preserve tomaotes

[sortanormalish]

My pressure canner cracked!

I know it is early in the season, but I either must replace it find a new method. The only thing I preserved in it was tomatoes. So I really hate spending $150 to replace it. My Irish grandmother sealed tomatoes in the oven. I know the method fell out of favor after a damning publication from a government agency (which most Americans no longer trust to be politically impartial) was released, she scoffed. That said, no one in the family, or the telephone employee that swore they worked for a hangover, ever died as ar result of food poisoning. And it only makes sense that if they can be water bath canned (tomatoes not people) on the stove top they can be in an oven, But how do I do it?

I was too young to remember the exact temperature or if there was a difference in preparation method. If any of you know, please share. And if any other fruits can be preserved similiarly please share that information. I would assume that anything with a high acid content (such that can be water bath sealed) could be sealed in the oven, am I wrong?

[Millymollymandy]

Oh god, I just read that first thread and that's why I use my freezer. It doesn't require a degree in maths/science/technology!

[sortanormalish]

I have degrees in math and science. And I still can't spell!
I can the tomatoes because I don't have enough freezer space for all the salsas, pasta sauces, stewed tomatoes, etc. it takes to feed 4 teenage boys,

Thanks for the threads and I am in the US. I don't know how to get back in to change my profile. That pesky password I forgot.

[Millymollymandy]

You don't need a password to do that - just click on User Control Panel at the top of the page and then go into Profile. There you can change personal settings such as signature and put in your location etc.

[Cassiepod]

I'm intrigued, how do you preserve a homemade salsa? Is it a recipe that you cook down and bottle hot or something else?
Cassie

[MKG]

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 28&start=0 This thread might prove of interest, plus you can have a laugh at them all squabbling about the merits of canning

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 11&start=0 and this one which is much better natured!!!

Hope this starts you off . By the way could you put your location in your profile because I forget where you come from and it helps to know which hemisphere people are in!!

That, young lady, was an attempt to prevent someone from killing themselves. Squabbling, indeed!!!!!

Mike

[sortanormalish]

Homemade salsa is easy. I think I adapted mine from a tomato chutney recipe. I've slept a few years since then.
I'll tell you how with the amounts I usually use. I only make it once a year.

It will work best if you use a paste type tomato, beefsteaks are too juicy

You just chop your tomatoes (5 gallons chopped and cleaned, I leave seeds for nutrition, but strain out extra juice), mince your herbs(I use fresh)-cilantro (about 2 cups), oregano (about 1/2 cup), and garlic chives (about 1 cup), chop onion (10 medium-mildly sweet) and crush garlic (2 medium sized hot cloves), salt (about 2 tablespoons). and finely chop some pepper (either 2 habeneros per gallon or 8 jalepenos-remember that color is an indicator of heat and leaving the veining adds the highest concentration of heat).

Stew the tomatoes, onions, and garlic just until they start to soften. Then slowly, add all herbs, salt, and especially the pepper in small quantities so that you can adjust the taste to suit.

This recipe is easy to adapt to suit your taste buds because you stew everything before you can it, so you get to taste it. If it doesn't taste acid enough add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Just remember, all the flavors will intensify when canned, but the acid, salt, and hot pepper especially, so make it a little bland and a little milder than you want your finished salsa.

I prefer to mix everything but the pepper then vary the amount of pepper to make hot and mild salsa. Some people put sugar in theirs, but my Cuban husband would call me names I don't understand for such a thing.

This is where it gets a little more complicated, but just a little. If you are going to pressure can, you do not need to add acid, but if you are going to water bath can you may. I go to the pharmacy (chemist?) and pick up the cheapest ph strips I can find. There are some that are made for canning and they are expensive, the cheap ones work exactly the same way. Or if I am feeling appropriately industrious and have a child studying chemistry, I make them myself. You do need to find a color chart to indicate the acidity, any child's chemistry book should have this and how to make the strips in the experiment section. My youngest did it all himself when he was seven and studying chemistry, he is brilliantly wonderful but not a genious, it only sounds intimidating because I used the 'c' word. (chemistry )

You want your ph to be between 3.5 and 4.5. Test before you add any lemon juice or vinegar, mine sometimes doesn't need it. If you do need to add the juice, do it slowly, stir well and check again. If you get too much acid add a little bit of everything else to bring the ph up. I spent the entire day the first time I made it trying to get the ph exactly 4.0, then I realized I was a little crazy. Anywhere in the range is fine.

Then you preserve in exactly the same way you do pasta sauce or plain tomatoes. This does not freeze well, it turns to mush. Tasty mush, but mush. Great for seasoning chilli.

[Cassiepod]

Thankyou! Will try that later this year.

[Minnesota]

My pressure canner cracked! .....So I really hate spending $150 to replace it.

I can't help you with the oven processing...BUT, Garage sale season is just starting. I have 2 pressure canners, and have bought 2 or three other canners for friends...All from Garage sales, I think I spend as much as $10 for one once, others have been as cheap as 50¢. If you lived closer, I'd find you one myself.
they are out there, take a look at the garage sales.

[sortanormalish]

That was the plan, but if the shelves at the great Wally are any indication I don't think I'll find one. I've found two so far but they were missing the pressure gauges. Do you know if those can be replaced and if so, is it an economical option?

[Minnesota]

replacing a Pressure guage with a new one is spendy on a used canner, unless it looks to be in perfect condition. keep looking there is one out there.

[sortanormalish]

Thanks