Tomorrow is the first day of September, and with it comes all those traditional end-of-summer events, including tomato canning season (at least here in the mid-Atlantic where I live). Because the yearly tomato glut is finally beginning to arrive, I’ve been getting a number of questions about how to safely can tomatoes.
The most frequent question I get is from people wondering if they can boiling water bath process their favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. You know, the kind that has plenty of garlic, onions, basil, olive oil and sometimes even a few peppers.
Sadly, I always end up delivering disappointing news. You really can’t just can your family recipe. Anything canned in a boiling water bath needs to be high acid (for the science minded types, this means that it has to have a pH of 4.5 or below). This is because botulism cannot grow in high acid environments. However, tomatoes are in the grey zone, typically having a pH right around 4.5. Because of this, tomatoes need to be acidified when canned, so that the acid levels are pushed into the safe zone and the pH becomes something lower than 4.5. That’s why my instructions (and all other good ones you’ll find) for canning whole tomatoes includes two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice per jar (you can also use citric acid if you prefer).
When you make spaghetti sauce, one typically adds a slew of ingredients that, while delicious, lower the acid to seriously unsafe levels. Unless your family spaghetti sauce recipe contains several cups of red wine vinegar, it will be too low in acid to be canned in a boiling water bath.
Most canning information will repeatedly remind you that it’s incredibly important to follow tested recipes. While I will occasionally play around a bit with jams and pickles (and I only do this because I know which aspects can’t be monkeyed with), even I never deviate when it comes to acidifying my tomatoes. I always follow the instructions in either the Ball Blue Book or So Easy to Preserve when I want to preserve tomato sauce, soup and salsas.
The one caveat I have to offer is that if you have a pressure canner, you may be able to preserve your beloved sauce recipe (just so you know, any recipe that includes meat MUST be pressure canned). Pressure canners raise the internal temperature of your jars to temperatures in the neighborhood of 240 degrees, which is high enough to kill off any botulism spores that may exist in your food. However, you should still consult recipes that have been tested using a pressure canner to determine processing time and pressure.
The good news here is that there are plenty of safe, tested tomato recipes that are designed for canning. Let’s hear about your favorites!
My husband cans his sauce and it turns out fine. But of course he makes huge batches, uses red wine and cooks it for what seems to be forever! I can’t say what his secret is because I’m not allowed in the kitchen, and I’m not allowed to touch the sauce…That’s what I get for marrying an Italian.
So not for canning, but What about for short term storage? 2-3 days. And for freezing.
There are two wonderful tomato pasta sauce recipes created with canning in mind in the better homes and gardens’ canning magazine from this summer. Both require the tablespoon per pint of lemon, and are a bit on the tart side, but have some lovely flavors of basil and roasted garlic, and are just waiting for added cheese or meat when heated and served. I sure hope they were tested because I have 30 or more pints heading out the door this Christmas!
Too bad when the family recipe originated from Italy a couple hundred years ago…adding a bunch of red wine, citrus or lemon juice is not desirable.
Does the pH requirement stay the same even if you add meat? And I assume the added meat would also lower the acidic value so you’d have to make even more adjustments to get that back up to 4.5. Am I correct?
It is not advised to process sauce containing any kind of meat in a boiling water bath canner. For that, you MUST use a pressure canner.
I just processed sauce and meat in a boiling water bath canner not knowing this should not be done this way, can I reopen the jars to correct this error. I just made 30 jars of plain sauce and 30 jars of sauce with meatballs, the meatballs were cooked in the sauce before processing OMG they are Christmas gifts. Please help
Unless you have a pressure canner, everything needs to go into the refrigerator as soon as it is cool. There’s no way to make low acid sauces shelf stable without a pressure canner.
Hi Marisa. Going back to Eileen’s question from September, could you just add citric acid to your favorite sauce and measure the PH level until you get below 4.5 and then can in a water bath? Thanks so much.
It’s not a recommended technique, but if you were willing to live a bit dangerously, you could. You’d probably want it to measure closer to 4.2 or 4.3, just to give yourself a slightly larger margin of error. And if the sauce contained meat, it would not be advised, no matter how low a pH you were able to achieve in the surround sauce.
