Salsa/Sauces

[RinTinTin]

I have several books on canning, pickling, etc. One book is full of very old recipes which I would never use 'as-is'. They were written prior to the newer discoveries in food safety. Some are obviously not up to today's standards.

[recruiterg]

I have never used pickle crisp.

Originally Posted by barryla61

How do you prevent your salsa from being watery?

You need to add some salt to the tomatoes, then drain them in a colander in my opinion.

I like to peel the tomatoes, add onion and pickling salt and let the mixture sit overnight. Then drain and add more ingredients like vinegar, jalapeno, spices. The veggies get broken down and don't remain crisp, though.

[feldon30]

Pickle Crisp is calcium chloride. It's a firming agent used by all commercial canned tomato companies. Certainly doesn't hurt to use a little bit to firm up the tomato chunks.

[pdxwindjammer]

Correct, newatthiskat! No need to add more acid to it if you freeze, only for canning.

[coronabarb]

Hot off the presses from NCHFP at the Univ of Georgia...a new tested and approved salsa recipe that gives you some choice in what you want in it.

Choice Salsa
yields about 6 pint jars

6 cups peeled, cored, seeded and chopped ripe tomatoes (or green tomatoes or tomatillos)
9 cups diced onions and/or peppers of any variety
1 1/2 cups commercially bottled lemon or lime juice (not vinegar)
3 tsps canning or pickling salt

Wash and rinse pint or half-pint canning jars; keep hot until ready to fill. Prepare lids and ring bands according to manufacturer's directions.

To prepare tomatoes: Dip washed tomatoes in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Submerge immediately in cold water. Peel off loosened skins and remove cores. Remove seeds and chop (1/4-1/2 inch pieces)

To prepare bell peppers: Wash and core bell peppers. Remove the seeds and membranes before dicing (1/4 inch pieces)

To prepare hot peppers: Wash and remove stems of hot peppers. Keep or remove as much of the seeds and membranes as you wish, depending on the pepper heat of the salsa that you desire. Dice peppers (1/4 inch pieces)

Combine prepared ingredients in large pot; add lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer salsa for an additional 3 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent scorching.

Fill hot salsa into prepared hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and re-adjust headspace to 1/2 inch. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and bands. Process in a boiling water canner according to the recommendations given. Let cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check for seal.

Recommended process time for Choice Salsa in a boiling-water canner
Style of Pack - Hot
Jar Size - Half-pint or Pint Jars
Process time at altitudes of:
0-1000 ft - 15 minutes
1001 - 6000 ft 20 minutes
above 6000 ft - 25 minutes

This is a fairly acidic salsa but was tested with a wide variety of tomatoes, peppers and onions to ensure the necessary acidification for boiling water canning and still allow for some consumer choice in the ingredients. Peppers used may be sweet bell peppers (of any color) and/or hot peppers.

The purpose of the commercially bottled lemon or lime juice is to standardize a minimum level of acidity in the recipe. For the purposes of our testing, we used lemon juice as it was deemed the most acceptable flavor for the proportions in this particular recipe. For safety reasons, do not substitute vinegar for the lemon or lime juice. Do not use bottled key lime juice.

Do not alter the proportions of tomatoes, vegetables and acid because that might make the salsa unsafe when this canning process is used. The chopped tomatoes and diced peppers and/or onions are to be measured level in dry measuring cups; the lemon or lime juice is measured in a liquid measuring cup. We did not test other vegetables for flavor or acidity.

Refrigerate any leftover salsa after filling jars. Refrigerate the canned salsa once jars are opened for use.

Developed at The University of Georgia, Athens. Released by Elizabeth L. Andress, Ph.D., Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, August 2013

[ArcherB]

I'm a bit confused. If can can green beans, chicken, fish, or anything else using a pressure canner, why can I not make my own tomato sauce with garlic, onion, oregano, basil, olive oil and whatever else I decide to put in it? I've seen recipes, scratch that, ONE recipe online that is said to be safe. You'll recognize it because it starts with "30 lbs Tomatoes".

I want to whip up my own sauce, made on the fly without a set recipe, seasoned as I go, and can it using my pressure canner. What is wrong with that? If I can safely can a whole chicken, why not a mix of veggies?

