Hmmm, not really sure where to start.

Based on the current canning guidelines there were a number of errors/mistakes made and any one of them could make this salsa either 1) maybe ok but inedible or unpalatable 2) unsafe to eat without cooking well after the jar is opened or 3) a botulism bomb waiting to explode. Without seeing the exact recipe and the measurements used we can't even guess as to its safety. Even with the exact recipe it would still be only guesses at best.

Salsa is one of the most risky food products to can because it is composed of low acid ingredients and normally eaten fresh from the jar. For those reasons experimenting with it in any way or trying to can your own made up recipe is very strongly discouraged by those in the know. Even very experienced, well trained home canners won't mess with it.

Even when pressure canned (which usually makes it nothing but yucky mush), not only is the pH, the acidity, of the mix vital but so is the density and you have no way of knowing either in this case. Plus there are no tested and approved processing times. In fact there are no approved salsa recipes for pressure canning and only very few approved for BWB canning. Freezing is the option of choice unless you use one of the tested recipes.

was the time and pressure long enough to kill the botulism spores?

There is no way to know because the density and pH is unknown so cold or low-acid pockets might remain insufficiently processed.

You sort of just jumped into the pool at the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim - no offense intended. But unfortunately the result is a product that per all the guidelines needs to be disposed of ASAP or if less than 24 hours old - frozen.

So should you throw it out? Yes, I would and I wouldn't attempt to make more without learning much more about the how-to first. But it boils down to your choice, your risk to take.

Sorry as I know this isn't what you wanted to hear.

Dave

PS: For future reference: filling the canner "to the line" makes no difference as long as there was a MINIMUM of 3-4" of water in the canner, more is recommended for onlg processing times. Any thing that is processed for more than 10 min does not require pre-sterilized jars. 1" headspace is the norm for salsa. If you have more than that then you had siphoning during the processing and that is not a good sign.

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Burning Issue: Can I can my own salsa recipe?

Thanks for the help! No offense taken. :) I read online that you could circumvent the vinegar and just make it however you want if you are pressure canning it to the ingredient that needs the most cooking time. This was the original recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/canned_tomato_salsa/

But maybe what I saw online was bad information. There is considerable headspace because I didn't fill the jars high enough. I simply was dealing with three kids under 5 running around and just filled all the jars up equally. I should have just filled them all up to the brim and eaten whatever was left. Anyhow, I'm just canning peeled tomatoes today. That should go a lot better.

Much of what you can find online is bad, or at least untested, information. Do you have the latest copy of the Ball Blue Book? It really is a must for beginning canners, or for any of us...

NCHFP that Dave linked above is one good online source.

You seem new to this, do you know to add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to your home canned tomatoes to ensure safe acidity?

Unfortunately there is a common misconception that as long as you pressure can it you can safely can anything you want. That simply isn't true.

And unfortunately there are many blogs and sites out there on the web that make worse claims than that.

That particular recipe on Simply Recipes, IF it had been made as written, is probably very safe. 1 cup of vinegar is the normal amount for that amount of salsa ingredients. However the confusion comes from reading the questions/comments made on the recipe.

She says in several places do not increase the amounts of the peppers etc. and do NOT reduce the amount of vinegar. The recipe is written for BWB canning, not pressure canning. But the one comment/answer way down on the list, when taken out of context is confusing:

Yes, and if you used a pressure canner you wouldnâÂÂt need to use as much vinegar. I donâÂÂt have pressure canning instructions though. ~Elise

In other words she is not recommending either pressure canning or reducing the vinegar or providing the directions for either. She merely says she supposes it's 'possible'. She should have made that much more clear.

She also doesn't suggest draining off any extra liquid - that liquid is needed for safety as it controls the density. If it needs to be drained then it is done after the jar is opened for eating.

So when one is using recipes from untested/unapproved sources then it is best to at least stick to the recipe and its instructions and ignore the comments made by others. :-)

Dave

The recommendation about processing for the product with the longest time is now out-of-date. Density and water activity also play into the equation and are not always sufficiently accounted for by that "rule".

Many times a product will not be tested for pressure canning or it may have been tested but not recommended because a lengthy processing time can result in an inferior product. I mean, hypothetically you could PC salsa at 90 minutes, but who would want to eat the resultant mush?

As an aside, don't trust the taste of a salsa when it's first processed. Any vinegar-y product will mellow as it ages on the shelf. I've made a number of relishes, for instance, which aren't appealing in the least until Thanksgiving.

Carol

Use lime juice instead of vinegar, you'll likely find it more to your taste. And use an approved recipe, BWB it. You can reduce the amount of low-acid veggies (onions, peppers) and/or sub different kinds of peppers to get level of heat you want. You might have to prep all the veggies, then make and can the salsa after the kids are in bed. Too easy to get distracted and forget something (like the acid!) with them running around.

Having that much water in the canner will affect safety. You want a pure steam environment, so it will not produce as much steam with all that water. If canning fish, you need more water (4 inches) just so the canner will not boil dry. Normally, 2 to 3 inches is the proper amount of water in a pressure canner. In a boiling water bath, the water must go over the tops of the jars by 1 to 2 inches and have room to boil. The pot must be covered with a lid, too.

Then, as said, you need all that vinegar in the jars so the food will have enough acid in those low acid veggies.

If you use lime juice or lemon juice, it MUST be bottled, not fresh juice. Not the frozen lemon juice, either. Only bottled has to meet a safety standard of acidity to be sold. The other forms will vary in acidity, and we don't know what that may be.

Extra headspace is bad.... you need to follow the proper headspace when canning. Too much air in a jar can allow food to darken, plus extra air means air trapped in the jar, possibly allowing food to spoil. You want to get out as much air as possible to get a true vacuum seal.

If a food is processed for 10 min. or longer the jars only need to be clean and hot. They will sterilize in the canner.

That is also true about not using the longest processing time. It is, as she said, outdated information.

The Jalapeno salsa from Ball is good. So are some from the Univ. of Georgia. If too tart, add pinch of sugar.