I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and Spaghetti
Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and should they be
kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them if I keep them
refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from Taste of Home
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa and I BWB canned it as
stated in the recipe.

The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes cooked for
3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in the sauce
are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red pepper, 2
Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato paste, 2 bay
leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried) celery salt, a
few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two), garlic powder, sugar
(about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of sauce) salt, and I did
cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive oil and added it in when
I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and tomatoes were pureed, if it
makes a difference. I cooked it all down, simmered for 3 hours then BWB for
40 and let sit on the counter overnight.

All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to expect
from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time I can
make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!

Bunny McElwee wrote:
> I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and Spaghetti
> Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and should they be
> kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them if I keep them
> refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from Taste of Home
> http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa and I BWB canned it as
> stated in the recipe.
>
> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes cooked for
> 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in the sauce
> are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red pepper, 2
> Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato paste, 2 bay
> leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried) celery salt, a
> few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two), garlic powder, sugar
> (about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of sauce) salt, and I did
> cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive oil and added it in when
> I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and tomatoes were pureed, if it
> makes a difference. I cooked it all down, simmered for 3 hours then BWB for
> 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.
>
> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to expect
> from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time I can
> make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!
>

I'm eating salsa that I canned 2 years ago, from a USDA recipe that is
similar to yours. I just store them on a shelf in the basement. No
refrigeration needed until they are opened.

That spaghetti sauce recipe might not be safe for canning, or may need
to be processed in a pressure canner. You need to find a tested recipe
from an authoritative source, like your county extension office or the
Ball Blue Book.

Bob

On 8/22/2012 2:06 PM, Bunny McElwee wrote:
> I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and Spaghetti
> Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and should they be
> kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them if I keep them
> refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from Taste of Home
> http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa and I BWB canned it as
> stated in the recipe.
>
> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes cooked for
> 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in the sauce
> are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red pepper, 2
> Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato paste, 2 bay
> leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried) celery salt, a
> few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two), garlic powder, sugar
> (about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of sauce) salt, and I did
> cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive oil and added it in when
> I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and tomatoes were pureed, if it
> makes a difference. I cooked it all down, simmered for 3 hours then BWB for
> 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.
>
> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to expect
> from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time I can
> make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!
>
>
I think you will be safe with your salsa, the recipe seems to contain
enough 5% vinegar for true acidity and your processing time is what the
U of GA recommends at their food safety site. Go here for further info:
http://nchfp.uga.edu/

I'm not sure about your spaghetti sauce though, modern tomatoes are not
as acidic as the old time ones and I don't see any lemon juice, citric
acid nor vinegar added to the recipe. Not sure I would trust a boiling
water bath for that. I've never seen a BWB recipe that called for 40
minutes time. If you brought your sauce to a rollin boil for at least
ten minutes that should kill any botulism spores that might be on the
vegetables but will not ensure your sauce is truly safe. I do recommend
you go to the U of GA site and read up on the safety rules for BWB and
pressure canning.

Every time I have made spaghetti sauce I pressure canned it, and it
lasted a good while and was safe. I will repeat that modern tomatoes are
generally not considered acidic enough to boiling water can in any form
without added acid of some kind. Primarily 5% vinegar, lemon juice, or
citric acid. Hope this helps.

George

On 8/22/2012 5:05 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
> Bunny McElwee wrote:
>> I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and
>> Spaghetti Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and
>> should they be kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them
>> if I keep them refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from
>> Taste of Home http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa
>> and I BWB canned it as stated in the recipe.
>>
>> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes
>> cooked for 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes.
>> Ingredients in the sauce are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes,
>> 1 each gr. & red pepper, 2 Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato
>> sauce, 2 can tomato paste, 2 bay leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian
>> seasoning (all dried) celery salt, a few splashes of red wine vinegar
>> (maybe a tbsp or two), garlic powder, sugar (about 2/3-3/4 cup for
>> what ended up being 5 pints of sauce) salt, and I did cook the veggies
>> sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive oil and added it in when I added
>> the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and tomatoes were pureed, if it
>> makes a difference. I cooked it all down, simmered for 3 hours then
>> BWB for 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.
>>
>> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
>> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to
>> expect from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next
>> time I can make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!
>
> I'm eating salsa that I canned 2 years ago, from a USDA recipe that is
> similar to yours. I just store them on a shelf in the basement. No
> refrigeration needed until they are opened.
>
> That spaghetti sauce recipe might not be safe for canning, or may need
> to be processed in a pressure canner. You need to find a tested recipe
> from an authoritative source, like your county extension office or the
> Ball Blue Book.
>
> Bob
Was yours canned in a pressure canner Bob, makes all the difference in
the world? See my post on the subject.

