To clarify - I'm making Sharon's recipe, which calls for the veggies to be simmered for two hours, then drain off two cups of liquid, then add vinegar and remaining ingredients before simmering another few hours.

FOAS. I'm sure it will be just fine.

The issue will be draining off the liquid which should have been just the "broth" of the veggies but now will be the vinegar too.

So just don't drain off the liquid, just simmer it down. Two cups of liquid is a non issue, I have often not bothered with that step depending on how wet the tomatoes are .

I just think it is the way Elaine did it. It's going to be fine.

Thank you! I'm just such a novice canner that I got concerned about too much acidity boiling off. Probably being WAY too paranoid.

Don't drain off liquid before canning, it will reduce the acidity and not be safe. But if you already added the vinegar, just simmer until thick. OK to boil away water, because the acid is still in there.
For emphasis: Follow the recipe but evaporate water away by simmering, don't drain cooking liquid now that you've added the vinegar.

FOAS between the tomatoes and the vinegar there is tons of acidity in this recipe, the sugar is bonus.

My canned tomatoes have zero vinegar just some lemon juice.....It's fine , I promise.

Is the house smelling good yet?

thanks LP - that's exactly what I'll do. But my concern is, am I not losing acidity in the process of simmering down as well? Made worse by the fact that I'll have to simmer it longer to make it thick? Or is there enough leeway in these recipes to where I should be fine?

Ok Sharon, I'll take your word for it! House isn't smelling yet. Got thru the peppers, now have to chop onions. That should do it! Similar to Alexa yesterday, I'm approaching the upper limit of my 12 qt stock pot. I think I can still squeeze them in. Whether I'll fit the sugar depends on how much it reduces in the next five hours.

Lots of leeway FOAS...lots and lots!

I always use two large pots for the tomatoes and veggies, vinegar and sugar too. I can't get it into one pot. Guess I should have added that.

When I get to the point that everything is simmering away, last hour or so, I combine it all into one pot so the elements are equally dispersed.

Honestly I don't think you could screw this up......

I've been making this so long I don't even know what I do!

FOAS, I keep checking here looking for pixs?! (patiently waiting, waiting, waiting...) lol :)

/tricia

You're not losing acid by simmering. If anything, you're concentrating it due to the sauce being less dilluted with water. What you are losing is water, which is evaporating out of the pot, making for a thick, yummy sauce!

Lots of canning recipes for sauces call for vinegar and a long simmer to thicken. Chase's draining the liquid from the tomatoes before adding the vinegar is just a shortcut to thickening the sauce. Still ok to thicken it the long way by simmering. But once you've added the vinegar, what you don't want to do is DILLUTE that in any way. What you did was the opposite of dillution, so don't worry.

Well I don't know what I did. But based on the timestamp of my original post the sauce simmered for over 17 hours and was still barely thicker than water. Perhaps a rash decision, but as of about two minutes ago this experiment is over. :( :( :(

OMG! How can that be? Especially with all the veggies. Did you taste it ? Add the sugar! It will thicken some. Then taste it if you like the taste can it.

This doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe you are thinking it needs to be thicker than it does. Stir it up, it should be a bit runnier than salsa.

You only have the sugar left to go , don't quit yet. The sugar will thicken it more.

Bring to a medium simmer, stirring frequently to prevent burning, add the sugar, turn to a medium low, you should still have some movement on the top. In an hour, when stirred , it should be the consistency of salsa.

I feel so bad........ : (

Sorry Sharon, I really meant it when I said it was over.

But yes I did add the sugar before I gave up. I'd liken the liquid's consistency to barely thicker than, say, Sacramento tomato juice. Mixed up had it been half the consistency of salsa I would have forged ahead. But it wasn't.

I'll probably try again some day. Perhaps a half batch next time. Not today though. :-)

I just don;t get it. I double checked and the ingredient measurements are correct. I can't explain why you have so much liquid.

I know you aren't in the mood, and I don't blame you, but even runny it would make a great addition to baked beans or a base for BBQ sauce. Maybe just freeze some if you can't bring yourself to can any....I hate to see you toss it.

Did you have the lid off while it was simmering? I would have guessed that in 17 hours it would have boiled down to nothing in that time....unless you had the lid on.
Linda C

Lid was off. I'd estimate it reduced down about a third. Granted, the overnight part I turned it down to just barely a simmer.

Thanks for the alternate ideas. But "experiment is over" meant physically over. Sauce disposed of. Pot soaking in the sink. Don't feel bad for me - I've thrown out worse. Entire pork roasts, turkeys, etc. I just get to a certain point and then I'm done.

Very weird because I've made chili sauce and simmered it for 3 hours and I thought that was long.