Oh my, that went on for YEARS.

First, I made a batch of salsa, didn't can it. Made another, then another. Adjusted for flavor, for texture, left the cilantro out, put it in, made it sweeter. I tried everything in the world for texture, then finally added tomato paste which made it both sweeter AND thicker. Cut down the sugar. Everyone I knew, was related to or worked with tasted salsa until I think they hid when they saw me coming with a jar!

I was trying to make salsa with no vinegar, and pressure can it, but it didn't taste right without vinegar, so I started again and set out to make one that could be water bath canned. A couple of years into it, I contacted Michigan State University, they were interested in my "project" because so many people were canning salsa, but couldn't really help much. they did tell me that it "should" be safe pressure canned at my normal pressure for some time that is still in my notes but I don't remember off the top of my head.

So, I went to the local Extension Service, also through Michigan State University. I took a jar to a friend of mine who worked there, she liked it. We tinkered some more, added more vinegar, tried white vinegar, wine vinegar, etc. WEnt back to cider vinegar. Adjusted seasonings, rejected the thought of lemon juice because my mother is allergic to lemons, LOL.

Finally, she decided to have it tested. Several weeks passed and then she called and told me that there was not enough vinegar. Added more vinegar, she had it tested again. Still not right.

Finally, success!! She called me, said the stuff had been tested, was safe to can. Hooray.

Last year she called me and told me that the "rules" for salsa were changing and that we might have to add more vinegar to comply with new "rules". Then she got promoted and moved, and doesn't work in this area anymore. Sigh. She got a nice promotion and a good raise, but now she travels around a much larger area, doing a lot of everything. She was also the one who always tested my pressure gauge on the canner, and no one has taken her place doing that either, something about liability....

So, it was tested for safety as written, but if new rules apply, I probably won't be able to talk them into testing it again because my "inside contact" isn't doing the food safety thing any more. With the economy and budget cuts, I have a feeling that my salsa recipe isn't going to be a priority for their time and resources anyway, no matter who asks. And that's my own disclaimer.

Annie

do you know if your friend made up a batch, added toxins and then ran tests after processing to see if the bugs had been killed or did she compare your recipe to a set of standards? I know that your recipe (amount of vinegar, size of canning jar) has changed over time ... I'm wondering how those recommended changes were arrived at.

thanks, Annie -- the old reporter's curiousity is getting hold of me.

Kayskats, she didn't test it herself, she took it to the university to have it tested so I'm unaware of the process, and it didn't interest me so I didn't ask HOW they tested it. I only know that she said the lab at MSU had tested it and it was safe to can. I do know that she delivered several jars to them personally, so they tested dmore than once and it took them several weeks and more than one batch before they gave her the OK, so I'm assuming that some place like the lab at MSU would use whatever standards and procedures were currently acceptable.

MSU has a very nice canning site, called "Preserving Food Safely", and they've spent a lot of time doing this kind of thing, as they were the first agricultural college in the nation and has been in existence since 1855. Teddy Roosevelt spoke at the 100th Anniversary about the importance of MSU to farmers and their website notes that:

"Among many other things, researchers at Michigan State University are credited with the development of leading cancer fighting drugs and the process of milk homogenization. "

So, with those facilities and credentials, I am confident that they tested and retested, using whatever standards were/are common at the time of testing. I just didn't care to ask about the process, I was only concerned with the final outcome.

Truthfully, I'm still not interested much in the process, only in the outcome, LOL, which is why I take the recipes from NCFHFP or Ball Blue Book for granted, I don't care how they were tested, only that they were!

Annie

actually, you have answered my questions. The actual end product (recipe and procedures) was involved in the final okay. Good thing you had a friend and you were working on a 'hot' product.
thanks, annie

No matter the process - it is the most yummy and safely canned salsa on the planet.

Nancy