Extension > Food > Food Safety > Preserving and preparing > Tomatoes and salsa > Home canned tomato-based salsa ingredients
Home canned tomato-based salsa ingredients
Home canned tomato-based salsa ingredients
Most tomato-based salsas are a mixture of tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices. To home can in a boiling water bath, YOU MUST FOLLOW research-tested recipes to assure the proportion of acidic ingredients is high enough for food safety. If there isn't enough acid, the salsa must be pressure canned.
Acidic ingredients
Because the acidity level of tomatoes varies greatly, more acid must be added to produce a safe salsa.
- Commercially bottled lemon juice or 5% acidity vinegar are used.
- Lemon juice is more acidic and has less affect on the flavor.
- Do NOT substitute vinegar for lemon juice, unless this substitution is given in the tested recipe.
If you are not using a tested recipe or like being creative with your salsa mixtures, you can pressure can the salsa, store it in the refrigerator or freeze it. Pressure canning and freezing will soften the salsa.
Tomatoes
The type of tomato affects salsa quality.
- Paste tomatoes, such as Roma, have firmer flesh and produce a thicker salsa.
- Slicing tomatoes produce a thinner, more watery salsa.
- Use only high-quality tomatoes, poor quality or overripe tomatoes produce very poor or unsafe salsa.
- Do not use overripe or damaged tomatoes, or those from dead or frost-killed vines, they may cause the product to spoil or be unsafe to eat
- Dried and canned tomatoes can be used.
- Roasting tomatoes and including some of the roasted skins adds another flavor.
Salsa can be thickened by adding tomato paste.
- NEVER thicken salsa with flour or cornstarch before canning as this may produce an unsafe product.
- Salsas can be thickened after opening.
Green tomatoes or tomatillos (Mexican husk tomatoes) can be substituted for red tomatoes or mixed with them.
- Tomatillos do not need to be peeled or seeded,
- Dry outer husks must be removed
Pressure canning and freezing will soften the salsa.
Peppers
Use high quality peppers:
- Do not increase the total amount of peppers in any recipe.
- You can substitute one type of pepper for another
- Canned chilies can replace fresh.
- Peppers add color and range from mild to fiery in taste.
- Hot peppers include: Jalapeno, Serrano, Cayenne, and Habanero and are usually small (one to three inches long).
- When cutting or dicing hot peppers:
- Always use disposable gloves: oils in the peppers can cause extreme irritation to the skin.
- Do not touch your face, particularly around your eyes.
Mild peppers include: bell, sweet cherry, pimiento and sweet banana and usually are larger (four to ten inches long) than hot peppers.
- You may choose a mild pepper when the recipe calls for long green chilies.
- Skin of long green chilies may be tough and can be removed by heating the peppers,
- When finely chopped, peppers do not need to be skinned.
Spices & herbs
- Add flavor and may be altered in recipes.
Store home-canned salsa in a cool, dark place. For best quality and nutritive value, use within one year.
References
- The National Center for Home Food Preservation
- Washington State University, Cooperative Extension, "Salsa Recipes for Canning"
- Ball Blue Book
- Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
Revised February 2011 by Lou Ann Jopp. Peer reviewed by Suzanne Driessen, Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension
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