It would depend on the recipe. I hate to give that answer since I know it's not terribly helpful but some fruit relishes, for example, are primarily high-acid ingredients while vegetable relishes are low-acid. The same would be true of sauces and chutneys, etc. That's why you so often see recipes posted on the Forum with questions about whether certain ingredients can be eliminated, increased, etc. You do have some latitude to play around with things. Take your question about the heat of a salsa. Let's say the recipe called for 1 cup of sweet red pepper and 1/4 cup of hot peppers. You want it hotter and you aren't so crazy about sweet reds. The total amount of peppers is 1 1/4 cup, so you could have 3/4 cup of sweet reds and 1/2 cup of hot peppers. The total amount of low-acid veggies is the same. The important thing is you haven't changed the proportions of the recipe. Also be sure you don't change the preparation. Safe-tested recipes allow for some variation. For example, if the recipe says "chopped peppers" not everyone will chop the pieces the same size. But if you ground those peppers up instead, then a cup of ground peppers is a lot more by weight than a cup of chopped peppers. So, again, you've altered the proportions of the recipe and increased the ratio of low-acid vegetables. That can be risky. Or, as you suggested, you could add a good tablespoon or whatever of hot red pepper flakes. Just as you could adjust any other seasonings - less cumin, more peppercorns, etc. As long as the seasonings are dried, not fresh herbs. Carol

Best to check with Annie then because as far as I know the paste is optional - Annie has said that many times - but the sauce isn't or the salsa is too think for canning. There have been several recent discussions about how too-thick salsa isn't safe to can. It is supposed to be soupy or it is too dense for safe heat penetration. I do recall telling someone that the salt is optional - that is clear - and I think it was you that asked before about using the salt-free tomato sauce and I said that was fine. But I sure didn't say you could leave out the sauce completely. But that sort of confusion is what happens when folks try to fool around with the recipe rather than just making it as it is written like they should. ;( Have no idea how much sauce would be needed now. 4 pints is approx. half a recipe so I'd guess approx. 1 cup. More sure isn't going to hurt if needed to make it the consistency it is supposed to be. And there is no reason you can't use some of the juice too if needed as long as everything is going back into the pot and re-processed from that point. Dave

Sadly yes, I'm limited to water bath at this time. The plan was to buy a pressure canner and a dehydrator this summer but when my husband got laid off, those plans were canceled. In the past I've not had good luck making spaghetti sauce my kids would actually eat. The Chunky Basil one had such good reviews, I wanted to give it a shot. Since my freezers are full, I figured if I was going to practice, I wanted it to be a recipe I could can if it turned out well. I have a good sized garden (and since my parents own a greenhouse, they gave me the plants for free) as well as access to a local amish produce auction where stuff sells dirt cheap (a bushel of green bell peppers for chopping for $1.00, canning tomatoes for $4-6 a bushel, Onions for 20-25 cents a pound etc and my parents buy stuff there regularly and give me their extras in exchange for some of the stuff I can). I also have a good supply of lids I bought last year when stuff was clearanced out. Overall I'm not too worried if the Chunky Basil Sauce recipe doesn't taste as good as I hope. I can always use the extras up simply by dumping a jar in every time a make a batch of chili (my pot is 4 gallons so a quart can easily get lost in there), I just know I won't have $ to get regular wine anytime soon. And since I have virtually free supplies at hand to make it, I'm not out much besides my time if the cooking wine tastes funky. As long as I know the substitution is safe, I can use it up in one fashion or another. I just won't make more than 1 batch until we can test it out. Since we have spaghetti almost every Sunday since it's a supper quick meal to make after we get home for church, if I can find a suitable sauce, it will definitely help the wallet come this winter when I don't have access to so much produce. I got the salsa done today and if the kids behave well tomorrow I will be making the spaghetti sauce. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again.

Yes, you can leave out the cumin. It is just for flavor. Dried spices play no safety role. No, the picanti sauce recipe is not safe because of the mixed low acid vegetables, low amount of acid, and the processing time - nothing is processed for only 5 mins. in a BWB, except a few high acid jams. I think we just reviewed this same recipe in another post currently here. What is the source of the recipe? Dave