It would depend on the recipe. I hate to give that answer since I know it's not terribly helpful but some fruit relishes, for example, are primarily high-acid ingredients while vegetable relishes are low-acid. The same would be true of sauces and chutneys, etc. That's why you so often see recipes posted on the Forum with questions about whether certain ingredients can be eliminated, increased, etc. You do have some latitude to play around with things. Take your question about the heat of a salsa. Let's say the recipe called for 1 cup of sweet red pepper and 1/4 cup of hot peppers. You want it hotter and you aren't so crazy about sweet reds. The total amount of peppers is 1 1/4 cup, so you could have 3/4 cup of sweet reds and 1/2 cup of hot peppers. The total amount of low-acid veggies is the same. The important thing is you haven't changed the proportions of the recipe. Also be sure you don't change the preparation. Safe-tested recipes allow for some variation. For example, if the recipe says "chopped peppers" not everyone will chop the pieces the same size. But if you ground those peppers up instead, then a cup of ground peppers is a lot more by weight than a cup of chopped peppers. So, again, you've altered the proportions of the recipe and increased the ratio of low-acid vegetables. That can be risky. Or, as you suggested, you could add a good tablespoon or whatever of hot red pepper flakes. Just as you could adjust any other seasonings - less cumin, more peppercorns, etc. As long as the seasonings are dried, not fresh herbs. Carol

If you are going to freeze it you can basically make and season it anyway you wish. For canning that isn't the case as there are restrictions that would apply. I can all my tomato sauce so I'm not sure how much my recipes would appeal to you but one we use often is a sauced version of the BBB Stewed Tomatoes recipe. In other words we make the stewed tomatoes recipe and them mill it all and cook the sauce down by 1/2 and can it. Your recipe sounds good but I would suspect either reactive aluminum cookware or too much basil as the source of the bitterness. Small amounts work well but if too much it can turn bitter. As a general guideline, since so many herbs and spices intensify during storage many find it best to make the sauce plain - just tomatoes and some salt and/or sugar, and then add the herbs and seasoning at serving preparation time. So why not try just roasted tomatoes in a bit of olive oil with a little diced garlic and a bit of salt and then process it. Make sure all the cookware you use is non-reactive too. Dave

That's funny...Today I was gutting my pantry and found my last jar of this sauce. Need to find plums this year! My proportions are a little different, but it is from Ball originally (out of one of the early '90's books, I think). I never noticed it was in the big book. Here it is with canning info: Asian Plum Sauce 8 cups pitted and chopped plums 1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2/3 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 medium jalapeno pepper -- finely chopped (we use ribs and seeds) 4 teaspoons mustard seed 2 teaspoons salt 6 cloves garlic -- minced 2 tablespoons minced ginger -- or 1 tbsp. powdered ginger Bring all ingredients except plums to a boil in a non-aluminum pan. Stir in plums. Simmer until thick, stirring often. Mash with a potato masher or blend if you want a smoother sauce. To can: Fill hot, clean jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe rims, adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes at 0-1000 ft., 25 minutes, 1001-6000 ft., or 30 minutes, above 6000 ft. Makes about 6 half pints.

I really don't like Spaghetti Sauce that not cooked to long. Reminds me of the way they did it in the Army. Heat the tomatoes and dump it over the Pasta. Why have a no cooked sauce when you can make a large batch , when you have the time and freeze it in portions, with meat. Here is a meal that is very versatile. It is a traditional old Italian dish , that can be added to and prepared in 20 minutes Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil Aglio E Olio translated is Garlic and Oil Ingredients: For 2 to 3 Servings ½ pound of Spaghetti #8 or #9 ½ teaspoon of garlic powder or 3 cloves chopped ¼ teaspoon of Onion Powder 1 tablespoon chopped Parsley 1 tablespoon of Basil ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon of Black Pepper ½ cup of Virgin Olive Oil Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese ( sprinkled when serving ) 1. Cook the Spaghetti until al dente ( 8 to 10 minutes ) 2. While the Spaghetti is cooking, put the Olive Oil into another pot, large enough to hold the cooked Spaghetti add 1/3 cup of water or Chicken Stock, the Olive oil, and all the Spices. Simmer very low, about 8 minutes. 3. When the Pasta is cooked , Drain the water and add it to the pot with the Spices and Oil. Mix well and add whatever spices and salt to taste. Put this in a serving bowl and add the Grated cheese An alterative is to add sliced and cut Green Peppers to the Olive Oil first and simmer until tender. As in step 2. Then add the spices and continue thru Step 3. Beat an egg with some of the Pasta water (not hot) and add to the Pasta and mix well, before placing in the serving bowl. Cooked Broccoli can be substituted for Green Peppers. Or both. Bon Appetite !!! Here is another: Hi Everyone: I did the Red bell Pepper thing again tonight . I simmered Roasted sliced Red Bell Peppers and 5 Garlic cloves chopped, in 1/4 cup of Olive Oil. Loaded it with Chopped Parsley, Basil Flakes ( the top fell off, so I added a little more Basil ) pinch of Oregano, onion powder , Black pepper and a pinch of ground red pepper. Meanwhile , I cooked 1/2 pound of spaghetti #9, drained it and put the pepper mess on this and mixed it. While the spaghetti was hot I beat an egg in 1/2 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of Chicken Soup Base and dumped this on top and mixed it good, with some grated Parmesan Cheese and salt to taste. The egg mixture makes a thin sauce. Added more Cheese when served. It was delicious!!!!!!!!! You have to try it. LOU