Hi,
I would like to pressure can homemade sauce no meat and no garlic and the ingredients I use are:
2 cans Pastene crushed tomatoes
1 can Puree
3 small cans of Paste
1 Medium chopped onion
1/2 cup of oil
salt & pepper
cook approximately four hours adding water occasional …….
I need to know now if I can pressure cook this safely?
Regards,
Joan Polignone
781-521-4534
Joan, I just can’t answer these kinds of questions. I’d suggest you look at the information about canning spaghetti sauce on the National Center for Home Food Preservation. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/spaghetti_sauce.html
Joan,
I would suggest that you contact your County Extension office for research-based information regarding this topic. They will be able to provide you with scientific, research based information so you can preserve food safely.
I would not suggest doing so because of the olive oil. You can put it in jars or plastic( I would personally use jars Mayo or miracle whip plastic jars or any similar jars or canning jars) and freeze it.
pH test?
IF the issue with water bath canning tomatoe sauce is the pH can we test the pH and add enough citric acid to get the pH <4.5 and then use the water bath. I know you keep saying meat sauces need to be pressure canned, but I can't figure out why if you can get the pH of the sauce <4.5, or when you add the meat is there more than just the pH issue?
From what I understand, in regards to meat, it’s the fat content, not the ph level.
From what I understand,the fat in the meat can protect spores. At least partly this would be because they exclude water (hydrophobic) and thus wouldn’t be affected by the pH unless it was far more acidic than you’ll get with citirc acid. (btw, this water exclusion is essentially the reason why microwaving meat won’t protect you either).
Thank you for your help!!!
I canned tomatoes sauce tonight. My jars sealed, but I did not use lemon juice. Could I open the jars up tomorrow and redo, or should I just freeze it?
You could open the jars tomorrow, reheat the sauce, add the lemon juice to the jars, and recan them.
Could I put new lids on and use a pressure cooker?
However you reprocess, you need the contents of the jars to be hot when they go into the canner. Preparing the jars for reprocessing is going to be the same no matter what processing method you use.
I roast my tomatoes every year with garlic, onions, celery and peppers at a 350 degree oven until all veggies are almost charred for a real robust flavor. I run them thru my food mill, then add my fresh herbs and simmer for hours until sauce is thick. Then process them in a water bath with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart. I never notice the lemon flavor when used later; and I’ve never over the past 7 years have gotten ill. Maybe because the high temp roasting and long hours simmering down kills the botulism spores. Either that or I’ve just gotten real darn lucky!! Happy canning….ugh, I really hate this time of year; but really happy to open a great jar of sauce in the winter.
I would increase the amount of lemon juice you use, because you’ve got an awful lot of low acid vegetables going on in that sauce.
ANNNNND this is why I use a pressure canner for sauces. Tastes better than dumping a bunch of lemon juice in it, and frankly less hassle than my WBC.
Why can you not use your own recipe to can a sauce? What does a “tested” recipe do that is different? TEST IT’S PH LEVEL? SO WHY CAN”T THAT LADY CAN HER OWN SAUCE, IF SHE TESTS HER PH LEVEL?
Karen, most people aren’t willing to take that step.
Hi! I have a question that I hope someone has an answer to out there. I had alot of snap beans that were left on the vine until they got too large to snap so I picked the and shelled them(shelly beans) and pressure cooked them. When I opened the pressure cooker lid I was shocked at what I saw. The water in my jars and in the pressure cooker was red. I have no explanation as to what caused this. If anyone knows please let me know. Anxiously Waiting, Jennifer
I have no idea! That’s kind of strange.
It’s something in the beans reacting with the aluminum canner. You had some siphoning so the canner water turned color, but I’ve had that happen too when I blanched beans for freezing (we don’t like canned green beans) only 3 minutes in a stainless steel pot but with an aluminum steamer basket.
What if I start with store canned tomato sauce and make spaghetti sauce. Can I water bath it?
