Pressure canning salsa, etc. - Ask Extension
Please let me know if there is a resident expert I could communicate with via email regarding pressure canning. I just started experimenting with wat...
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Pressure canning salsa, etc. #872121
Asked June 07, 2024, 4:51 PM EDT
Please let me know if there is a resident expert I could communicate with via email regarding pressure canning. I just started experimenting with water bath canning last summer, but realized that the safe recipes are limited. For example, my typical salsa recipes are not the same. I would like to know what flexibility I may have with pressure canning and would invest in a pressure canner to gain more flexibility in terms of ingredients/proportions. Also...I am a 2022 MC Master Gardener and would love to have a more in depth discussion around canning. Thank you,
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi Terese,
I wanted to let you know that I was able to forward your question to one of our experts, Shauna Henley, who deals with food safety questions. She is currently out of the office but should return soon.
I wanted to let you know that I was able to forward your question to one of our experts, Shauna Henley, who deals with food safety questions. She is currently out of the office but should return soon.
Hi Terese,
Thank you for your question. For safety and quality you want to use a scientifically verified recipe to make a shelf-stable canned food item.
Joi, in Frederick Co. may be teaching workshops to inquire at their extension office.
If you're trying to make up your own recipe to can as a shelf-stable product, you'll want to work with a process authority to verify your recipe and process is sound, from a food safety/science point of view. https://www.afdo.org/directories/fpa/
If you have additional questions, please email me at <personal data hidden>
Oops - meant to send to Shauna Henley directly.
Hello, Shauna. I am finally getting back to you with my canning questions because my produce is coming in. As I said in my first email, I just started water bath canning last year - crushed tomatoes in one batch and tomatillos in another. This year, because I also wanted to can my homegrown Anaheim peppers and my homemade salsa to free up freezer space, I just bought a Presto weighted (with dial gauge) pressure canner which could also be used as a water bath canner. There are many things I need to learn about safe canning and have questions about things that may or may not make a difference, but I wanted to ask again about sources for tested recipes and other questions that may come up down the road.
I have followed the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning - 2015 edition and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) recipes. (Please tell me if they are the same, because they look similar, but I can't tell???) I have also looked at the Ball Mason Jar website (ballmasonjars.com) which is recommended by a number of state extension sites, in addition to the extension services recommending the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation for tested recipes. I also just read through the Presto pressure canner instruction booklet which stresses only using tested recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, your local extension service or the ones in the Presto instruction booklet.
I am content to use tested recipes for things I can find recipes for and then freeze or otherwise just do without canning for anything else I can't find a recipe for. However, in looking at tomatillo salsa recipes for example, I realized that there is one key difference in recipes for the tomatillo salsa I like to make - not so much in the proportions of main ingredients, but in the use of dried herbs versus fresh. I use fresh cilantro in my salsa, but no cilantro is used in the USDA or NCHFP tomatillo salsa recipes - they only recommend dried basil and oregano as optional herbs and stress that any fresh herbs (versus spices) would basically invalidate the recipe. I know that dried cilantro does not taste similar enough to fresh - which I have noticed in other recipes I cook. And even though some other sites say just add fresh cilantro when you open your canned salsa - that is not always practical every time I want salsa or when I want to give them as gifts. The Ball Mason and the Presto recipes do however add fresh cilantro to their tomatillo recipes. So, just with that example for one recipe, I would like to know whether I can trust the Ball Mason and Presto recipes in addition to the USDA and NCHFP ones. (It may be that because the USDA and NCHFP recipes were last updated in 2015 and they hadn't tested newer recipes with more common seasonings yet.)
I also have other smaller (and maybe less insignificant) questions like whether you need to maximize the capacity of your water bath or pressure canner when processing - for example, if I can fit 7 jars in my canner but only have 3 to process, will 3 be okay to process on their own? Or...can you raw pack husked tomatillos with boiling water poured over them to fill the jars, rather than first boiling them [to mush] before pouring boiling water into the jar? (If you can do that with tomatoes, why not also with tomatillos which are close to a green tomato?) I can't find answers on the sites I've referenced above or in the Presto booklet, but those are examples of the types of questions I'd like to find a trusted source to turn to for answers.
