An update - popped open a jar of our tweaked chili sauce tonight (we're calling it our "North of the Border" chili sauce - did another batch tweaking the spices to make a "South of the Border" flavor). DH's comment - "Don't you dare change a thing - it's gooood". I think it just needed some time to meld all the flavors back together. Weird how that happens - in the future I certainly won't start making notes on what to change without tasting it after being on the shelf for a couple of months.

Reviewed annually and some minor revisions may be made - corrections ans such - even though the cover may not change except every 3 years. The 2006, 2007, 2008 edition has the raspberry cheesecake cover. The 2009 (revised quite a bit and added recipes) has the peach shortcake and canned peaches on the cover. It has been available for several months now online and in various stores. It's the 100th anniversary edition. Dave

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the recipe would look something like this with your "tweaks" (I have doubled the tomatoes, or rather left them the same while halving the other ingredients and leaving out the hot peppers, so this still makes something like 5 pints rather than 10 which would not fit in *my* BWB): Tweaked recipe (makes app. 5 pints?) Ball Zesty Salsa Recipe (from freshpreserving.com) 10 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (about 25 medium) 2.5 cups chopped seeded green bell peppers (about 2 large) 2.5 cups chopped onions (about 3 to 4 medium or 1 large) 5 oz cider vinegar (or lemon/lime juice)* 1.5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (app. 1.5 tsp) 1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro 1/2 Tbsp salt 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, optional *Note this is halving the acid, as previously noted this may be borderline, it would be safer to increase the acid to compensate for the "increased" volume of tomatoes. NCHFP acidification for tomatoes is 1 Tbsp per pint (2C), so that would be 2.5Tbsp (1.25 oz) of lemon (or lime) juice for the 5 "additional" cups, assuming the original recipe had *just* enough acid (vinegar) with no wiggle room. If using vinegar it would be 5 Tbsp (2.5oz) additional, for a total of 7.5oz (so say 1C). There is still the density issue as Dave said - though I think that "substituting" 5 cups of tomatoes in the (halved) recipe for 1 1/4C peppers would help, it really depends on what kind of tomatoes you're using. Now, compare above "recipe" with Annie's tested/approved recipe: Annie's Salsa Recipe 8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2-1/2 cups onion, chopped 1-1/2 cups green pepper, chopped 3 - 5 jalapenos, chopped (app 1/4C) 6 cloves garlic (may be reduced) 2 teaspoons cumin (may be reduced) 2 teaspoons ground black pepper (may be reduced) 1/8 cup canning salt (or to taste) 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (may be reduced) 1/3 cup sugar (optional) 1 cup 5% apple cider vinegar 2 cups (16 oz.) tomato sauce 2 cups (16 oz.) tomato paste Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into hot pint jars, seal and process in a boiling water canning bath for 15 minutes. Makes about 6 pints Annie's does have about 3/4C less low-acid ingredients and 2C less tomato, plus adds tomato sauce to thin it out (though my notes say that it is optional - if you're using beefsteaks and not paste tomatoes it may be thin enough, you may want to add more paste and less/no sauce, just make sure it's soupy). See the thread linked below for complete notes (malna, I had made the same notes myself, took a lot of digging through old threads!). That thread also has link to NCHFP salsa acidification guidelines. All in all, I think you're better off just trying Annie's.

Hi Dolivo...I had the exact same questions when I was new. I couldn't understand why one recipe was safe to do one way, and another was so vastly different, and seemed to break the rules, was also safe. keep in mind that I use canning recipes only from the go-to reliable sources such as So Easy to Preserve, NCHFP, Ball Blue Book, Ball complete, and a couple of others that have been vetted here. What I've learned is that these recipes have been scientifically tested for safety. These recipes may differ substantially from each other, but they have been tested to be safe. No, I would not can a cooking recipe, ESPECIALLY one with oil or other ingredients we are not supposed to can, including milk, flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, etc., However, one of the go-to books (don't remember which one) has some oil in the spaghetti sauce recipe. I remember asking the question how it could be safe when we weren't supposed to can with oil. Well, that particular recipe has been tested and we know the source. I would NOT can that recipe if it had been published on a questionable canning site, youtube video, canning books that don't have science or credentials to back them up. I was assured here, as Dave already did, that if the recipes are in the books we've mentioned, they are safe. Just be sure to follow the recipe exactly and don't make substitutions. yes, there are some legitimate subsitutions that can be made, ingredients that can be left out, etc., but until you know which ones you have leeway with, don't do it. Or ask here. Hope that helps. if you have a sauce recipe that is absolutely perfect the way it is, but isn't suitable for canning, by all means prepare it for freezing. Perfectly safe. I do it all the time. I have canning recipes for canning, and cooking recipes that I either eat fresh or freeze. Jill