Nope. You still need to follow a tested recipe.
I hate to disagree with you, but for years I have been making and canning: Marinara Sauce,
Chili Starter, Pizza Sauce, etc., in a Hot waterbath canner. I have never had a jar that didn’t
seal, or one that spoiled.
Every year, I get at $10. box of tomatoes from the Mennonite Farm near me, and make all
of these for the coming winter. I also make red and green tomato salsa and can them In
the same way. If I have a garden of my own, I can whole and diced tomates and tomato
juice.
I don’t have a pressure canner. My marinara recipe does have 4 cups wine (per 17 cups tomato)…is that enough wine to qualify for a water bath? Thank you~!
What else does the sauce contain? If it has meat in it, there’s no way to preserve it without a pressure canner.
no meat 🙂
Thoughts on ratio of wine to tomato?
Will it be safe without pressure canner?
Thank you~!
As long as you’re keeping the amount of low acid ingredients in check, it is safe to can tomato sauce without a pressure canner. I can’t tell you how much wine is necessary for proper acidification, though. Here’s the NCHFP’s recipe. It’s a good starting place.
Did you mean to include a link? Thank you so much!
I am a newbie so I appreciate your advice on this one; we have an old garlic sauce recipe handed down through many upon many generations of our family. We mainly use it for pasta dishes although it can used for other dishes. Its all fresh made ingredients Not Cooked; Basil – Garlic – Extra Virgin Olive Oil – and special family secret spices – and of course Tomatoes, although the tomatoes are canned tomatoes (changed to canned in the past couple generations as apposed to fresh picked)..
If we wanted to jar them up for resale do they still need the added lemon juice or citric acid added?
Again to reiterate, there is nothing cooked in the this recipe…
Thanks for you advice in advance – love your page / E.F.
Unfortunately, I cannot advise on commercial production, because the regulations vary widely depending on your location. You’ll need to reach out to your local health department to determine what’s allowable for sale in your region.
Marisa – Thank you for your quick reply, but just as a mater of safety, lets take the equation out of resale, because the reality is “if” I was to do this it would be so very low key; small town country gatherings. In so taking that out of the equation and taking the real concerns, “safety” for my families and friends; when they visit we always give them some to take back home with them in jars for future diners for themselves and we have always told them in the past that since there is nothing cooked and the tomatoes come from store bought caned, and fresh extra virgin olive oil, etc. that they should be alright concerning the safety of disease yes?
So again under “Those” values could you, would you give me your viewpoint on its safety? Thank you again in advance for your advice… E.F.
I really can’t advise on anything that it outside the bounds of boiling water bath canning. I can’t begin to speculate on how this uncooked sauce will behave. If kept refrigerated the whole time, it’s probably fine, but there are no guarantees.
I pressure canned my family recipe spaghetti sauce and half of the jars sealed, half did not. These were all from the same batch in the canner. Any thoughts?
It could be that you opened the canner too soon, or that you didn’t tighten the rings tightly enough before you put the jars in the canner. You have to tighten much tighter for pressure canning than for water bath canning.
Hi Marisa. When making homemade spaghetti sauce I always use crushed tomatoes from a can. I simmer this with spices and add some pork ribs for flavor as it cooks. Prior to jarring I remove the meat. After jarring they go into a pressure canned. I never have added anything to boost the acidity. I do not see the need since the canned tomatoes were adjusted for acidity prior to canning by the manufacturer and the small amount of ingredients I add to the sauce should not cause the ph to rise much. Please correct me if you think I’m wrong. Thank you
Pete, this post doesn’t apply to you because you’re using a pressure canner. This post is talking about why you can’t water bath can your sauce.
I’ve been canning tomatoes and spaghetti sauce and marinara for over 20 years. You use vinegar. Look up Ball Canning.
In a boiling hot water bath that is, processing according to Ball’s directions.
If you follow a tested recipe, it’s okay. You just can’t invent your own recipe.
I was wanting to can homemade spaghetti sauce, will I need to add lime/lemon to my recipe if I am going to use the pressure canning method?