George

George Shirley wrote:
> On 8/22/2012 5:05 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
>> I'm eating salsa that I canned 2 years ago, from a USDA recipe that is
>> similar to yours. I just store them on a shelf in the basement. No
>> refrigeration needed until they are opened.
>>
>> That spaghetti sauce recipe might not be safe for canning, or may need
>> to be processed in a pressure canner. You need to find a tested recipe
>> from an authoritative source, like your county extension office or the
>> Ball Blue Book.
>>
>> Bob
> Was yours canned in a pressure canner Bob, makes all the difference in
> the world? See my post on the subject.
>
> George



No, it's the USDA recipe for salsa, and it specifies BWB. It has lots
of vinegar in it (I always substitute bottled lemon juice for half the
vinegar).

I have made salsa without vinegar and pressure canned it, but it doesn't
taste as good -- it needs the acid for balance as much as it does for
safe canning.

Bob

On 8/22/2012 6:37 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> On 8/22/2012 5:05 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
>>> I'm eating salsa that I canned 2 years ago, from a USDA recipe that is
>>> similar to yours. I just store them on a shelf in the basement. No
>>> refrigeration needed until they are opened.
>>>
>>> That spaghetti sauce recipe might not be safe for canning, or may need
>>> to be processed in a pressure canner. You need to find a tested recipe
>>> from an authoritative source, like your county extension office or the
>>> Ball Blue Book.
>>>
>>> Bob
>> Was yours canned in a pressure canner Bob, makes all the difference in
>> the world? See my post on the subject.
>>
>> George
>
>
>
> No, it's the USDA recipe for salsa, and it specifies BWB. It has lots
> of vinegar in it (I always substitute bottled lemon juice for half the
> vinegar).
>
> I have made salsa without vinegar and pressure canned it, but it doesn't
> taste as good -- it needs the acid for balance as much as it does for
> safe canning.
>
> Bob
That's also the way I make salsa and my daughter does it the same way
you do, she likes the "bite" of the lemon juice. I agree with pressure
canned salsa, I do tomato sauce in the pressure canner when we have
bumper tomato crops, which is seldom.

On 8/22/2012 5:55 PM, George Shirley wrote:
> On 8/22/2012 2:06 PM, Bunny McElwee wrote:
>> I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and
>> Spaghetti
>> Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and should
>> they be
>> kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them if I keep them
>> refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from Taste of Home
>> http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa and I BWB
>> canned it as
>> stated in the recipe.
>>
>> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes
>> cooked for
>> 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in
>> the sauce
>> are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red pepper, 2
>> Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato
>> paste, 2 bay
>> leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried) celery
>> salt, a
>> few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two), garlic
>> powder, sugar
>> (about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of sauce) salt,
>> and I did
>> cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive oil and added it
>> in when
>> I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and tomatoes were
>> pureed, if it
>> makes a difference. I cooked it all down, simmered for 3 hours then
>> BWB for
>> 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.
>>
>> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
>> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to
>> expect
>> from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time
>> I can
>> make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!
>>
>>
> I think you will be safe with your salsa, the recipe seems to contain
> enough 5% vinegar for true acidity and your processing time is what
> the U of GA recommends at their food safety site. Go here for further
> info:
> http://nchfp.uga.edu/
>
> I'm not sure about your spaghetti sauce though, modern tomatoes are
> not as acidic as the old time ones

More correctly, the pH of tomatoes is affected by several variables,
including variety, growing conditions, and degree of ripeness.
Contrary to folk wisdom, studies have not consistently shown that old
tomato varieties have a lower pH than modern varieties.

"In our study, all varieties had an acceptable pH for canning
(3.92-4.36) prior to adding and acidifying agents. Statistically the
heirloom varieties had less acidity than the hybrid variety Celebrity.
So, in our study the notion that "heirlooms" are more acid than
"hybrids" did not hold true."
-- "The Influence of Different Tomato Varieties on Acidity as It
Relates to Home Canning"
http://www.joe.org/joe/2010december/rb6.php

Current recommendations that call for the addition of an acidifier
such as vinegar, lemon juice, or citric acid to tomato products before
canning are based on prudence. Since so many factors affect pH levels
and it is impractical for home canners to test every jar's pH before
processing, it is simply safer and easier to ensure the product is
sufficiently acidic by adding an acidifier.