Please let me know about using the additional recipe sources above - and going forward, who/what entity I can turn to for the smaller (and maybe less significant) questions that pop up. Thank you for your help in advance.
Terese
MCMG (and beginner canner)
Hi Terese,
Thank you for you questions.
In terms of trusting validated recipes, the National Center for Home Food Preservation and USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning (rev 2015) are great. UGA hired a new center director in 2022, so that may be one reason their turnaround is slower, and I know Dr. Schwan is looking to work on a 7th Ed of So Easy to Preserve. As you said ,private companies like Ball and Presto can run more recipe validations faster than academia and the government in some cases, but they also don't publish their data to show the science. For now any of those 4 resource should be reliable.
If you want to make your own recipe and have it scientifically validated you could hire and work with a process authority. They have the food science skills to validate recipes for safety. https://www.afdo.org/directories/fpa/
For processing minimums, there are some guidelines, and I attached a useful factsheet from UCCE https://ucanr.edu/sites/mfp_of_cs/files/361844.pdf
I would follow a recipe from one of the above resources for tomatillos, and make sure you process the correct minimum jar numbers to be safe.
You're removing the husk because it could have pathogens attached (despite processing), it could give off/bitter flavors when processed, and the husky is really considered edible.
Let me know what other questions you have.
Oops - meant to send to Shauna Henley directly.---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Terese Bouey <<personal data hidden>>
Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: Pressure canning salsa, etc. (#0142039)
To: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>Hello, Shauna. I am finally getting back to you with my canning questions because my produce is coming in. As I said in my first email, I just started water bath canning last year - crushed tomatoes in one batch and tomatillos in another. This year, because I also wanted to can my homegrown Anaheim peppers and my homemade salsa to free up freezer space, I just bought a Presto weighted (with dial gauge) pressure canner which could also be used as a water bath canner. There are many things I need to learn about safe canning and have questions about things that may or may not make a difference, but I wanted to ask again about sources for tested recipes and other questions that may come up down the road.I have followed the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning - 2015 edition and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) recipes. (Please tell me if they are the same, because they look similar, but I can't tell???) I have also looked at the Ball Mason Jar website (ballmasonjars.com) which is recommended by a number of state extension sites, in addition to the extension services recommending the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation for tested recipes. I also just read through the Presto pressure canner instruction booklet which stresses only using tested recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, your local extension service or the ones in the Presto instruction booklet.I am content to use tested recipes for things I can find recipes for and then freeze or otherwise just do without canning for anything else I can't find a recipe for. However, in looking at tomatillo salsa recipes for example, I realized that there is one key difference in recipes for the tomatillo salsa I like to make - not so much in the proportions of main ingredients, but in the use of dried herbs versus fresh. I use fresh cilantro in my salsa, but no cilantro is used in the USDA or NCHFP tomatillo salsa recipes - they only recommend dried basil and oregano as optional herbs and stress that any fresh herbs (versus spices) would basically invalidate the recipe. I know that dried cilantro does not taste similar enough to fresh - which I have noticed in other recipes I cook. And even though some other sites say just add fresh cilantro when you open your canned salsa - that is not always practical every time I want salsa or when I want to give them as gifts. The Ball Mason and the Presto recipes do however add fresh cilantro to their tomatillo recipes. So, just with that example for one recipe, I would like to know whether I can trust the Ball Mason and Presto recipes in addition to the USDA and NCHFP ones. (It may be that because the USDA and NCHFP recipes were last updated in 2015 and they hadn't tested newer recipes with more common seasonings yet.)I also have other smaller (and maybe less insignificant) questions like whether you need to maximize the capacity of your water bath or pressure canner when processing - for example, if I can fit 7 jars in my canner but only have 3 to process, will 3 be okay to process on their own? Or...can you raw pack husked tomatillos with boiling water poured over them to fill the jars, rather than first boiling them [to mush] before pouring boiling water into the jar? (If you can do that with tomatoes, why not also with tomatillos which are close to a green tomato?) I can't find answers on the sites I've referenced above or in the Presto booklet, but those are examples of the types of questions I'd like to find a trusted source to turn to for answers.Please let me know about using the additional recipe sources above - and going forward, who/what entity I can turn to for the smaller (and maybe less significant) questions that pop up. Thank you for your help in advance.TereseMCMG (and beginner canner)
That information helps a lot! Thank you very much!!