It really depends on the recipe you’re using. This one doesn’t have added lemon/lime juice. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/spaghetti_sauce.html
Would Vinegar or Lime juice work if you don’t have Lemon juice?
You can use lime juice, but vinegar isn’t not an appropriate swap. It doesn’t have the same acid concentration as lemon or lime juice.
I don’t get it. I, my mother-in-law, grandmother, daughter-in-law and many other relatives and friends have been canning everything, especially tomato sauce, for ever 35 years now and have never had a problem. I use a water bath canner too.
Marisa, I plan on processing my tomatoes safely using the water bath method, lemon juice, etc., and according to instructions, BUT… if i wanted to add some fresh garlic, basil and thyme when cooking them down before i hot pack, do you think it would still safely fall within the guidelines? No oil or vegetables…
Garlic is a very low acid food and so I would skip it. You can add a very small amount of basil or thyme.
I just came across your posting. I have been canning my family sauce of tomatoes, garlic, s&p and basil for years. I have done a water bath boil for 20 minutes and never had a bad jar yet.
I learned from someone who has been doing it for 40 years this way. I am stumped and nervous now.
Canning standards have changed a good deal in the last 40 years. It’s not about jars going bad in the traditional sense, it’s about ensuring that the acid levels are high enough to prevent botulism growth. Both garlic and basil are low in acid and if you put enough in the sauce, it can produce something unsafe. I’d suggest reading through the National Center for Home Food Preservation website to bring your practices up to date. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can3_tomato.html
Earlier this week I canned 90 pints of salsa with only 1/3 cup of vinegar per 8 cups of tomatoes, however I add more/less onions, green peppers etc (never measuring exactly). Now I fear it is not safe. This is a recipe I’ve used for years. For less worry can I reopen after having set for a week, boil again, add the acidic acid to each jar and put back in a water bath for canning?
Correction to previous comment: My recipe calls for 8 cups of tomatoes used with 1/2 cup vinegar plus onions etc.
What causes tomatoes and/or sauce to rise up in the jar after processing? I have a half-inch to an inch of water in the bottom of my jars after my tomatoes have been processed. I put my tomatoes through a Squeezo and processed the sauce.
I have been canning tomatoes for over 25 years. I never add lemon juice. Tomatoes are already acidic. I don’t process in a canner either. All you have to do is skin the tomatoes, cup up if desired, and bring them to a rolling bowl. Ladle them into jars which have been boiled for 5 minutes and are sitting in the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt, wipe the rims, and seal with lids and rings which have been boiled for 2 minutes and sitting in the water. Turn jars upside down for 30 minutes, flip over, and check for sealing. I have never had a spoiled jar!
Mike, it doesn’t matter that you haven’t had a spoiled jar. Your technique is still outside of the recommended methods and is not safe.
Actually, my friend who lives in Ohio and has to be inspected and has a USDA inspected kitchen and has submit her recipes for state approval was told by the state inspector that as long as her salsa is 4.0 or lower all she has to do is invert the jars for 30 minutes. No water bathing necessary. She sells to the public – not just her personal canning and this method is approved by the state.
Oh, and she is in her 70’s and her mother who canned before her lived to her 90’s. Both of my grandmother’s lived to their 90’s and my parent’s who lived off of their canning endeavors are both in their late 70’s. Not sure why people think people only lived to 50. And people who did did not die from eating canned goods made at home I can be fairly certain of that.
Just so you know, there are different standards for home and commercial production.
I understand the point of adding citric acid but have a question – I wasn’t reading my canning book recipe well and added the citric acid to the sauce before boiling with all the seasonings. Will it act the same and do its job or would you recommend I still add another half teaspoon to each jar. Thank You
The reason to add it directly to the jars is that you ensure that you’re going to get the exact right amount of acid into each portion of sauce. I might add an additional portion to just to ensure safety.
My mom never used lemon juice. & she kept the mayo in the cabinet with the mustard & ketchup. We always cut the mold off the cheese though.