Thank you to all who replied with very helpful information on my canning
endeavor! I don't post much in this group, even though I've been reading it
for years, but when I do, you guys always provide the best information. So,
it looks like my salsa is good (in more ways than one I must say!) and
should be shelf stable. It's not a huge batch, but it will last me a few
months anyway. The spaghetti sauce looks like it could be a little more
complicated than the recipes led me to believe. However, I just went back
and looked at my notes and found that just before pouring in the boiling
sauce into the jars, I added 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice (these were pint jars).
As I stated before, I had looked at a ton of recipes on the internet and
even in my ball canning book and kind of took the recipe in my own
direction, while altering the taste to our liking as it cooked. There were
quite a few recipes out there that made mention of adding the lemon juice to
the jar just before pouring in the hot sauce and then BWB. So, with this new
addition of the lemon juice, am I any safer with what I did? Should I keep
this in the fridge? It only made 5 pints, so it's not like I'm going to be
keeping it for a year, it'll likely last 2 months around here, at most. Any
thoughts on this addition to the recipe?



"Bunny McElwee" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and Spaghetti
> Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and should they be
> kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them if I keep them
> refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from Taste of Home
> http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa and I BWB canned it
> as stated in the recipe.
>
> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes cooked
> for 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in the
> sauce are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red
> pepper, 2 Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato
> paste, 2 bay leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried)
> celery salt, a few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two),
> garlic powder, sugar (about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of
> sauce) salt, and I did cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive
> oil and added it in when I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and
> tomatoes were pureed, if it makes a difference. I cooked it all down,
> simmered for 3 hours then BWB for 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.
>
> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to
> expect from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time
> I can make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!
>

I would keep the spaghetti sauce in the fridge to be safe. Should be
fine (unopened) for months that way.

Bob

--
Bunny McElwee wrote:
> Thank you to all who replied with very helpful information on my canning
> endeavor! I don't post much in this group, even though I've been reading it
> for years, but when I do, you guys always provide the best information. So,
> it looks like my salsa is good (in more ways than one I must say!) and
> should be shelf stable. It's not a huge batch, but it will last me a few
> months anyway. The spaghetti sauce looks like it could be a little more
> complicated than the recipes led me to believe. However, I just went back
> and looked at my notes and found that just before pouring in the boiling
> sauce into the jars, I added 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice (these were pint jars).
> As I stated before, I had looked at a ton of recipes on the internet and
> even in my ball canning book and kind of took the recipe in my own
> direction, while altering the taste to our liking as it cooked. There were
> quite a few recipes out there that made mention of adding the lemon juice to
> the jar just before pouring in the hot sauce and then BWB. So, with this new
> addition of the lemon juice, am I any safer with what I did? Should I keep
> this in the fridge? It only made 5 pints, so it's not like I'm going to be
> keeping it for a year, it'll likely last 2 months around here, at most. Any
> thoughts on this addition to the recipe?
>
>
>
> "Bunny McElwee" > wrote in message
> eb.com...
>
>> I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and Spaghetti
>> Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and should they be
>> kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them if I keep them
>> refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from Taste of Home
>> http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa and I BWB canned it
>> as stated in the recipe.
>>
>> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes cooked
>> for 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in the
>> sauce are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red
>> pepper, 2 Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato
>> paste, 2 bay leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried)
>> celery salt, a few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two),
>> garlic powder, sugar (about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of
>> sauce) salt, and I did cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive
>> oil and added it in when I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and
>> tomatoes were pureed, if it makes a difference. I cooked it all down,
>> simmered for 3 hours then BWB for 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.
>>
>> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
>> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to
>> expect from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time
>> I can make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!
>>
>>
>
>
>

Bunny McElwee wrote:
....
> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes cooked for
> 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in the sauce
> are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red pepper, 2
> Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato paste, 2 bay
> leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried) celery salt, a
> few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two), garlic powder, sugar
> (about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of sauce) salt, and I did
> cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive oil and added it in when
> I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and tomatoes were pureed, if it
> makes a difference. I cooked it all down, simmered for 3 hours then BWB for
> 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.

looks fine, all your major ingredients are either
canned already or acidic, plus some vinegar.

dried spices can be problematic, but cooking
for 3 hrs in a mostly tomato based sauce is
likely to do most of them in.


> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to expect
> from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time I can
> make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!

if you are unsure with a recipe you can post it
here before to avoid some worries.


as for the other comments made about acid and
tomatoes, it is a good idea to stick to tomatoes
that you know are consistently acidic enough
for canning. i avoid any marked "low acid" for
growing or canning. for the flavor and size
we've always used mostly beefsteak type plants
and they have been fine BWB. no water added,
no acid added. this is for plain tomato chunks,
plain tomato juice and plain tomato sauce.

once you start adding other ingredients then
it gets fun. making a very fine dice cut or
pureeing is good and then adding some extra
acid in proportion to the amount of acids that
the other ingredients will soak up is pretty
much what any recipe that is safe for BWB will
need to do.

dried spices can be problematic and i haven't
uses a lot of them previously in BWB recipes.
if i were doing a lot of these types of things
i would step up to pressure canning to be on
the safer side.


songbird

In article om>,
"Bunny McElwee" > wrote:

> I just recently canned my first batch of homemade Salsa and Spaghetti
> Sauce. I was wondering, how long can i keep these items and should they be
> kept on the shelf or would I prolong the life of them if I keep them
> refrigerated? The recipe I used for the salsa was from Taste of Home
> http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spicy-Chunky-Salsa and I BWB canned it as
> stated in the recipe.
>
> The Spaghetti Sauce was kind of a combination of many recipes cooked for
> 3 hours, canned and then BWB canned for 40 minutes. Ingredients in the sauce
> are as follows: 8 lbs. on the vine Tomatoes, 1 each gr. & red pepper, 2
> Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, can tomato sauce, 2 can tomato paste, 2 bay
> leaf, black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning (all dried) celery salt, a
> few splashes of red wine vinegar (maybe a tbsp or two), garlic powder, sugar
> (about 2/3-3/4 cup for what ended up being 5 pints of sauce) salt, and I did
> cook the veggies sans tomatoes in about 1/4 c olive oil and added it in when
> I added the veggies in. Oh, and the veggies and tomatoes were pureed, if it
> makes a difference. I cooked it all down, simmered for 3 hours then BWB for
> 40 and let sit on the counter overnight.
>
> All jars from both items are sealed. This is my first time canning
> something not veggie or jelly related so I am just wondering what to expect
> from these jars and how much I can make to keep until the next time I can
> make some. Thanks in advance to all of you!

I'm not sure what to say, Bunny. I am offering here the recipe for
'stewed tomatoes' that was developed at the U of MN for safe waterbath
processing. This is the recipe that I have used for several years in
competition at the Minnesota State Fair. I follow it to the letter.
Note the amounts of low acid vegetables (pepper, celery, onion) in
relation to the amount of prepared tomatoes.

I think if I were new to the idea, though, I would stick with a tested
and blessed recipe and make adjustments in the kettle at dinner prep
time.

<http://www1.extension.umn.edu/food-s...oes-salsa/toma
to-mixture/>

Tomato mixture
By Carol Ann Burtness, University of Minnesota Extension educator
Reviewed 2011

Home canners frequently request recipes for canned mixtures of tomatoes,
celery, peppers and onions. University of Minnesota Extension developed
the following recipe for a tomato mixture and was reviewed by the
National Center for Home Food Preservation. The recipe is great for
stews, soups, and Minnesota "hotdishes".

If the ingredient proportions of the following recipe are followed very
carefully, the tomato mixture may be safely canned using the following
recommended boiling water bath process method.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT INCREASE the amount of pepper, onion or celery from
what is stated in the recipe. DO NOT USE tomatoes that are soft,
overripe, decayed, or tomatoes harvested from dead or frost-killed vines.

Minnesota Tomato Mixture
Yield: 6-7 pints

Ingredients
12 cups tomatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup chopped pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
Bottled lemon juice or citric acid

Procedure
1. Wash tomatoes, remove stems and cores. Peel and quarter tomatoes.
2. Wash peppers, celery and onions. Chop.
3. Combine tomatoes and vegetables together and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Do not use tomatoes that are soft, overripe, decayed, or tomatoes
harvested from dead or frost-killed vines.
5. To clean, hot canning jars, add 1/4 teaspoon citric acid or 1
tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar; add 1/2 teaspoon citric
acid or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each quart jar.
6. Add tomato mixture to the jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove
excess air from the jar by running a spatula or bubble-freer between the
mixture and the side of the jar.
7. Wipe jar rims, and cap with properly pretreated two-piece canning
lids and process (see below). For 6-7 quarts, double the recipe and
process.

Recommended Process
Boiling water bath
Pints, 40 minutes
Quarts, 50 minutes


--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of June 6, 2012