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 19, 2024, at 4:23 PM, Shauna C. Henley wrote:
Hi Terese,Thank you for you questions.In terms of trusting validated recipes, the National Center for Home Food Preservation and USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning (rev 2015) are great. UGA hired a new center director in 2022, so that may be one reason their turnaround is slower, and I know Dr. Schwan is looking to work on a 7th Ed of So Easy to Preserve. As you said ,private companies like Ball and Presto can run more recipe validations faster than academia and the government in some cases, but they also don't publish their data to show the science. For now any of those 4 resource should be reliable.If you want to make your own recipe and have it scientifically validated you could hire and work with a process authority. They have the food science skills to validate recipes for safety. https://www.afdo.org/directories/fpa/For processing minimums, there are some guidelines, and I attached a useful factsheet from UCCE https://ucanr.edu/sites/mfp_of_cs/files/361844.pdfI would follow a recipe from one of the above resources for tomatillos, and make sure you process the correct minimum jar numbers to be safe.You're removing the husk because it could have pathogens attached (despite processing), it could give off/bitter flavors when processed, and the husky is really considered edible.Let me know what other questions you have.Oops - meant to send to Shauna Henley directly.---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Terese Bouey <<personal data hidden>>
Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: Pressure canning salsa, etc. (#0142039)
To: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>Hello, Shauna. I am finally getting back to you with my canning questions because my produce is coming in. As I said in my first email, I just started water bath canning last year - crushed tomatoes in one batch and tomatillos in another. This year, because I also wanted to can my homegrown Anaheim peppers and my homemade salsa to free up freezer space, I just bought a Presto weighted (with dial gauge) pressure canner which could also be used as a water bath canner. There are many things I need to learn about safe canning and have questions about things that may or may not make a difference, but I wanted to ask again about sources for tested recipes and other questions that may come up down the road.I have followed the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning - 2015 edition and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) recipes. (Please tell me if they are the same, because they look similar, but I can't tell???) I have also looked at the Ball Mason Jar website (ballmasonjars.com) which is recommended by a number of state extension sites, in addition to the extension services recommending the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation for tested recipes. I also just read through the Presto pressure canner instruction booklet which stresses only using tested recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, your local extension service or the ones in the Presto instruction booklet.I am content to use tested recipes for things I can find recipes for and then freeze or otherwise just do without canning for anything else I can't find a recipe for. However, in looking at tomatillo salsa recipes for example, I realized that there is one key difference in recipes for the tomatillo salsa I like to make - not so much in the proportions of main ingredients, but in the use of dried herbs versus fresh. I use fresh cilantro in my salsa, but no cilantro is used in the USDA or NCHFP tomatillo salsa recipes - they only recommend dried basil and oregano as optional herbs and stress that any fresh herbs (versus spices) would basically invalidate the recipe. I know that dried cilantro does not taste similar enough to fresh - which I have noticed in other recipes I cook. And even though some other sites say just add fresh cilantro when you open your canned salsa - that is not always practical every time I want salsa or when I want to give them as gifts. The Ball Mason and the Presto recipes do however add fresh cilantro to their tomatillo recipes. So, just with that example for one recipe, I would like to know whether I can trust the Ball Mason and Presto recipes in addition to the USDA and NCHFP ones. (It may be that because the USDA and NCHFP recipes were last updated in 2015 and they hadn't tested newer recipes with more common seasonings yet.)I also have other smaller (and maybe less insignificant) questions like whether you need to maximize the capacity of your water bath or pressure canner when processing - for example, if I can fit 7 jars in my canner but only have 3 to process, will 3 be okay to process on their own? Or...can you raw pack husked tomatillos with boiling water poured over them to fill the jars, rather than first boiling them [to mush] before pouring boiling water into the jar? (If you can do that with tomatoes, why not also with tomatillos which are close to a green tomato?) I can't find answers on the sites I've referenced above or in the Presto booklet, but those are examples of the types of questions I'd like to find a trusted source to turn to for answers.Please let me know about using the additional recipe sources above - and going forward, who/what entity I can turn to for the smaller (and maybe less significant) questions that pop up. Thank you for your help in advance.TereseMCMG (and beginner canner)
Happy to help!
