You started out with the proper headspace, right? (I've seen people say 1/2" and 1", don't know which is right.) That means that the salsa escaped during processing. So the extra space is the jar is not air, it's under vacuum.

There is probably little bits of salsa under the lids, so the ones that sealed may not be the best seals ever. But if the lids are clearly concave (sucked down in the middle), and you can pick up the jar by the lid, then they are safe, for now. These are the most likely jars to come unsealed, so if you're going to keep them you should eat them before any other batch of Annie's salsa you might have made that sealed better.

This usually happens because of uneven heating, or possibly because the heat was too high while you were bringing it up to pressure.

How many jars was it? You might want to reprocess, just to be sure you have a good seal. I did 14 pints of Annie's salsa last week, and I had the same problem. I only got 9 seals out of 14. I checked the seals on the 9 that did seal and decided they were ok, then I reprocessed the 5 that didn't. I think in my case it happened because I had the burner up too high while waiting for the water to boil and come up to pressure, because it was pretty steady once I got it to 11 lbs. The second time, I kept the heat lower, and the jars sealed much better. I just marked the others and will use them first. I made 4 batches of Annie's salsa this year so I don't have as much at stake if a seal fails.

Sorry that happened to you, it's so disappointing!

Melissa

I can't remember how to post the picture, it's been to long, sorry.Link does not work.
I tried and failed.
Anyway, I used the pressure canner 10lbs for 30 min.
and i filled the jars to 1/4in. and there is now an in. or 2 missing from the jars!
If someone can point me to easy instructions on how to post a pic for the computer illiterate, i will try again.
it fails saying it is to large. I have a photo bucket account if that would help.
I want to make sure my salsa is still safe, or should I just go a head and freeze?
I'm so discouraged.
Brenda

Go to your photobucket page and click on this photo, re-size it to "Message Board size" if you can - depends on how you loaded it. Then copy and paste here the 3rd URL choice down that they give you. The one that starts You have a good 2+ inches in some of those jars so I would definitely recommend reprocessing. Dump it all back in the pan, reheat, new jars, new lids leave 1/2" head space. Or freeze it.

What happened to you is called "siphoning" - lots of discussions here on how to prevent it and as Melissa said, it is related to the amount of heat you used and the 1/4" head space you used. Also keep in mind that if you are using a gauged pressure canner, 11 not 10 lbs. is required.

Dave

Hi,

I did the same thing as you yesterday and reprocessed today.
I left 1/2 to 3/4 inch headspace and had the same problem. Reprocessed today leaving 1 inch headspace. In the thread below, Carol covers some common issues when pressure canning. I used the low acid foods guide for 1 inch.

Of course, now I have an additional problem which i was just going to post before I saw your post.

IÂm not sure I want to hear the answer but following the recipe to a T, I made a relatively rather thick version of AnnieÂs Salsa using a thick tomato sauce and messed up on the one inch pressure canning headspace requirement. Ended up with siphoned jars and had to reprocess. Of course the siphoning of liquid made the salsa really thick.

Now after reprocessing (with the right amount of headspace) I notice small air pockets in the jars. I have no room left in my fridge so, do I need to be concerned about its safety and reprocess again after tinning it out a bit?

Thanks,

Bill

ps. I LOVE this salsa! IÂm kicking myself for waiting this long to try it.

Here is a link that might be useful: check this thread

When I first started canning years ago I had siphoning when I opened the canner too soon... the pressure was released too soon because I took off the weight before the gauge showed zero. Whoosh! :( I learned fast (from a neighbor) to remove the canner from the burner if possible. Let the pressure fall on it's own to zero or wait for the lock to drop down. Let canner sit for 8 to 10 minutes or so before removing the weight and the lid. Haven't had any siphoning since. :)

Ok, I used weighted not gauged, so is it 10lbs?
I did let the canner cool and opened it after I took the weight off, I let the jars set awhile before removing them from the canner.
The salsa is pretty thick now so could I add a bit of sauce to thin?
Thanks for the photo advice, I thought it was pretty simple!!!
Also that's for all the quick responces!
Brenda

Hey Brenda,

Glad to hear youÂre giving it another shot. ItÂs hard not being discouraged sometimes but if you look at each failure as a learning experience it makes it all worth while.

Heck, I may have to reprocess a 3rd time due to my air pockets LOL. Oh well, live and learn and, in my case, learn again!

Bill

That is way too much headspace in the jars. Either thin down and reprocess or freeze those jars. When you fill the jars, leave 1/2 inch headspace, which is at the bottom of the threads on the jars. Easy to determine using the threads. The 1/2 inch is the USDA standard for salsas. They look too thick to me at this point, as well.
If you only left 1/4 inch headspace, that would be the reason for siphoning. You didn't leave enough room for it to expand during processing.

It takes a while to figure out the settings on your stove and what's optimal for good results when pressure canning. Electric ranges are more difficult to manage than gas ranges.

To answer the question about weights, it's called a 10 pound weight but it's actually machined to 10 1/2 pounds. For simplification it's just rounded down to the nearest whole number.

That's why, if you have a weighted canner with a gauge as a backup, an accurate gauge will actually show slightly above 10 pounds.

You can always thin the salsa with plain sauce or juice when you open the jar. Or you may decide you like it thicker.

It is very common to develop air pockets in thick (dense) product. This often happens with things like applesauce. I don't think I'd re-process but I would move those jars to the front and consume first. Alternatively, use that salsa in a cooked product. In other words, toss a jarful into a batch of chili. Think of it like RoTel tomatoes. I assume you're making more salsa anyway, and it doesn't hurt to have some specifically for enchiladas and other spicy cooked recipes. In future, don't be so anxious to make your salsa as thick as possible. Back off a little.

