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? 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 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.
>
>


Use bottled lemon juice -- the cheap stuff in a quart bottle. 1 Tbsp
per pint jar, or 2 Tbsp per quart. That's the recommended amount, and
it shouldn't be enough to make your tomatoes taste "lemony".

Bob