I know I had a thread started some time back but now I have some specific questions and so I’m starting a new thread. Basically, everything I can cobble together seems like overkill. I am pressure canning and not WBC and according to what I see:
Cook the salsa, add (lots of ) acid and pressure can the shit out of it in pint jars.
First I’m using canned tomatoes so I’m assuming they are safe for canning (citric acid added). Yes I know the peppers, onion, garlic are not but it’s not like I’m throwing lye in there. At the very least it’s not fresh tomatoes like every recipe assumes.
I know I can safely pressure can low acid fruit without cooking but with tomato products it’s HOLY FUCKING SHIT! IT’S BORDERLINE ACIDITY!! and that every botulism spore in in a cruise missile headed straight for my jars. But canning fresh peaches (with lower pH) is meh as long as I pressure can.
I want to use quart jars. Apparently this is never done in home canning salsa. Is it a standard practice because of convenience or cooking the inside of the salsa when canning.
Lastly, if you tell me I need to acidify the salsa (beyond the citric acid in the canned tomatoes) or I will kill everyone in NoCo with my canned salsa, where can I run out and find citric acid. I know there is a reference somewhere about how much to add but all I can find is ascorbic which is not the same AFAIK.
I’ve water bath canned fresh tomato salsa (cooked) in quart jars just fine, but my recipe calls for a cup of vinegar (for 9 pints of salsa). You should have no trouble pressure canning without adding any extra acid.
Acidity is only a factor in water bath canning. Since you are pressure canning, you are home free. Quart size jars should not be a problem, if you make sure the salsa is not extra thick.
You probably do not see recipes for canning quart-size jars of salsa, because the majority of the population does not consume salsa in that quantity.
OK did a test run on two quart jars to see if my recipe would hold up. Salsa all in my pressure cooker. Two problems, one lots of air bubbles in the salsa itself so I need to work on getting the air bubbles out. Any pointers? Also I think the lids were on too loose. I did finger-tight thinking first of any resistance but I had to tighten the lids to get the seal once it was out of the cooker. I now think finger-tight means first serious resistance.
13lbs at 15 minutes. I think 15 is a little long but I wanted to “cook” it for the max time to see what happens to the salsa. I let you know tomorrow but in the meantime more pointers the better.
As VOW said, most people don’t consume salsa fast enough to use a quart jar in the 2-3 weeks it will keep opened in the fridge. My husband douses his eggs in salsa every morning so I’ve done quarts, but mostly I prefer pint and a half (great way to reuse Classico spaghetti sauce jars).
You do NOT want to tighten the lids with anything more than “finger tight,” and here’s why:
During the processing, since it is at elevated pressure, the contents of the jar are boiling like crazy. This causes air to escape between the seal and the jar rim. If the air can’t escape…well, you get the idea.
AFTER the processing is finished, and you take the jars out to cool, the lids will pop down with a “ping.” That is because at regular pressure, a limited vacuum occurs in the jar. The jar lid sealing compound will keep the lid attached until you open it.
Occasionally, “goopies” (that’s a technical term, BTW) will also exit the jar with the air, and some may remain on the jar rim, preventing a complete seal. Check ALL lids, any which have not sealed mean that those jars need to be used right now, and not placed on the shelf.
~VOW
jars that don’t seal can be reprocesses after making sure there is sufficient headroom, a clean lip and a new lid. jars sealing should occur in a short time frame.
The tomatoes are not the “weak link” in this chain. When pressure canning of mixtures, the time is based upon the single item of the mix which requires the longest time.
In your case, it would be the peppers or the onions.
~VOW