Carol

Thanks Carol,

ItÂs reassuring to know that you are not too concerned about the air pockets. Yes, IÂll back off a bit in the future on thickness.

Now IÂm on to a double batch of Linda LouÂs Green Tomatillo Sauce. Again IÂm kicking myself for waiting so long to try this recipe (my butt is getting sore from all the kicking!).

Between Annie and Linda Lou, IÂe had to invest in more jars LOL.

Bill

When I first started canning years ago I had siphoning when I opened the canner too soon... the pressure was released too soon because I took off the weight before the gauge showed zero. Whoosh! :( I learned fast (from a neighbor) to remove the canner from the burner if possible. Let the pressure fall on it's own to zero or wait for the lock to drop down. Let canner sit for 8 to 10 minutes or so before removing the weight and the lid. Haven't had any siphoning since. :)

That large amount of head space can compromise safety. Recommend you store all in the refrigerator.

The wait time for a pressure canner is 10 minutes. As mentioned, it's important to be certain the pressure is down to zero. When it appears to be, gently move the weight. If there's a hissing, leave it on and try again in a moment or two.

Once the pressure is truly down to zero, remove the weight but do not open the lid of the canner. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes have elapsed, remove the lid and then the jars. Try not to tilt them when removing.

Carol

I'm getting confused. I did interject another question into Brenda's original post (sorry Brenda, I just didn't want to start a new similar thread) but now I'm mot sure who is responding to Brenda's problem or my situation?

Ken, are you saying that one inch headspace is too much? In my case, when I reprocessed I heeded the advice given by Carol in the post I linked to above. I have also been following All American's instructions as well.

Sorry gang, I guess I should have started a new thread.

Bill

My salsa did not start out that thick, it was the perfect consistency when it went in the canner, that was how it came out.
I also have a jiggling problem, I have a gas stove, my canner only has the weight. Either it jiggles all the time or it jiggles only once or twice a minute. So i mostly just let it jiggle, is that a big issue.
Bill don't worry about asking your questions, cuz someone may have similar issues and the answers are very helpful!
I decided to just freeze them, Should I get plastic or freeze right in the jars? They are regular canning jars.
I'm not to bummed, but it was the last of my maters, my garden was destroyed this your due to a hail storm, so we haven't had hardly any yield this year.
I will can some Chow chow next, and then pickle some jals. and Hungarian hots.
I wanted to have so much more salsa this year.
I use it in a recipe if anyone wants it I will post it later.
It is for chicken fajitas. and is my easy simple and quick meal and my family's all time fav!
Brenda

Thanks Brenda,

It depends on the canner but my All American calls for 1 - 4 jiggles a minute.

I have frozen before in the jars BUT you must first freeze without the lids to prevent breaking jars due to expansion.
After it's frozen solid you can add the lids.

I hear you about the garden. Most of my starts this year got wiped out by 3 different pests and our weather was miserable. Oh well, good hope for next year. I'm lucky to have a few farmers markets around to round out my stocking up for the winter.

Cheers,

Bill

I also have a jiggling problem, I have a gas stove, my canner only has the weight. Either it jiggles all the time or it jiggles only once or twice a minute. So i mostly just let it jiggle, is that a big issue.

Yes, it can be a problem and those changes in internal pressure that is reflected by that constant jiggling will have contributed to your siphoning. Slow the heat down so that it jiggles at a regular rate but a SLOW regular rate. I shoot for 6-8 times a minute. A few more won't hurt but constant jiggling means your pressure is well over the 10 lbs required and the 10.5 lbs. of the weight - that's why it is moving. ;)

As to the extra thick salsa you both refer to - extra thick changes the density of the salsa and so screws with the required processing times and does become a safety issue and so do the air pockets.

With many other products - things that would be cooked well again before consuming that may not be as much of a concern. But with salsa eaten fresh from the jar - it is.

SO, if it was me, I would find the excess headspace, the air pockets, AND the thickness to be of real concern and I would thin out your salsas and reprocess as described above - from the pot and using the recommended 1/2" headspace. That way it will store safely and you have no concerns about it at all.

But it is your choice. If you elect to not thin and reprocess then I definitely would not eat those jars fresh and would mark them to be used only in cooking. JMO

Dave

I thought the excess headspace was a result of siphoning from the jars, not a consequence of excessive headspace initially. They are two different issues. One is a concern. The other, assuming the seal is strong, is not (AFAIK).

OK, for clarification on the headspace issue. Many recipes specify the headspace, but there is also a USDA formula you can follow.

I'm going to quote Linda_Lou on this one. No sense re-inventing the wheel.

Directions for canning specify leaving 1/4-inch for jams and jellies, 1/2-inch for fruits and tomatoes to be
processed in boiling water, and from 1- to 1-1/4-inches in low acid foods to be processed in a pressure canner. This space is needed for expansion of food as jars are processed, and for forming vacuums in cooled jars. The extent of expansion is determined by the air content in the food and by the processing temperature. Air expands greatly when heated to high temperatures; the higher the temperature, the greater the expansion. Foods expand less than air when heated. Ball does say 1/4 inch headspace for pickled items, however, USDA recipes state a 1/2 inch headspace for pickled products. So, it depends upon who you follow. We tell people 1/2 inch for pickles.

So to re-iterate, for pressure canning it's 1 to 1 1/4 inches.

Carol