Provided by Barbara Brown, Ph.D., R.D./L.D. Food Specialist,
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Assoc. Prof., Department of
Nutritional Sciences Home Canned Salsa Workshop 2015 Slide 2
Step-By-Step Canning of Salsa 2 This slide show is a description of
typical steps in boiling water canning of tomato-pepper salsas at
home. It is not intended to be a specific recipe and not all steps
may apply in every recipe. It is not intended to be used with salsa
recipes that have not been tested and determined to be safe for
boiling water canning. Recommended salsa recipes can be found at
the National Center for Home Food Preservation website at:
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_salsa.html
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_salsa.html 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension Service Slide 3 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension
Service 3 Slide 4 Prepare the Canner 4 Make sure there is a rack in
the bottom of your canner. Fill boiling water canner about half
full of water, and begin heating it. You need enough water so the
filled jars will be covered with 1 to 2 inches of water over the
tops. Water temperature should be about 180F when it is time to add
your filled jars. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide
5 Prepare the Jars and Lids 5 Select the number of pint jars the
recipe indicates it will make. Check jars for nicks and/or cracks.
Select jar rings that display no rust or bending, and new flat
lids. Wash everything in warm, soapy water. Rinse well. Keep jars
in warm water while you prepare the salsa. Follow directions from
the lid manufacturer for preparing that specific type of lid. Jars
do not need to be sterilized. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension
Service Slide 6 Preparing lids: Ball/Kerr lids no longer require
warming before use 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 6
Still safe to simmer lids before use, however, never boil
Recommendation for over 40 years has been to simmer (180F), not
boil (212F) Change made in 1969 Switched sealing gasket from
latex-based to Plastisol Latex required pre-heating to soften prior
to canning in order to create an effective seal, Plastisol does not
but doing so will not damage it Removing simmering step was
designed to make the home canning process easier, speedier Current
recommendation is to wash lids with warm, soapy water and keep at
room temperature until ready for use Slide 7 Have extra hot water
available Have an extra pot of water heating in case you need more
to add to the canner at processing time. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension Service 7 Slide 8 8 Collect the Ingredients Tomatoes (use
the type in your recipe) Peppers (use the type in your recipe)
Onion Vinegar (5%) Pickling or canning salt Your recipe may also
include Cloves of garlic Dried seasoning Black pepper, oregano
leaves, ground cumin, etc. Fresh herbscilantro, parsley, basil,
etc. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 9 9 To
prepare the tomatoes Wash tomatoes. Make an x-shaped slit in the
skin at the base of each tomato. Dip washed tomatoes into boiling
water for 30-60 seconds until skins just begin to split. Dip
immediately into cold water. Slip skins off tomatoes and core them.
Chop tomatoes into small pieces. Measure out the required amount.
2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 10 To prepare the
peppers 10 Caution: Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch
your face while handling or cutting hot peppers. Wash hands
thoroughly before touching your face or eyes. Wash peppers well.
Cut peppers lengthwise. Remove stems and white membranes. Remove
seeds; the more seeds you remove, the milder the salsa. Chop the
peppers into small pieces. Measure out required amount. 2015
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 11 To prepare the
onions and garlic 11 Remove the outer skin. Wash onion and garlic
cloves well. Cut away any sprouting, tough stem or root end parts.
Chop the onions into small pieces. Use a garlic press to for garlic
(or mince finely by hand). Measure the required amount of each.
2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 12 Cook the Salsa
12 Canned salsa is a hot pack. Combine all measured prepared
vegetables in a large saucepot with the vinegar and seasonings.
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer as
directed, stirring occasionally. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension Service Slide 13 Fill the Jars, part 1 13 Fill hot salsa
into clean, hot canning jars. Use ladle and jar funnel to avoid
getting salsa on the sealing surface (and prevent a big mess!).
Leave 1/2-inch headspace, making sure liquid juices cover the
pieces of food. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide
14 Fill the Jars, part 2 14 Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace
if needed, leaving 1/2-inch empty. Use a plastic knife or special
bubble remover tool. Do not use metal knives or spoons. Wipe the
rims (top surface) of the jars with a dampened clean paper towel,
to make sure no food or liquid is on them. This could interfere
with sealing. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 15
Applying the Lids 15 Remove pretreated lids from the warm water,
using a magnetic wand. Apply the lids to the tops of the jars.
Tighten ring bands over lids until fingertip-tight and snug. Take
care not to overtighten and cut through the warm gasket. 2015
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 16 Place the Jars in
the Canner 16 The temperature of the water in the canner should be
about 180F (simmering) when it is time to add your filled jars.
Carefully add jars to canner, using jar lifter. Keep them straight
up; do not tilt jars. Racks for many boiling water canners have
divided spaces for holding jars. If using a flat rack, fill empty
jars with water and place in the empty space around your filled
jars, to prevent jars of salsa from moving around or tipping over.
2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 17 Processing the
Salsa 17 After all jars are in the canner, make sure water is 1 to
2 inches over the tops of the jars. Place lid on canner. Turn heat
on high and bring water in canner to a full boil over the jars.
