OOoooohhh! Do it! Do It! Canning salt is preferred. Kosher salt also works. I use a HWB for 15 minutes. You can scoop out the seeds from the cavities or just give the tomatoes a little squeeze to get rid of some of the seeds. If some seeds sneak by it won't hurt the salsa or anything regarding the canning process. Oh, remember to up the vinegar to 1 cup total for HWB method.

It's addictive! (Annie's Salsa and canning)

No, you don't have to use canning salt because you're not fermenting/pickling. Kosher salt is OK because the salt in this salsa is principally a flavoring.

If you're using Diamond Crystal salt you may discover you want to add more than Annie's recipe indicates because it's less weight by volume than canning salt (i.e. 1/8 cup of canning salt = approx. 1/4 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher). You can go by taste on the salt.

In any canning it's better to use salt that's just "salt", not one with free-flow additives (anti-caking ingredients).

Annie thumbs the "goo" out of the tomatoes so it's chunkier but you don't need to be obsessive about any seeds that remain.

If you're HWB be sure you use a full cup of 5% vinegar. You can only reduce that amount if you're pressure-canning. HWB time is 15 minutes for pints (or smaller jars). Also, don't increase the onions, peppers or garlic. If you like your salsa hotter, you can reduce the amount of sweet bell pepper and use more jalapenos or other hot peppers, i.e. you could have 1 1/4 cup bells and an additional 1/4 cup hot peppers. Or if you wanted, you could have more onion, less peppers, as long as the total amounts remain the same so the low-acid veggies are still in proportion to the tomatoes, vinegar, etc.

I hope this helps. Let us know if you have more questions.

Happy preserving, Kim.
Carol

Oh yes, definitely do it!

As Boo said, canning salt is preferred but truthfully, I use kosher salt just as often and I also waterbath for 15 minutes.

I just peel the tomatoes, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds and goo with my fingers, then cut the tomatoes into 4s or 8s or chunks or whatever looks good right then. LOL Some seeds always stick to the tomato pieces and they just go into the pot, like Boo's. And please, don't forget to up the vinegar to a cup if you are water-bathing the salsa, you need that acidity for safety.

Canning is definitely an addictive hobby, go for it. We'll all enable...um...encourage you!

Annie

booberry, we posted at the same time! Sorry about that,

Carol

I guess we all jumped in here at the same time. (grin)

See, Kim, you have a cheering section, go for it!

annie

Another Annie salas maker! I up the vinegar and HWB. I always use canning salt 'cause thats whats on the counter this time of year however Kosher is just fine.

Kim, the good thing about all these posts is we are all saying the same thing so it must be so!!! LOL

Boy you guys are quick! I'll definately have to go for it.
Thank you all for your help. We'll see what happens:)

I'm jumping in late, but agree with everyone else.
Just one more thing..........

I don't even peel the tomatoes. The little pieces don't bother me a bit! Personal choice though!

come on tomatoes..............come on tomatoes..............come on tomatoes..............come on tomatoes..............come on tomatoes..............come on tomatoes..............

Deanna

Hehe! Thanks for posting this, Kim. It was very timely for me. I just got home from the farmer's market, where I bought 10# of tomatoes, 8 of which are destined for Annie's salsa. As I was driving home, I had the same question about subbing kosher salt for canning salt - and now I have the answer!

I canned the brandied cherries last week, but I was hoping to can a few more things before I took some pics. (Would like to have a stash like David, but I have a long way to go for that.)

Hello again, I thought of another question, I bought my canning pot yesterday and relized today that it says it's for 7pcs. of quart jars and I bought pint jars, can this still be used? Maybe some way to rig it? I'm have computer problems and this might be the second time this comes over.
Thank you again for your help. Might ask for more:)
Kim

No problem at all using your canner for pints. You just don't have to fill it as full, which is a nice thing. I've found with most canners getting the inch or two of water over quarts is really stretching it. I much prefer pints; then I don't have to worry about boiling water slopping over onto the stove top.

Carol

Hmmmmm...I have never seeded my tomatoes for canning but I do peel. LOL!! Deanna, I guess if the seeds don't bother us neither will the peel.

Oh well, seed and peel, seed but don't peel, peel but don't seed, just about anything works.

Michelle

Michelle, I peel my tomatoes but don't seed them if I'm just canning tomatoes. If I'm making salsa I like it thick and chunky, so I seed them and remove the "goo", so I get big chunks of the vegetables and less liquid.

Annie

Well I got all my ingredients together, the utensils all ready and started peeling and seeding the tomatoes. Chopped two cups worth of the tomatoes then looked at the big canning pot and realized I'd rather use it to boil lobsters or anything else rather then stand here and peel and chop all these veggies. Threw the rest of the tomatoes
in the freezer and called it a day! Well I did make some salsa with the tomatoes I had cut up. That will do:)
Guess I'll return the jars but save the pot and find another hobby.
Kim

Oh, but the payoff is worth the chopping, especially in December and January when fresh tomatoes are only a memory.

Carol

I agree, Carol, the payoff is definitely worth it. About the time the snow is a foot deep and you open up that jar of fresh summertime, it's way past worth it.

Annie

Food processor........pulse..........done.
The only part I do by hand is the tomatoes.
Peppers and onions are all done the processor.

