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Farm Kitchen:  Canning Salsa...Paranoia!  |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 31 2010 : 6:08:59 PM
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I made salsa today...roughly 20 lbs of tomatoes with green peppers, onions, a small amount of whole kernel corn, celery, etc.
My recipe only called for 1 cup of vinegar and I pressure canned it at 5lbs for 8 minutes in small 1/2 pint (250ml) jars.
Now I'm freaking out that maybe that wasn't long enough? Is that sufficient vinegar to boost the acidity?? I know a lot of people water bath can it, but I pressure canned it as I wasn't sure of the acidity of the tomatoes.
Now looking at other recipes which call for significantly more vinegar or lemon juice I'm freaking out. Is it safe? |
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Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2010 : 6:47:25 PM
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The rule of thumb is to pressure can at the level of the most non-acidic ingredient, probably the corn. That way, you are safely covered. According to my canner book, it would be 55 minutes at 10# pressure. Significantly more, I'm afraid. I'm paranoid about those things, too. I always go the most conservative route. Hopefully, someone else knows more about the acidity and will give you better news.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
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Homekeepn
Farmgirl in Training
42 Posts
Cathy
West Gardiner
Maine
USA
42 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2010 : 7:37:09 PM
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How many jars did that amount make? Would you have room to keep it stored in the refrigerator? Also have you thought to repackage it and maybe freeze it?
---Cathy--- |
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SuzieQ
True Blue Farmgirl
175 Posts
Suzie
Texas
USA
175 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2010 : 7:39:10 PM
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| Can you put it in other jars and redo the pressure at the correct amt and time? |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2010 : 7:56:57 PM
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The other recipes I looked at have called for roughly 1 cup of vinegar per 5 lbs. of tomatoes. Four cups of vinegar to 20 lbs? I can taste the 1 cup of vinegar I put into this batch!
The bad news is I made 30 jars last week. :( Do I have to throw it all out? What a waste that would be! But not worth the risk. Oh geez...
Today's batch made roughly 30 - 1/2 pint jars. I've pressure canned 21 of them and am going to put the balance in the frig overnight until I decide what to do. I thought I might call Bernardin's help line in the morning.
I've frozen salsa before...it gets watery and isn't very good.
Oh what a fine mess I've created!
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Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 05:45:30 AM
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Diane, I see you're in Victoria, BC. Do you have an equivalent to our USDA extension office? They could tell you just how much acidity is necessary, how far off you might be and how to salvage the batch if you missed the mark. It would be such a shame to waste so much produce, work, etc.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
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star-schipp
True Blue Farmgirl
942 Posts
Starletta
Middletown
Indiana
USA
942 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 06:52:10 AM
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Hi Diane, do you know if the recipe you were using was research based (like from the USDA or the university of Georgia or the Ball Blue book)? If it is noted from one of these sources, you can be sure it is okay as long as you followed the quantities exactly -- adding extra ingredients to the research based recipe would mean that the instructions were no longer correct.
We can do no great things; only small things with great love - Mother Teresa
farmgirl sister #1927 |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 10:02:26 AM
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Thanks for your input gals, you are all the best!!
Unfortunately it is bad news with the first batch I made...tough (and expensive!) lesson learned. This is the reply I got from a very helpful lady at Bernadin this morning:
"I hate to suggest this however there was simply not enough vinegar in that recipe to make it safe for consumption. And given that it was processed in a pressure canner, and it’s been sitting there for 5 days, chances are that botulism may occur. Sorry to say but I would say not to use it."
So...I will pressure can the batch I made yesterday and I will do what you (and my canning manual) suggest Melina...process for the same amount of time as required for the corn. It's likely overkill, but absolutely better safe than sorry.
ARGH!!! |
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Farm Kitchen: Canning Salsa...Paranoia! |
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Canning Salsa...Paranoia!
