help

[dannylang]

i am new to canning, just purchased a bath style canner, i have a garden full of tomatoes, help i do not even know where to start.

dannylang

 

[daveomak]

Stick with government web sites...   Do not believe blogs or other web sites...   

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can3_tomato.html

 

[dannylang]

you mean i cannot make a salsa in the food processer, like normal. then add to a jar, then go threw the correct process of sterilizing the jars and canning process.

dannylang

 

[pepsiman]

You have to have your salsa boiling before canning. I have heard that all the acid in tomatoes makes it safer to can then some other veggies but better safe than sorry. My grandma, mom, and wife have always had a boiling product going into the jars...
I however agree with Dave...look at gov guidelines. I am always half paranoid eating my wife's canning!

 

[dannylang]

thanks pepsiman, but is they a thang called raw packing, i have seen a article on it, but really did not understand it.

dannylang

 

[pepsiman]

I am far from the canning expert!! I really try any excuse possible to get out of the kitchen when my wife is canning! I just know she has a huge boiling bubbling mess of salsa going and everything has to be boiling before going in jars. I will do a little more research on cold packing...

 

[dannylang]

thanks for the help, i am new to this, i tried this raw packing, putting everything in a food processor according to taste. then added salt and vinegar, sterilized my jars, and then packed them with the cold salsa from the processor, cleaned lids and sterilized the lids also, then put lids on finger tight, then put in canner to my balls blue book for salsa, is this good enough to eat....i hope so i made 20 quarts. HELP do not want to make anyone sick

dannylang

 

[daveomak]

When you "cold pack" jars, you cannot use the guide to water bath them that was designed for "hot pack"...   The interior mass of tomatoes will not get up to temperature that "boiling then hot packing" will raise the temperature...

I would not serve that salsa to my family.....

Dump the salsa into a big pot and: replace the quarts with pint jars....

1. Combine prepared ingredients in a large pot; add lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer salsa for an additional 3 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent scorching.
2. Fill the hot salsa into prepared hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.  If needed, remove air bubbles and re-adjust headspace to ½-inch. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel.  Adjust lids and bands.  
3. Process in a boiling water canner according to the recommendations in Table 1.  Let cool, undisturbed, 12 to 24 hours and check for seals.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Choice Salsa in a boiling-water canner.
	Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Half-pint or Pint Jars	15 min	20	25

 

[tallbm]

 
i am new to canning, just purchased a bath style canner, i have a garden full of tomatoes, help i do not even know where to start.

dannylang

DaveOmak has you on the right track.  Since you are brand new to canning there are a few concepts to check study up on (read here for safe supported general canning info with all of the stuff mentioned below - http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/ensuring_safe_canned_foods.html).

• The whole concept of canning is based on packing food that is safe/sterile enough to survive being preserved in a canned environment.
• The idea is that the bad stuff that will kill you like botulism will be killed/neutralized to a point where you can safely open and begin eating the canned item.
• The way your canned items will be made safe from the nasty stuff that will kill you is basically through:
  • Heat - heat kills bad stuff like bacteria, spores, etc.
  • Acidity - inhibits bad stuff from growing/spreading/becoming bad.  The higher the acid the better for canning (high acid for water bath canning is a PH of 4.6 or lower, yes I said LOWER for high acid 
  • There are some other things to consider like oxygen level in the container and storage temps but that stuff is handled when you follow APPROVED recipes/instructions for canning items
• Once you understand the need for Heat and Acidity levels you will need to understand that some items can safely be Water Bath canned, just like what you are doing and others cannot.  If a food does not have high enough acidity then you cannot be Water Bath canned and the only other potential solutions are Pressure Canning if you can find an APPROVED recipe for it OR you simply freeze the item.
• Finally, people/places/business pay a bunch of money, like well over $10k to have the proper scientific testing to figure out the canning recipe/procedure to can their products.  This means that just trying to can something that you do not have an APPROVED recipe for will have you running the risk of not having the proper acidity levels needed.  Tomatoes have a different acidity than green beans or corn so if you put something like corn in your salsa you may not have the proper acidity for the corn to be safe and the corn will then be a time bomb in your canned salsa.  This is why understanding acidity, heat, and APPROVED recipes are critical to safety :)

I've given you a condensed version of the information you need to know but be sure to research that on your own to know what you are generally needing to do and THEN follow APPROVED recipes for water bath canning Tomatoes, Salsa, etc.

Dave is right that your current cold method for packing the salsa is not to be trusted.  IF you find a cold pack method for salsa that is an APPROVED approach then you would be fine however I highly doubt you will ever find a cold pack method for water bath canning any tomatoes or salsa.  

I hope this info helps :)

 

[lancep]

Ok, so just double checked the Ball complete guide to home canning, which I trust, and could not find a single cold or raw pack salsa. These other guys know way more than me so I would listen to them. When in doubt....

 

[dannylang]

i canned all this up a few days ago, i think the best thing for me to do is, disregard the salsa, and start a new batch. thanks fellows for all the help

dannylang

 

[tallbm]

Ok, so just double checked the Ball complete guide to home canning, which I trust, and could not find a single cold or raw pack salsa. These other guys know way more than me so I would listen to them. When in doubt....

Ball has a lot of good recipes and info on their website to follow.  It is one of the better online setups to find tested/approved recipes to follow.

 

[dannylang]

WOW fellows thats alot of info, i though that the water bath seal on the jar would keep out, all the bad stuff. i am glad i came to this forum about this before i feed it to my family. i though i could make salsa, just like i have for years right out of the garden and can it, but we always ate it up. this is the first time i tried to can any.

dannylang

 

[tallbm]

 
WOW fellows thats alot of info, i though that the water bath seal on the jar would keep out, all the bad stuff. i am glad i came to this forum about this before i feed it to my family. i though i could make salsa, just like i have for years right out of the garden and can it, but we always ate it up. this is the first time i tried to can any.

dannylang

No problem, it is good that you asked.  Hopefully your garden is still putting out a ton of veggies so you can replenish what you have to throw out.

Just do some reading up on the subject and follow good recipes and practices and you will be set.  Best of luck! :)

 

[Shovel]

Geez, you fellas aren't doing much to undo the stigma surrounding home canning that the FDA has worked so hard to create. I understand and fully endorse safe practices but home canning is no more or less dangerous than any other food preparation (including smoking!). Nobody wants to can a botulism bomb for their family but following proper procedures should prevent this from happening.

Danny,
Can your salsa. Look up recipes on Pinterest. You don't need to alter your actual salsa recipe but use the directions for canning that others employ. It sounds like you have a good grasp of food safety. When is comes time to enjoy your canned goods just use some common sense. If the product in the jar smells off, if you see visible mold on the food or lid, or just have a bad feeling... throw it out. Otherwise trust your work!

 

[daveomak]

Danny,
Can your salsa. Look up recipes on Pinterest. You don't need to alter your actual salsa recipe but use the directions for canning that others employ ....

Dannylang, morning.. I would not follow the advice given above.....
Fisrt, Pinterest is not a reputable source for USDA/FDA acceptable and approved recipes...
Second, the recipes can be "hand-me-downs" from previous generations... not good...

tallbm has directed you to a very good site...
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/ensuring_safe_canned_foods.html