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Canning questions

B

beetle_slayer

Hello everyone. I'm new here but have been reading for a bit. I'm sure these have been asked before in some form. I followed some recipes for canning peppers, garlic, and salse but am not sure if any is edible. I have gotten myself all worked up from reading about botulism. Every recipe is different and they all say not to differ. I made salsa and it yielded 4 pints instead of 3. Does this mean its unsafe because the 2/3 cup of vinegar may not be enough? How about 50/50 vinegar/ water for pickling? All were processed for 20 mins in water bath. I'd hate to pour it all out but I don't want to get seriously ill or make others seriously ill. I think my pickled stufff is fine, its the salsa I'm questioning. I cooked it for 15mins and the processed for another 20mins but the acid may be too low.
 
You need to follow recipes or buy a pH meter or pH test strips and make sure the acidity of your sauce/salsa is around or preferably below 4. I usually pickle with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water so you should be alright.
 
IMO for salsa, you need to pressure can...especially if you want a decent shelf life...

water bath canning will not kill botulism spores...you just can't get the temperature over 212F...pressure canning will get your temperature to 240F and is the only way to kill the spores.

You can get a small pressure canner at walmart for about $30 that will hold 4 quart jars or 4 pint jars or (as I recall) 7 1/2 pints...
 
IMO water canning is perfectly safe as long as you pre-sterilize jars and you have the proper pH. Pressure canning is definitely required for low acid foods(high pH)
 
I will buy a pressure canner and pH tester for the next go. I think I might scrap the salsa. Its a small price to pay. As for my garlic, is 50/50 good? I'm having trouble finding the recipe I used. Thanks!
 
Beetle Slayer:
here is the location for a great publication/guide from the USDA on canning tomatoes,juice,salsa,hot sauce.
It has charts explaining the recommended canning times based on water bath,weighted and gauge pressure canning methods.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/usda/GUIDE%203%20Home%20Can.pdf
 
If you're not sure about the salsa then you can probably still use it to cook with like nachos or added to a pasta sauce etc.
 
I was looking at the chart but it doesn't account for extra ingrediants like cilantro, onions, bell peppers, etc. If I cook it for nachos or something how would I do that safely? I am more concerned with losing my pickled peppers and garlic, but I'm probably ok from what I've read. Is it possible to add too much acid- taste aside?
 
Hello Beetle_slayer,

I also responded to your salsa question-

and here's some more information about pickling veggies-
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw355.pdf

I hate to say it, but if you have any doubts about the salsa, pitch it. 4 pints is not worth getting sick over!

once, (MANY moons ago), I processed about 20 jars (pints and quarts) of green beans with a hot water bath...about 4 weeks later they were foaming in the closet, and popping their lids. Botulism Central! The beans should have been pressure canned. If we had eaten one of the jars..... :sick: or worse!

The 50/50 vinegar/water seems to be the proper ratio for pickled veggies. And, no, you cannot add too much vinegar. Except for what it does to the taste.
 
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