More New Toys

Yay, another package. This from from my friendly USPS worker. He thinks i have a green thumb, i tell him i'm just lucky.
I do so love packages.
They do give me a big smile!

Anyway, i got two books in the mail today and can't wait to share what i learn from them over the next year.

I haven't looked through the cheese one yet, but i think i'm already salivating and scheming where i'll get my cultures and fancy cheese ingredients.
I flipped through the preserving book a bit, though - and immediately am faced with this dilemma:
I am not much of a recipe follower. I like to put what i want to put together together and in what ratios i choose. This isn't the best for preserving, as you have to have the EXACT levels of acidity and yadda yadda to know how much pressure and how long to process.
Hmm.
One of the first recipes i looked for was ketchup. 1 1/2 cup of sugar!? I do not want to add a bunch of sugar.

So I'll keep this post short and implore to you, my readers and colleagues:
if you preserve foods at home, how do you deal with the recipe portion of the process? Do you follow recipes strictly? Do you have old recipes handed down to you, or do you research in books or online for new ones? Do you have any sort of formula for swapping out ingredients? How can i facilitate my creativity in the kitchen without compromising our health?

I do so hope i will figure this out.

Many thanks for any insight you may share with us.