Definitely worth the effort. Don't give up. Come on, you can do it.

Geez..........am I an enabler, or what??

Deanna

I'm starting to feel guilty for being a quiter. I'll hold on to my new equipment in case the urge hits me again. Maybe I should start with something a little less ambitious. You are all right about the cravings in the middle of winter, I'll be sorry. Thanks.
Kim

Heck no, Deanna, you're not an enabler! An enabler would say, "You poor dear. Don't wear out your fingers. What if you got carpal tunnel??? Or ruined your manicure. Heaven forbid! Just throw those tomatoes in the freezer and forget it!"

You are a coach, Deanna. A cheerleader for Annie's Salsa. You know, like those "life coaches" who have seminars and inspire people to turn their lives around! You're gathering new canning disciples.

Carol

I've reread all these posts and I don't think anyone mentioned how to peel the tomatoes:

Actually you don't peel 'em, you dunk 'em whole in simmering water and the skin slips right off. then you cut out the core, cut 'em in half crosswise, take each half and run your thumbs into the seed cavities and, voila!, no more seeds. After that chopping is a breeze.

Food processor is great for onions and pepper; so is a great little gadget advertised on TV and available at BBB the Vidalia Onion Wizard. Yes, a TV gadget that works as advertised!

Maybe you knew about the hot water peeling method, but if you were standing there with a knife or vegetable peeler, no wonder you gave up.

Hi Kayskats,
I used the boiling water method, guess I just didn't have the patience for it. Probably will try again.
Kim

Kim, It's worth it.............

Where do you live, maybe someone is close enough to come help with the first batch.....

Deanna

(thanks Carol, I feel much better/less guilty now.........grin)

should have figured you knew about the hot water ... but i DO NOT peel tomatoes except when canning so thought I'd ask ...
You actually do get faster the more you do. When I first started deseeding, I was really anal about getting every last seed --- then, I decided I like some seeds (adds texture, you know).
I use the biggest cutting board I have and don't worry about the juice till it threatens to run off.
I also discovered that a pastry scraper is way better than a knive for picking up the chopped stuff (how do those TV chefs do it?)
No joke about that Vidalia Onion Wizard -- it works great.

Hope you try again ... it won't be long before you're hooked.

It's not unusual for me to break the process down over two evenings. Prep all the veggies the first evening and then put them in the frig. The next night I'll cook and can. It makes it easier for me instead of trying to get everything down in one evening.

Me too, boo!
Good to mention that!

boo, do you refrigerate the veggies separately and mix the next day or just throw 'em all in a big covered bowl?

I'm having a tough time clearing an entire day for my Chili Sauce-- it simmers 3 to 4 hours andn I can't pick up the 'maters before 10 am ---- never thought about two days (duh).... guess that's why all of you get the big bucks.

Big bucks. Hah!

I wish I'd thought to mention spreading out the prep earlier. It really helps. I do it with things like pickled beets where the prep is really messy. I pre-cook, skin and get all the cleanup done. The next night it's so easy to do the actual pickling and canning. Much less stressful.

Carol

Kim, I am a canning fanatic and I am here to say that I hate the prep, almost dread it . . . BUT what keeps me going is I love eating the results more than I hate chopping. A couple of hours of prep., weeks and months of eating pleasure. And I've become spoiled by eating my own quality stuff. I don't mind the prep as much now, I find a good raido show and it is sort of like zen thing, ya know. ;)

No pain, no gain. :)

Kay, I'll dump all the veggies together and store in the frig if thats how the veggies are going to be cooked. For chili sauce and relish I think it would be fine. I just cracked open my BBB to look at the chili sauce recipe and it says, "Combine tomatoes onions, peppers... into a sauce pot." So I think it would be, fine to prep those the day before, let them sit in the frig to start developing some flavors and then cook them the next day.

Big Bucks...HAHAHA!

Thanks for mentioning the idea of splitting the prep. I hadn't thought of that. Today, I bought a half-bushel of tomatoes (and some peaches) for more salsa, so I'll spread it over today and tomorrow.

I thought of another question; may as well ask it here. I'm going to do some half-pints and I gather that if I have a rack to separate the jars in layers in the WBC, I can process 14 half-pints at a time instead of just 7, right? Or, could I fill all 14 at the same time, put on the lids and rings, and then process 7 at a time? Is there any harm in letting 7 jars sit on the counter, ready to go into the canner, for 15 minutes?

Oh, another question, do you process half-pints for 10 minutes (since they're smaller) or for 15?

I wouldn't reduce the processing time for a smaller jar unless it's a tested verified recipe that provides processing times for various sizes. Just keep the processing time the same. You won't notice any discernable difference in quality.

You can do 14 half-pints in your canner with a rack between layers as long as the canner is big enough to accomodate them.

But if you do just one-half the jars at a time don't leave filled jars sitting and waiting. The warm temperatures of the closed jars are an invitation to spoilage. Just leave the salsa in the pan on warm and keep the jars hot (in another pan on the stove, in the oven or dishwasher or in a pan in the sink immersed in hot water). Bring the salsa back to the boil just before filling the second group of jars and proceed as per usual.

Carol

hey, folks ... haven't you ever heard about virtual big bucks -- or stars in your crowns .. or something like that