After water is fully boiling, process jars for the required process
time. Adjust time for altitude if needed. The water must never stop
boiling. If it does, return water to a boil and start timing the
process over from the beginning. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension Service Slide 18 Removing Jars from the Canner 18 After
processing, turn off burner. Remove lid, turning away from you to
avoid getting steam in your face. Let jars sit in canner another 5
minutes. Using jar lifter, remove jars from canner, again without
tilting them, and set them on a thick clean towel, or plastic or
wooden cutting board to cool. Do not sit jars directly on a cool
surface. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Slide 19
Cooling the Jars 19 Let jars sit undisturbed while coolingbetween
12-24 hours. If jars seal properly, the lid will be curved inward
and there will be a clear ringing sound when tapped. 2015 Oklahoma
Cooperative Extension Service Slide 20 Storing the Jars 20 Remove
ring bands from sealed jars. Gently wash lid area and threads of
the jar (in case there is any food or liquid residue that you might
not even see). Then rinse and dry jars; label and date them. Store
jars without ring bands in a cool, dark, dry place. Store unsealed
jars in the refrigerator. 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension
Service Slide 21 How much of the recipe can I change? 2015 Oklahoma
Cooperative Extension Service 21 Peppers Range from mild to hot
Wear plastic or rubber gloves when handling hot peppers and do not
touch your face, particularly around the eyes If you do not wear
gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching
face or eyes Okay to substitute one type of pepper for another or
mild peppers for chilies Do not increase the total amount (pounds
or cups) of peppers in any recipe Changes final acidity of the
mixture and potentially unsafe canned salsa Slide 22 How much of
the recipe can I change? Onions 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension
Service 22 Red and yellow onions may be substituted for each other
Do not increase the total amount of onions called for in the recipe
Changes the final acidity level of the salsa and can create an
unsafe canned product Slide 23 How much of the recipe can I change?
Acidic ingredients 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 23
Include vinegar, commercially bottled lemon juice or lime juice
Help preserve canned salsa USDA research has not been able to
calculate a safe canned salsa that tastes similar to fresh salsa
Recipes for home canning have larger amounts of vinegar or lemon
juice, which create a more acidic flavor Its important that the
amount of acid in the recipe is never reduced. While an equal
amount of bottled lemon juice may be substituted for vinegar in
recipes, do not substitute vinegar for lemon juice this could
result in less acidity and potentially unsafe canned salsa. Slide
24 How much of the recipe can I change? Spices and herbs 2015
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 24 Amounts can be altered,
with no risk of creating a potentially unsafe canned salsa. For a
stronger cilantro flavor in recipes with cilantro, it is suggested
to add fresh cilantro just before serving instead of adding more
before canning. Slide 25 How much of the recipe can I change?
Thickeners 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 25 Do not
thicken salsas with flour, cornstarch or other starches before
canning. Add these ingredients after opening canned salsa Slide 26
What if I want to make my own recipe? 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension Service 26 If your personal favorite salsa doesnt have a
tested recipe for home canning, eat your creation fresh, storing it
up to one week in the refrigerator. Store all open salsas in the
refrigerator once opened Slide 27 Do I have to process my salsa in
a boiling water canner? 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
27 Method is called open kettle canning Results in a high rate of
food spoilage, potential illness Although food is hot and may be
fully cooked, it is difficult to reach and maintain temperatures
for time needed to destroy spoilage microorganisms If not
destroyed, the food can spoil even though the lid is tightly closed
Slide 28 Choice Salsa 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
28 6 cups peeled, cored, seeded and chopped ripe tomatoes 9 cups
diced onions and/or peppers of any variety (See Notes below) 1 and
cups commercially bottled lemon or lime juice 3 teaspoons canning
or pickling salt Yield: About 6 pint jars CAUTION: Wear plastic or
rubber gloves and do not touch your face while handling or cutting
hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly with
soap and water before touching your face or eyes. Slide 29
Procedure: 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 29 Wash and
rinse pint or half-pint canning jars; keep hot until ready to fill.
Prepare lids and ring bands according to manufacturers directions.
To prepare tomatoes: Dip washed tomatoes in boiling water for 30 to
60 seconds or until the skins split. Submerge immediately in cold
water. Peel off loosened skins and remove cores. Remove seeds and
chop (- to -inch pieces). To prepare onions: Peel, wash, core and
dice onions (-inch pieces). To prepare bell peppers: Wash and core
bell peppers. Remove the seeds and membranes before dicing (-inch
pieces). To prepare hot peppers: Wash and remove stems of hot
peppers. Keep or remove as much of the seeds and membranes as you
wish, depending on the pepper heat of the salsa that you desire.
Dice peppers (-inch pieces). Slide 30 Procedure: 2015 Oklahoma
Cooperative Extension Service 30 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. Fill the hot
salsa into prepared hot jars, leaving 1/2- inch headspace. If
needed, remove air bubbles and re-adjust headspace to -inch. Wipe
rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and
bands. 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 Slide 31 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension Service 31 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 min20 min25 min Slide 32 Labinstructions
2015 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 32 Meet in room 002 HS
in 1 hour Work in groups of 3 (or so) Make 1 batch Choice Salsa
(handout) per group Use about 2 cups onion, 7 cups peppers (can
swap with another group to change ratiostay with 9 cups total Wear
disposable gloves when working with Jalapeos Refrigerated foods
will be in silver refrigerator Pint jars will be in dishwasher, 6
per recipe You will need to wash your own lids Be precise, be
patient, be polite Slide 33 Credits 33 Reprinted with permission of
the University of Georgia. National Center for Home Food
Preservation and Simmons, H. 2008. Step-By-Step Canning of Tomato
Salsa Using Slicing Tomatoes. Athens, GA: The University of
Georgia, Cooperative Extension. This slide set was developed by
Heather Simmons as a student project in FDNS 3010, Department of
Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, and edited by
faculty of the National Center for Home Food Preservation, June
2008. This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 00-51110-9762. 2015 Oklahoma
Cooperative Extension Service Slide 34 2015 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension Service 34