Yesterday I followed a recipe for canning a spaghetti sauce and did not do the hot water bath method. I followed the ‘using hot sterile jars, lids, etc’. and simmered my sauce for about 5 hours. I did add 2 tbls. lemon juice to each jar before adding the sauce. The jars all sealed after assembly so I felt they were safe to store. Then my hubby mentioned this article and I’m stressing. I just put them together last night so would it be safe now to unseal them and put them in freezer containers for the freezer? Would I need to heat it again first to be safe? I’m wondering what the best ‘save’ would be for it at this point. Thank you!
I’d suggest opening the jars, bringing the sauce to a boil to kill off any bacteria, and then packaging it for the freezer.
How much vinegar is necessary to safely hot water bath tomato chili sauce with green peppers, and onions?
I have no idea. Check here: http://nchfp.uga.edu/
I have been canning tomatoes for over 29 years and yes I make my own sauces and can it as well as salsa and stewed tomatoes and I do not use a pressure canner. I do use the water bath method and add a teaspoon of salt per jar. I make sure my sauces or whatever I am canning is boiling and I pack them into hot sterilized jars and process them for 45 minutes for sauce, 35 for salsa and stewed tomatoes, green tomatoes I only process for 15.
I also can fruit, jellies as well as applesauce and apple butter the same way only difference is I add fruit fresh ( not for jams) but still in a hot water bath not a pressure canner.
The only time I have used a pressure canner is for processing deer meat.
Ok, I’ve read a great deal of your comments and I think I have the answer to my question. However, I’m still a little unsure. My question is, Can I can my original recipes if I can using a pressure canner. I saw your responses in regards to canning the traditional way but I am interested in canning jams, and sauces that I make at home. I would appreciate any response regarding this matter. I do not want to accidentally get anyone sick.
For jams and jellies, they are most typically a high acid product and in those cases, a boiling water bath canner is best. For tomato sauces, you can can your own recipes as long as you treat them like a tomato sauce with meat. Follow these canning instructions: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/spaghetti_sauce_meat.html
I’m sorry, but I cannot find the information I am looking for about my homemade pasta sauce. Everything says to use a recipe that has already been tried and tested for canning. But I want to can my own recipe for pasta sauce. I know that it will not have enough acid, and has a good amount of olive oil in it. I know that I cannot be canned using a water bath, but I don’t know how long it needs to be processed using the pressure canning method. Do you have any advice?
Look at the recipes on the National Center for Home Food Preservation and find one that lines up with the one you make. Then follow those processing instructions. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can3_tomato.html
http://sherellechristensen.typepad.com has a very good recipe for “tangy spaghetti sauce”
the recipe uses balsamic vinegar for acidity(make sure 6% acidity is noted on your balsamic vinegar ) also a little lemon jc—-it is water bath canning and it is very good I think–acidity of tomatoes depends on who and how they are grown—we never used citric acid additive–
but since I purchase sometimes from a farmers market they seem less acid and then need to increase acidity—-a browsing visitor pat
My neighbors and I, all Italian, have been canning tomato sauce FOR YEARS.
WE DONT USE LEMON JIUCE when jarring, it’s not necessary! This article is insane.
Jim, modern tomatoes are less acidic than they used to be. Lemon juice actually is necessary for safety. More details can be found here. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/tomato_intro.html
And I really don’t appreciate you calling my writing insane.
I agree!
This response is incredibly rude. The safety guidelines have changed over time as better testing methods have become available to ensure the long term safety of preserved foods. Marisa would be remiss if she advocated canning tomatoes without added lemon juice – in fact, she could be held liable if someone got sick following her advice.
If you choose to take on the risk of canning tomato sauce without added acid, that is your choice, though not one I believe is particularly smart.
Back in ‘the day’ when everybody did everything right, didn’t they only live until a ripe old age of 45-50? I don’t know about crazy and insane, but I do know that if a tsp of lemon juice might keep me from dying of botulism poisoning, by golly I am gonna add some lemon juice.
