4Real Forums: Canning Salsa

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Topic: Canning Salsa

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mimmyof5
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Posted: Aug 27 2009 at 1:45pm \| IP Logged

I haven't canned salsa for several years, but since we have a bumper crop of tomatoes and we love salsa, I thought I'd give it a go. In the past I have always peeled the tomatoes for canning salsa, yet looking at this site it doesn't appear they peel the tomatoes. Has anyone done this? The thought of peeling all those romas has got me hesitating. (I never peel them for sauces but I run them through my VitaMix).

Also, if I pressure can, can I decrease the lemon juice or vinegar so the taste isn't affected so much? I've been searching and looked through my Ball Blue Book but can't find an answer.

Thanks,
Janet

JodieLyn
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Posted: Aug 27 2009 at 2:06pm \| IP Logged

I pressure can salsa and don't add the acid because I figure you can pressure can non-acidic things like green beans.

and I don't peel the tomatoes either.

And I really like using a grinder (like a meat grinder) for making it.. it's much smaller pieces and so it goes on a chip so nicely and easier to get everything rather than a big bite of one thing.. and it's easier than chopping everything to boot

My one blog post has the salsa I made last year on it.. I'd want more hot peppers in it though.

Suncat's Den

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mimmyof5
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Posted: Aug 27 2009 at 2:15pm \| IP Logged

Thank you!!!! I'm going to try it. One more question, do you heat your salsa to boiling and boil for 5 min. before filling your jars when using a pressure canner?

Also, do you think a Cuisinart food processor would work okay for chopping? I always do it by hand - slow process. My VitaMix tends to puree things before I get it stopped.

Janet

JodieLyn
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Posted: Aug 27 2009 at 2:21pm \| IP Logged

I would think the food processor would work.. probably with the pulse setting so that you have more control over how long it goes? yes, come to think of it I think that's how my MIL makes fresh salsa in a food processor.

And I think I only brought it to boiling (full rolling boil) and then filled the jars.. tomatoes seem to shrink so the hot pack works better than a cold pack on salsa.

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Stephanie_Q
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Posted: Aug 27 2009 at 2:24pm \| IP Logged

Here's the 'science' behind it - we looked this up when we were reading some recipes that called for adding acid to water-bath tomatoes even though it was categorized as a "high-acid" food.

The addition of acid is to inhibit the growth of certian bacterial spores and their toxins because the boiling point (212F) is not hot enough to kill them. In a pressure canner, the temperature of the product reaches 240F, which IS hot enough to kill them.

If your product has a pH below 4.6, it is "high-acid" and can be safely canned in a water-bath. If it is above 4.6, it is low-acid and needs to be acidified or pressure canned.

The reason for the variance with tomato recipes is that different varities and growing conditions produce different acidity levels in the tomatoes, so to be safe, they want you to add acid or pressure can them. I think it would be handy to have a set of pH test strips to check the acidity level and just add enough acid to deal with the problem, if there is one. They usually ask you to add a LOT of acid to be perfectly safe and, I don't like the way it changes the flavor, either.

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