Salsa w/Lime

crazy8

crazy8

So for some time now I have been having people try my salsa and have had it to parties and such. Well it has been getting awesome reviews and great scores. Anyway the most recent test, I was told by a co-worker who brought my salsa to a party he was attending, said that the most popular request was that the salsa needed something that "popped". Well I plan on adding some cilantro to it and I would like to add lime which I feel will give it that pop. Anyway I am wondering if the mix would be to acidic. I mean I know it wouldn't take much lime but I want to make sure it stays good and safe to.

Here is the link to my recipe let me know what you all think with the adding of the lime juice.
http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?14790-Crazy-Salsa&highlight=

Thanks much
 
Substitute some lime juice for vinegar, they are both acids which lower the pH to safe levels for canning. Do you test your pH?
Cilantro is great but you lose most of the flavor when making cooked/canned salsas
 
Well maybe on that I will skip the cilantro. No I do not test my ph. I know its probably something I should do. If you have a suggestion for a cheap ph tester to get I will be sure to do that. So now my next step is to play with the vinegar to lime ratio to find the perfect mix/taste then? Now when doing that would you do the substituting in equal parts do you think? i.e remove 1/4cp of vinegar and replace with 1/4cp lime juice.
 
It seems to me (without having TASTED the recipe) that there's quite a bit of vinegar in it.

Yield is 4 cups, of which 1 1/2 cups is vinegar.

I'd try 1/4 cup lime juice to start. Lime can overpower in a hurry.... and maybe even cut back on the vinegar. I'd even cut it back to 1/2 cup vinegar per batch. Since you are cooking the sauce AND canning it, that takes care of the food safety issue so the pH content isn't as critical.

Sounds like folks like the recipe as is, and cooked cilantro turns dark. Add it fresh when serving if someone wants it.
 
I thought the only way to can/bottle low acid foods safely was to pressure can. I think you want to be in the proper pH range if you're just water canning. You'll also have a longer shelf life once the jar is open
 
Good information, thanks a lot. Well I nobody yet has said it was to vinegary so that is good, but I will try to lessen it a bit also sense I will be adding in the lime juice. Perhaps I will take a sample of what I made last year and see what I can do with it. Thank you both again for your input. Also just as a friendly fyi, if either of you are interested in a little id be more than willing to send you some :D
 
crazy8, addy on the way! TY!

I'll take you up on that offer~


For the canning stuff, Potawie is correct about pressure canning. Low acid foods, of which onions, garlic and peppers (and surprisingly.....newer hybrid tomatoes which have been "bred" to have lower acid than heirloom tomatoes...) must be pressure canned to be safe. By adding acids (vinegar, lime citrus juices, etc) that lowers the pH to where hot water bath canning is OK.

Just making an educated guess at your recipe, which has 1 1/2 cups of vinegar for 4-5 cups of sauce, it seems pretty safe. There are recipes available specifically for canned salsa which have the proper ratios from extension services and canning websites.

I'm on VaCa right now (just did 18 hours of walking in the MagicKingdom/etc) feet are throbbing.......finally able to re-wine at 1:17am local time, so I'll get right on those other recipes...................tomorrow..................

heeheehee........on holiday and still checking in on the chileheads~~~~
 
you're canning this so my input might not be what you're looking for.

lime juice & fresh cilantro is great for fresh salsa, & I cant see it tasting much less when canned.
I saw your recipe, for my tastebuds I'd change it
- cayennes & black pearl chiles....replace with a better chinense chile, take your pick cuz theres alot that have great flavor & heat.
- celery :confused: leave that out! maybe replace with black beans or corn ?
 
Here's an EXCELLENT link for canning. I've bookmarked it so I can easily post it in the future for others also.

http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/PNW0395/PNW0395.pdf

Check out the recipes, it will give you some good guidelines for acid:vegetables ratio. From skimming through the recipes, they range from 2 cups lemon/lime juice per 8 pints of sauce to 2 1/2 cups vinegar per 16 pints of sauce.

Here's another university's extension service's recommended and tested recipes. It has several different ones like mango salsa, jicama salsa, and peach/apple salsa linked at the bottom of the page.
http://www.great-salsa.com/cannedsalsarecipes.html
 
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