Jim You are absolutely correct my family has been canning tomato sauce forever infact we just processed 12 bushels last week and we’ve NEVER added any additional acid … Never had any issues…
That simply means that you’ve gotten lucky.
I want to make & can my homemade spaghetti sauce which consist of 1/2 chopped onion, two chopped garlic gloves, 1 – 28 oz., can tomato sauce, one – 28 oz. Can tomato puree, one – 12 oz. can tomato paste , 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tblsp dried parsley, 1 tsp. Each of dried basil, oregano, 2 tsp. Salt and 1 tsp. Pepper. This makes a gallon of sauce. Can I can in quart jars by adding two tbsp of lemon juice to each jar and put in a water bath? Live at elevation of 6,100 ft. So was thinking of boiling for an hour. Can I do this and be safe!
I’m new to canning and would like to can a couple of my tomato-based recipes. However, I use tomato soup and spices in my spaghetti sauce, not whole tomatoes, no oil, etc. Can I still can it?
hi , i just want to know that can i replace vinegar in tomato ketchup with lemon juice? will that create any difference in taste of the ketchup , or its shelf life? how can i attain maximum shelf life without any preservative… thank you in advance,
It’s best not to make substitutions in acid sources in recipes. I don’t know what kind of impact that switch would have on flavor and shelf life, because I’ve not tried it.
Your favorite recipe spaghetti sauce is able to be canned… just in a pressure canner. (with no added acid)
I didn’t spend the time reading all 200+ comments so this might be a repeat question: pressure cooker canning CAN be used when canning spaghetti sauces,correct?
Yes, you can use a pressure canner when preserving your own sauces. It is still important to follow basic recipe guidelines, though.
Erica,
Please don’t take this as a personal affront, it is not meant that way. I always find it interesting when someone says, ‘I haven’t read all the response, but…”, or simply bold face ask the same question that’s been answered dozens of times. Why do I find it interesting, well because in order to FIND your question and answer it, someone must read ALL of the responses, at least up to yours. So basically what that says is, I am far too important and my time far more valuable than yours to be bothered. So I will simply state what I want and you will give it to me. Please and thank you. Nice. Slam me if you all want, but I read all the responses, and have no questions as they have been answered multiple times. Please do not encourage such behavior by responding with the answer, simply state you will find it above, like everyone else. Stop the madness.
If you don’t have the time to research anything, just buy it at the store.
So I can’t use my own tomato sauce recipe for canning and have it be shelf stable, but can I keep it in the fridge? I use canned tomatoes which have had citric acid added to them, and I can add more citric acid or lemon juice. If I make a small batch (3 pts), could the sauce keep a few weeks on the fridge?
You can totally keep it in the fridge for a few days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing it. The presence of lemon juice or citric acid isn’t going to prevent mold when your sauce is stored in the fridge for a long period of time.
I made fresh tomato basil sauce yesterday. I have 2 pint mason jars leftover. The comments indicate that I can freeze it but do I need to get air bubbles out first? And about how long will it stay good in the freezer? Thanks!
You don’t have to worry much about the air bubbles if you’re freezing the sauce. That is something you need to do when you’re dealing with the boiling water bath process. Make sure to use straight sided jars and leave one full inch of headspace to account for expansion. They’ll be good for about 6 months in the freezer.
I love the convenience of having sauce all made both for spaghetti and pizza, I can tons of other stuff too so I use a pressure canner and follow the instuctions from the USDA home canning guide 3, the only thing I change is we don’t like green peppers in the sauce so I omit them. This is a basic sauce that can be added to when opened with whatever you want. Usually I add more spices, and wine. “Putting food by” also has a basic recipe that I have used many times, it is almost exactly like the USDA one. So if you really want Tomato sauce a pressure canner is the only way to go!
I’m new to canning. I would like to can my mothers Spagetti Sauce Recipe. Her recipe that I have is from canned tomato sauce and what not….and no fresh tomatoes. How can I go about canning this.
Do I have to add anything special to it? Any advice would help.
Julie, did you read this post? You can’t just can your own recipe. You can only can a recipe that’s been tested for boiling water bath canning.
