In article , "cshenk"
wrote:

"George Shirley" wrote

than sixty years but I'm actually quoting what the USDA has to say about
modern tomatoes.

If you don't have an accurate pH meter or are not using pH strips that are
somewhat accurate then you need to add citric acid or lemon juice in the
USDA recommended amounts.

George, can we cut to the chase slightly for me? I'd like to try this for
the first time. I have access only to the water boiling methods. If I make
a thick sauce with just tomatoes and a few dried spices such as black pepper
and a little cayenne, how much lemon juice should I add to a quart?

One teaspoon in the jar, then add the tomato sauce. Process 40 minutes
in a boiling water bath (time and amount for quart jars).


What I
have right now is the 'real lemon concentrate' but I can find out how much
water to add to that to make 'equal to one lemon' pretty easy grin.

I didn't know ReaLemon made a concentrated product; my bottle says it's
made FROM concentrate to equal fresh lemon juice, measure for measure.
Add two tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each quart jar before filling
with sauce.

Interesting to me is that So Easy to Preserve (SETP) - published the
folks at the U of GA (where the NCHFP is housed) says to acidify
tomatoes regardless of whether they will be processed a BWB or in a
pressure canner.

I don't want 'leomony sauce' but I also don't want to be unsafe. I have 3
versions of tomatoes and no way to know if they are 'reduced acid' so it's
safer to assume they are.

That's a conservative and a good practice, IMNSHO.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
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