have delivered 1 1/2 to 2" (or however deep your particular can is) in water. Small tuna can is 1 1/2" deep. Ok? Dave

Toots, how are you doing with your tuna? I picked up my annual 75#s of loins last weekend, but my BIL is taking his share of that, I won't be canning all of it! My MIL used to bake her tuna whole before canning (she'd then add a little olive oil to it) - I didn't like it at all, it's just like I could buy at Costco cheaper than I could can it at home. I didn't have any interest in canning tuna for a long time until I had some a friend had raw packed....yummmm, so much better. Everyone I know cans tuna raw pack; maybe my MIL did it precooked because that's the way they do it in the commercial canneries and she had worked in canneries to help out the family (the dear lady had 10 children). I use wide mouth pints, but will can a case of 1/2 pts for my mom, and I do add salt.... scant 1/2 tsp 1/2 pts, 1 tsp pts. I've done it with garlic, but anymore I just look at that as an extra step...garlic can always be added to whatever recipe you're using the tuna for. Let us know how you did - it's a lot of work but worth it.

According the the Bumble Bee web site, there are several sizes available, including both 5 oz. and 7 oz. So if they were the same price, the supermarket's mistake is your gain. Julia Child's recipe for Tacchino Tonnato (her version of vitello tonnato, using turkey breast instead of roast veal) calls for a 7 oz can of tuna. I don't ever see those in my markets. I generally get tuna in olive oil (not vegetable oil) so I don't need much mayo to get it moist. I figure the fat from olive oil is a tad bit healthier than the fat in mayo.

DL, I saw your note on the Harvest forum and came here to see what your questions might be. My vote - Raw packed, hands down. It needs no oil, it has plenty of its own packed raw and tender moist fish won't be an issue. I use less than the tsp salt per pt that most will add, but I do use 1/2 tsp per pt jar, 1/4 tsp for the half pts I process for my mother who lives alone. If I'm using the canned fish in a salad or casserole, salt can be increased then if needed. You said you would be canning when your parts arrive, is your fish frozen now? If so, don't let it thaw completely before trimming and cutting it up for the jars - wear kitchen gloves so your hands don't get so cold but the fish is much easier to handle very cold or still partially frozen. Here's a supporting article you might find interesting - line caught albacore, processed raw: in part: "But the biggest difference between conventional canned tuna and the locally canned product is how it's cooked. The little guys' "natural" or "raw pack" means it's cooked just once, in the can. Commercial canneries thaw and cook the fish before canning, drain off the oils, then pack it in cans with water or vegetable oil. Then they cook it a second time during processing. Double-cooking hides bruising and other flaws in lower-quality albacore, says Herb Goblirsch, a Newport fisherman who started Oregon's Choice Gourmet Albacore (www.oregonschoice.com) almost two decades ago. It turns the albacore a uniform white color, and allows canneries to get more meat off the fish. But there's no comparing the taste. " Here is a link that might be useful: Oregon Live - tuna notes