Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken4230
Tom, would you care to elaborate on your old canning method for salsa. I would like to make sure that I am not screwing up. 
I use a water bath for salsa. |
My old method was to process pints in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes with no added acid. This is fine for just tomatoes, or a tomato sauce with small amounts of low acid vegetables (onions, peppers, garlic, etc.). My salsa, however, contained high amounts of low acid veggies, as much as 20% by weight, which is much higher than approved recipes. I consumed over 1,000 pints over 30 years with no problems, but that doesn't make it safe. I now add citric acid and pressure can.
In my opinion, tomato products are generally safe, even when done wrong. A study by the Center for Disease Control showed only one case of botulism in the USA from home canned tomato products over a 10 year period. Considering that there are over 20 million home canners in the USA and some 40% do not follow proper guidelines, that's a good record. Botulism is a very rare disease, but still, following guidelines is just a easy as not, so why take chances.
The one place I do vary from official guidelines is that I do not follow "approved" recipes. I prefer my own recipes, and based on my experience and research believe my risk is extremely low, but each person needs to decide their own risk tolerance.
By the way, as toxic as the botulism toxin is, the survival rate is 95%. If you home can you should know the symptoms.
TomNJ