That information helps a lot! Thank you very much!!
Sent from my iPhoneOn Aug 19, 2024, at 4:23 PM, Shauna C. Henley <<personal data hidden>> wrote:Hi Terese,Thank you for you questions.In terms of trusting validated recipes, the National Center for Home Food Preservation and USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning (rev 2015) are great. UGA hired a new center director in 2022, so that may be one reason their turnaround is slower, and I know Dr. Schwan is looking to work on a 7th Ed of So Easy to Preserve. As you said ,private companies like Ball and Presto can run more recipe validations faster than academia and the government in some cases, but they also don't publish their data to show the science. For now any of those 4 resource should be reliable.If you want to make your own recipe and have it scientifically validated you could hire and work with a process authority. They have the food science skills to validate recipes for safety. https://www.afdo.org/directories/fpa/For processing minimums, there are some guidelines, and I attached a useful factsheet from UCCE https://ucanr.edu/sites/mfp_of_cs/files/361844.pdfI would follow a recipe from one of the above resources for tomatillos, and make sure you process the correct minimum jar numbers to be safe.You're removing the husk because it could have pathogens attached (despite processing), it could give off/bitter flavors when processed, and the husky is really considered edible.Let me know what other questions you have.Oops - meant to send to Shauna Henley directly.---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Terese Bouey <<personal data hidden>>
Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: Pressure canning salsa, etc. (#0142039)
To: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>Hello, Shauna. I am finally getting back to you with my canning questions because my produce is coming in. As I said in my first email, I just started water bath canning last year - crushed tomatoes in one batch and tomatillos in another. This year, because I also wanted to can my homegrown Anaheim peppers and my homemade salsa to free up freezer space, I just bought a Presto weighted (with dial gauge) pressure canner which could also be used as a water bath canner. There are many things I need to learn about safe canning and have questions about things that may or may not make a difference, but I wanted to ask again about sources for tested recipes and other questions that may come up down the road.I have followed the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning - 2015 edition and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) recipes. (Please tell me if they are the same, because they look similar, but I can't tell???) I have also looked at the Ball Mason Jar website (ballmasonjars.com) which is recommended by a number of state extension sites, in addition to the extension services recommending the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation for tested recipes. I also just read through the Presto pressure canner instruction booklet which stresses only using tested recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, your local extension service or the ones in the Presto instruction booklet.I am content to use tested recipes for things I can find recipes for and then freeze or otherwise just do without canning for anything else I can't find a recipe for. However, in looking at tomatillo salsa recipes for example, I realized that there is one key difference in recipes for the tomatillo salsa I like to make - not so much in the proportions of main ingredients, but in the use of dried herbs versus fresh. I use fresh cilantro in my salsa, but no cilantro is used in the USDA or NCHFP tomatillo salsa recipes - they only recommend dried basil and oregano as optional herbs and stress that any fresh herbs (versus spices) would basically invalidate the recipe. I know that dried cilantro does not taste similar enough to fresh - which I have noticed in other recipes I cook. And even though some other sites say just add fresh cilantro when you open your canned salsa - that is not always practical every time I want salsa or when I want to give them as gifts. The Ball Mason and the Presto recipes do however add fresh cilantro to their tomatillo recipes. So, just with that example for one recipe, I would like to know whether I can trust the Ball Mason and Presto recipes in addition to the USDA and NCHFP ones. (It may be that because the USDA and NCHFP recipes were last updated in 2015 and they hadn't tested newer recipes with more common seasonings yet.)I also have other smaller (and maybe less insignificant) questions like whether you need to maximize the capacity of your water bath or pressure canner when processing - for example, if I can fit 7 jars in my canner but only have 3 to process, will 3 be okay to process on their own? Or...can you raw pack husked tomatillos with boiling water poured over them to fill the jars, rather than first boiling them [to mush] before pouring boiling water into the jar? (If you can do that with tomatoes, why not also with tomatillos which are close to a green tomato?) I can't find answers on the sites I've referenced above or in the Presto booklet, but those are examples of the types of questions I'd like to find a trusted source to turn to for answers.Please let me know about using the additional recipe sources above - and going forward, who/what entity I can turn to for the smaller (and maybe less significant) questions that pop up. Thank you for your help in advance.TereseMCMG (and beginner canner)
