Decreasing peppers in salsa?

[blue_cup]

Hello,

I'm new to canning & recently made some salsa. We followed the recipe, but didn't have enough hot green chili peppers...so instead of adding 4 cups, we only put in 2.

Now I've been doing some reading on unsafe canning and am now worried that this batch of salsa might be potentially unsafe. I've read that you should not increase the amount of peppers called for in a recipe...but what about decreasing it?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[karadekoolaid]

Hello,

I'm new to canning & recently made some salsa. We followed the recipe, but didn't have enough hot green chili peppers...so instead of adding 4 cups, we only put in 2.

Now I've been doing some reading on unsafe canning and am now worried that this batch of salsa might be potentially unsafe. I've read that you should not increase the amount of peppers called for in a recipe...but what about decreasing it?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

If you use fewer peppers, you'll simply have a milder salsa.I've never heard of MORE hot peppers being unsafe - why would that be?
How much sugar/salt/vinegar/lemon juice are you using?
Could you give us a recipe so we can get a better idea of what you're doing?

 

[amber]

Hello,

I'm new to canning & recently made some salsa. We followed the recipe, but didn't have enough hot green chili peppers...so instead of adding 4 cups, we only put in 2.

Now I've been doing some reading on unsafe canning and am now worried that this batch of salsa might be potentially unsafe. I've read that you should not increase the amount of peppers called for in a recipe...but what about decreasing it?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

The only thing I can think of is that by not adding the 4 cups of peppers, your cutting down on your "head space" whereby you need to come to the top of the jar within an inch in order to get a good seal. You may have problems with your jars sealing. Did your jars seal? They should indent after boiling, or after a cooling time if you poke your finger on the lid.

 

[blue_cup]

Thanls for the replies! All of the jars sealed nicely. Here's the recipe we followed:

Tomato Salsa (using paste tomatoes)
Yield: 16–18 pints
7 qt peeled, cored, tomatoes chopped
4 cups seeded chopped, long green chiles
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups chopped onion
2 cups bottled lemon juice
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped, seeded, jalapeños
2 Tbsp ground cumin*
3 Tbsp oregano leaves*
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro*

Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano, and cilantro in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently,then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner: 15 minutes at 0–1,000 feet altitude; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 feet, 25 minutes above 6,000 feet.

This recipe works best with paste tomatoes. Slicing tomatoes require a much longer cooking time to achieve a desirable consistency.

 

[Michael in FtW]

If all you did was reduce the amount of peppers - no problem!

 

[Chef_Jen]

Yup your fine!

 

[karadekoolaid]

Thanls for the replies! All of the jars sealed nicely. Here's the recipe we followed:

Tomato Salsa (using paste tomatoes)
Yield: 16–18 pints
7 qt peeled, cored, tomatoes chopped
4 cups seeded chopped, long green chiles
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups chopped onion
2 cups bottled lemon juice
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped, seeded, jalapeños
2 Tbsp ground cumin*
3 Tbsp oregano leaves*
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro*

Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano, and cilantro in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently,then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner: 15 minutes at 0–1,000 feet altitude; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 feet, 25 minutes above 6,000 feet.

This recipe works best with paste tomatoes. Slicing tomatoes require a much longer cooking time to achieve a desirable consistency.

Not such a hot salsa then. Yum!

 

[Mylegsbig]

Thanls for the replies! All of the jars sealed nicely. Here's the recipe we followed:

Tomato Salsa (using paste tomatoes)
Yield: 16–18 pints
7 qt peeled, cored, tomatoes chopped
4 cups seeded chopped, long green chiles
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups chopped onion
2 cups bottled lemon juice
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped, seeded, jalapeños
2 Tbsp ground cumin*
3 Tbsp oregano leaves*
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro*

Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano, and cilantro in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently,then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner: 15 minutes at 0–1,000 feet altitude; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 feet, 25 minutes above 6,000 feet.

This recipe works best with paste tomatoes. Slicing tomatoes require a much longer cooking time to achieve a desirable consistency.

wow, you better tone down the heat! that one is a killer!

 

[sparrowgrass]

Doesn't look like a problem to me. If you had decreased the amount of tomatoes (acid) or vinegar (acid) you might have a problem.

You did lower your yield--you probably didn't get as many jars as the recipe said. Next time, you can sub green peppers for the hot peppers you left out.

Here is a free tip for you, that I just used when I made ketchup. Cut your veggies into chunks, and cook them just til just soft. Dump them into a colander over a big pot and let them drain for a couple hours. Then, reduce the liquid in the pot down to half, or less. Put the veggies into the blender, food processor or food mill while you are reducing the liquid. Recombine, bring mixture to boil, and put in jars.

You will find, if you are reducing just the liquid and not the solids, that you don't have to stir so often, and there is almost no chance of burning or the blup-blups that spit tomato everywhere in the kitchen.