I have not canned in the past 20+ years, and was recently given a pressure cooker by a fellow missionary. Tomatoes are seasonal, and I missed the season. Would like to find a recipe for spaghetti and pizza sauce using canned tomato sauce. Where might I look? I’ve been trying this morning to do find one and can’t. No libraries/ bookstores.
I live in rural Haiti. We have a solar-powered chest freezer and find we need to make room for other things, so want to can whatever is possible.
Thanks for any suggestions – would pressure cook it as would use hamburger and sausage (both made from fresh meat sold in the outdoor market!).
Hello. I plan on making a chicken broth based soup with a pepper, chicken, and pre-canned fire roasted tomatoes. Can I use a pressure canner to put up?
Thank you!
I just finished processing a batch of tomatoes and realized that I *completely* forgot to add any lemon juice!!! Can I pop the seals, add the acid, and reprocess? Or do I need to throw all this tomato sauce in the freezer?
If the tomatoes are still hot, you could open the jars, add lemon juice, apply new lids and reprocess. Just know that the tomatoes are going to be really soft. If they’re no longer hot, I’d suggest freezing them.
I just did the same thing last night in a boiling water canner, and my jars are now cold. However, I do also have a pressure canner. If I reprocess the cold jars in the pressure canner, would they then be safe for shelf storage? if so, can you suggest a processing time?
Unfortunately, I just can’t advise on this sort of thing.
I water-canned spaghetti sauce and Mexican-style stewed tomatoes about 3-4 weeks ago but just read this article warning about acidity levels today. I used Roma tomatoes in both. I boiled both for about 30 minutes before putting them in jars and boiling water bath for 40 minutes. The spaghetti sauce only had dried spices but the stewed tomatoes included celery.
Would it work to un-jar the sauces and re-can, adding the lemon juice or should I throw it all away to be safe?
I am getting ready to can my salsa. it has black and green olives plus all the peppers etc.. That you’d normally find. I also load it up with vinegar, lime juice and lemon juice and salt. I also pressure can for 20min. I live at 3500 ft. After reading this article now I’m nervous that I should freeze my salsa or should I just put an extra tablespoon of lemon juice in each jar?
I’ve read several sites that say using Olive Oil in sauce for jarring is dangerous, including Bernardin’s (Canadian maker of canning supplies) http://www.bernardin.ca/pages/recipe_page/51.php?pid=185
However I found a recipe on Ball’s Freshpreserving.com (http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=45) which calls for Olive Oil, so I’m a bit confused.
I am getting ready to make 2 boxes of tomato sauce with fresh garlic, basil, olive oil and came across your article about adding lemon juice. My question is …Wouldn’t all that lemon juice dramatically change the taste of the sauce as it would be so acidic? I don’t have a water bath so will probably have to freeze my sauce. I am a retired chef and am very curious however about the taste of the sauce after adding lemon juice. Also how much do you add to 1 quart 1 pint…or a half pint? Thank you in advance for a response. Jill
Jill, in order to make the sauce safe for boiling water bath canning, you must add either lemon juice or citric acid. It does make the sauce marginally more tart, but it doesn’t alter it that vastly. But it’s the only way to make it safely shelf stable, so we do what we must. More about lemon juice amounts can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation. If your sauce is entirely plain, you add two tablespoons per quart (or one tablespoon per pint). For more doctored sauces, you’ll need more. Here’s my basic marinara sauce.
I just made 10 pints of pasta sauce, I did them in a pressure cooker for 60 minuted around 12 pounds. The reason for 60 minutes i use salt pork for flavor. When cooking the batch from start i use a package of salt pork. Cooked the batch for about 3 hours. Then i pull out the salt pork i cut them in about 1 inch squares. added i small square to each jar. the flavor was so good. i added the lemon. that killed the the sauce. i just added small teaspoon to each jar. pressure cooked for 60 minutes. all ten jars looked real good. opened one week lated it sucked from that small amount of lemon. Don’t used it. pressure cook it for 60 minutes pints, 75 minutes quarts. with out lemon.