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Annie's Salsa - YUM - But? Too much headspace?

15 years ago

Hi. I just made my first batch of Annie's Salsa (already planning my second! It's amazing. I bow to you, Annie!

However, after pressure canning at 10lbs (sometimes 11) for 30 min, two of the jars have tons of headspace - one of them is 1-1/2"! Should I reprocess the jars that have more than 1/2" of headspace? The clock is ticking. I have until 4pm Thursday, EDT. :)

TIA

Cathy

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Comments (6)

Linda_Lou
15 years ago
Personally, I would either reprocess with the 1/2 inch headpsace or freeze those jars after unsealing them so they can expand in the freezer.
I freeze salsa all the time.
digdirt2
15 years ago
Agree - freeze. You'll like the thawed texture better than the reprocessed texture I think.

Lots of discussions here on how to prevent siphoning - I assume that is what caused your problem - if interested.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Preventing siphoning
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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
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I agree with Dave. If there is any doubt about whether you added the vinegar, into the fridge it goes, it cannot be canned safely without it. I pressure canned the first batches, but my ultimate goal was to make a salsa that was safe to waterbath can. So, although I am/was confident in using the pressure canned version, it was not tested and declared safe like the water bath version was, and even that had some vinegar in it. Better safe than sorry, I'd definitely refrigerate the stuff and use it up, or freeze it. I know someone did that, but I'll be darned if I remember who. And you certainly can use the food processor to chop up the vegetables. I do mine by hand because I can't seem to get nice sized pieces. Either it's puree or the pieces are too big, and my knife skills are pretty good, so I just chop 'em. Manic, I'm glad you like it! Annie
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Have I killed Annie's wonderful Salsa? Plz help!
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Comments (7)
If your canner is a Presto then spend the $12-15 to buy the 3 weight set. That way you don't have to worry about getting the gauge tested and can just ignore it. The weight set is discussed here in many threads. If another brand with a gauge then you may be forced to have your gauge tested regularly to be safe. But I am more concerned about your inability to control the stove heat and prevent the radical pressure changes that causes the siphoning. Is the stove gas or electric? It does take some practice sessions with the canner and just some jars of water in it but it shouldn't be that difficult to control your pressure. All the way on until your t10 min. of continuous venting is done, then put the weight on and as soon as the pressure gauge reaches 11 bls., slowly begin to reduce the heat in small increments. Hope this helps. Dave PS: As to the "cool air on the jars" bit - yes, instructions say to "not expose them in a draft to cool" but they do need to be out of the canner and on to the kitchen counter. ;)
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Thanks Annie - Great Salsa
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Comments (6)
Isn't Annie's recipe the best. I can even bribe my boss into letting me wear jeans to work with a jar of Annie's salsa, though she said she would have let me wear them anyway. I think everyone adjusts it to their own tastes. I use lemon & lime juice for the acid. And I too consistently get 8 pints also, I think it has to do with measuring. When I chop the veggies I round the measurement and strain them well to make the amount in the recipe. Karen
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dgkritch
15 years ago
Just eat 'em.

Deanna
melva02
15 years ago
If they are well sealed, they are safe for now. They are surrounded by steam when the siphoning happens, so there should just be a vacuum in there, not air. Be sure to eat them first as some salsa is likely stuck between lid and jar and that could cause them to unseal. Before you eat them, make sure they still have a good seal, and that you hear the usual whoosh as you open the lid.

If you reprocess, you won't have enough to fill two jars (unless you saved extra in the fridge that wasn't enough for another jar). No point reprocessing one jar.

Melissa
readinglady
15 years ago
I agree. If they're well-sealed I wouldn't re-process. I'd just move them to the front and use up first (believe me, it'll go fast). Refrigeration or freezing can offer extra insurance but I'm not convinced it's necessary.

If you started out with all that extra headspace, then it would be a problem. But the headspace resulted from siphoning, which is a different issue.

That doesn't mean siphoning is something to be casual about. During siphoning particles of food can lodge under the rim and lead to eventual seal failure. Any jars with that sort of problem should be monitored closely.

The bigger issue, as Dave indicated, is figuring out why the siphoning occurred. Learning how to avoid it is essential to successful long-term canning.

Carol
mrswhlbarrow
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you One and All.
Once I read all the really great info on siphoning, I realized that the fluxuations in pressure (I turned my back FOR A SECOND and it was up to 14 lbs.) caused the siphoning. I can also say that most of the jars, as the salsa stopped bubbling, turned out to have way too much headspace. I opened them all (they had all sealed) and poured it back in the big pot... now in the 'fridge for the night.
I'm going to bring it back to a boil for 5 min. and then freeze it. I'll give it as gifts marked "Refridgerate" - I'll defrost it, put it in a pretty jar, and buy a bag of chips. Instant hostess gift. LOL
Tomorrow I'm going to figure out where to get one of those weight pieces for my Presto, and then I'm going to start again, and make another batch. It's absolutely stunningly delicious, Annie. Three cheers.

You are a great community - I'll try not to be just-a-lurker from now on.

Regards,
Cathy

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