# Home-canning salsa **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330 "2012-05-18T16:26:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/1 "2012-05-18T16:26:17Z")
That’s right. I want to jar some fresh salsa but the major problem is that without adding vinegar that it could turn into a seething vat of botulism which despite being named after sausage is not one of the better food poisonings to get. The reason is that botullism loves low-acid environments. But wait, I thought tomatoes were very acidic. So much so that tomato sause will slag aluminum foil and will leach iron right out of your cast iron pan. I would think of using vitamin E as a preservative but if I use Vitamin C instead, would it make it safe to jar the raw salsa? Also, it makes sense to cook the salsa but I would think it would destroy the texture of the fresh salsa. I don’t think the canning process will heat the salsa up enough to do anything but would vitamin E or C be enough of a preservative so the salsa doesn’t go bad too quickly? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/2 "2012-05-18T16:30:28Z")
Cooked salsa can be canned without any problem. Fresh salsa cannot be canned, because it would then no longer be…wait for it…fresh! If you want fresh salsa you’re going to have to make it fresh every time. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/3 "2012-05-18T16:33:44Z")
Here’s a process that emphasizes how to do it safely: [Canning Tomato Salsa](http://www.pickyourown.org/salsa.htm) They use lemon juice instead of vinegar. What about freezing it instead, if you want a fresher taste? ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/4 "2012-05-18T16:34:47Z")
Tomatoes are actually right on the borderline between what is safe enough to can by the waterbath method and what isn’t. It can literally vary tomato to tomato whether the acidity is high enough. That is why it is recommended to add acid. The problem you are going to encounter is that when you immerse the jars in the sealing process, you’re going to end up functionally cooking the contents to some degree. Your jarred salsa won’t have the same texture as the fresh salsa. More than anything I would recommend getting the “Ball Book of Home Canning” or a lot of information from your local agricultural extension service because you can’t mess around if you want to safely can for shelf-stable storage. It’s not something I’m willing to guess about nor is it a good idea for anyone to guess or improvise regarding food safety. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/5 "2012-05-18T16:49:14Z")
Looks like I need to get some more lim jiuce and cook up a small batch of salsa and see if it works. I just have a feeling the texture will be off and I’ll see what happens to the taste too. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/6 "2012-05-18T17:03:28Z")
Double post. I saw this on the website cher3 gave > [@](#): > > To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with the product. Add sugar to offset acid taste, if desired. Four tablespoons of a 5 percent acidity vinegar per quart may be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes. I’m assuming this proportion is not correct in salsa because of all of the non-acid ingrdients but if I wanted to can marinara sauce (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, spoonful of sugar) would adding 1/4t of citric acid per pint of the finished sauce work? Oh and I think I’ll need to invest in a pressure canner if I want to sell these at the farmer’s market here in No. Colorado. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/7 "2012-05-18T19:19:39Z")
Per the instructions you gave, 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid should work for your pint jars. Make SURE you completely dissolve that 1/4 teaspoon in liquid before adding. There should be an equivalency table someplace for replacing the citric acid with Vitamin C powder or tablets. Tablets might be messy, since they’d have to be crushed and the contents thoroughly dissolved. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-canning-salsa/622330/8 "2012-05-18T19:25:32Z")
The USDA publishes an [exhaustive handbook](http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html)on canning all sorts of foods, it is really the canning bible. It has a whole section on salsa in [Guide 03: Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products](http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE%203%20Home%20Can.pdf). (PDF)