Thanx!

[recruiterg]

Good question. I'd like to know the answer, too.

[Rockporter]

http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/08/ca...-tomato-sauce/

[ArcherB]

Here is the link to the only approved recipe I can find.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/spaghetti_sauce.html

[ContainerTed]

I, too, wondered this for a while. Then, I decided that I would can only tomato juice - very thick tomato juice. This simplified the recipe that went into the jars, and gave us so much more diversity in what we could make from the canned product.

At first, we were a bit sad that we could not make that "perfect" sauce and preserve it for whatever time period suited our fancy. But then we realized that the best sauces are those made with fresh spices and other ingredients. Half of enjoying the dish is the aromas that fill the house.

Technically, there should be no reason why you can't pressure can whatever you want. But canning everything as "juice", and then making what we want at the moment from the "juice" is the best of all worlds - at least it is for us.

[ArcherB]

Thanks, Rockporter. I saw that site in my research before asking here. Much of that page deals with a boiling water bath. I know that's out because that method of canning will not get the temps high enough to kill of botulism. But pressure canning does. Here is what the site says concerning pressure canning:

However, you should still consult recipes that have been tested using a pressure canner to determine processing time and pressure.

But why? Why would the processing time and pressure between their sauce and my own be any different? I guess I could see some slight differences due to the thickness of the sauce, maybe, but you could see the same difference when using THEIR recipe! Using their recipe on an electric stove in Miami will produce a different consistency than if using the same recipe on a gas stove in Phoenix. If in doubt, why would simply adding 5 lbs pressure and an extra five minutes not be sufficient?

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by ArcherB

Thanks, Rockporter. I saw that site in my research before asking here. Much of that page deals with a boiling water bath. I know that's out because that method of canning will not get the temps high enough to kill of botulism. But pressure canning does. Here is what the site says concerning pressure canning:


But why? Why would the processing time and pressure between their sauce and my own be any different? I guess I could see some slight differences due to the thickness of the sauce, maybe, but you could see the same difference when using THEIR recipe! Using their recipe on an electric stove in Miami will produce a different consistency than if using the same recipe on a gas stove in Phoenix. If in doubt, why would simply adding 5 lbs pressure and an extra five minutes not be sufficient?

What you are missing in the article is that when you add things to the tomatoes it changes the acidity levels and this is why you cannot safely can tomatoes in a mixed sauce.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by ArcherB

But why? Why would the processing time and pressure between their sauce and my own be any different? I guess I could see some slight differences due to the thickness of the sauce, maybe, but you could see the same difference when using THEIR recipe! Using their recipe on an electric stove in Miami will produce a different consistency than if using the same recipe on a gas stove in Phoenix. If in doubt, why would simply adding 5 lbs pressure and an extra five minutes not be sufficient?

Let's cut to the chase. Yes you can use your own recipe. Just no one will stick their neck out and admit it due to potential liabilities. I have been getting away with it for years though.


Disclaimer: The advise given in this post is my own opinion and should not be taken as official Tville policy. Use at your own risk.

[ArcherB]

Thanx to you too, Ted.

That sounds great for a Sunday afternoon and I certainly plan on making several jars of sauce with just tomatoes. But I'm worried about Wednesday night.

The reason I'm asking is that many times, we are pressed for time. I work late and the Mrs needs to get our daughter to... wherever... in a hurry. What we do in these situations is brown meat, open a purchased jar of spaghetti sauce, put it in the pot and boil it while we cook the pasta. BAM!!! Dinner! I want to be able to do the same thing, but with my own sauce.

If I can save $3.00/jar of purchased sauced for every "free" jar of my own, with my own tomatoes, basil, onion and garlic, then that's an extra $3.00/jar I can spend on cages, fertilizer, soil and so on. If I can make it good enough, I might even get to expand the garden!

Rockport:

The acidity is to keep botulism spores from growing. That shouldn't be a problem with pressure canning. After all, a whole chicken or the catch of the day is low acid. That's why you have to pressure can it.

[Rockporter]

What about dehydrating those herbs and onions to throw into the sauce when you are cooking? You would then have everything prepared for a quick meal.