Perhaps I should have said, Safety expert! Thanks for the info. I reviewed the 2012 thread on the details. Since the instructions are so specific, I wanted to be sure. Thanks for the quick reply.

AS, there is no "science" behind that particular ingredient, it's simply a matter of trial and error to get the texture my family likes. The juice and goo inside the tomato is much more liquid than the sauce is. I could cook it down for a long time and eventually get a similar texture, but then it tastes more "cooked", if that makes sense. I found that draining the watery portion of the juice and getting rid of some of the "goo" and seeds made the texture better for me. I don't like a lot of seeds in the salsa, so I remove some of them, that makes it more palatable for me, other people might not even notice. I do want the salsa thick enough to stay on a chip, so I add the sauce and I don't have to boil it for hours to make it thicker. Annie

Not to start a heated discussion, but. . . I am NOT proposing to can just "any tomato based recipe". I am proposing to follow the guidlines put forward to the public by a research based State Co-op Extension service. The directions for pressure canning are simple, and straightforward, and contain no language warning that the product will be unfit to eat after processing. There are extensive warnings about following salsa directions explicitly when water bath canning. We all understand and agree that those warning are of the utmost importance, including the need for proper acidification and not increasing the ratio of low acid veges to tomatoes. Perhaps I should have stated my intentions differently. I plan to pressure can at 11 lbs/ 35 minutes a salsa with a much lower pepper content (since I am allergic to peppers), different dried herbs (a safe substitution) and a different and lower source of acid (red wine). I will be following an approved recipe for amounts of tomatoes vs garlic, onions, and herbs; for amounts of tomato paste; and for length of cooking (to control for density issues). After canning this salsa, I may choose to heat it until boiling and serve it over pasta. It still seems like I am within the guidlines put out by WSU. Sharon

The recipe is probably ok with the 1 cup of vinegar but your processing isn't, sorry. You need to either freeze, refrigerate and use shortly, or totally reprocess. If you choose to reprocess, then that means you dump it all back into the pan, reheat, new hot jars and lids, leave 1/2 to 1" headspace (fill to the lowest jar thread is a good general guide) and reprocess as dafy said. Jars should be covered by 1 1/2 to 2" of water and process pints for 15-20 minutes. Hope this helps. Dave PS: But yes, for future reference approved and tested recipes only, ok? Check out the Annie's Salsa discussions here. Everyone loves it.