I've been using this recipe for several years and love it! But it looks like it has changed slightly from the version I have. The tomato sauce used to be optional, whereas now it can only be "reduced slightly". I'm not sure, but it sounds like this might be due to what is mentioned in the comments regarding density. But if I don't drain my tomatoes, is it still necessary for me to add tomato sauce? I've never bothered to drain my tomatoes when making this recipe (I just buzz the tomatoes in the food processor a few times and then dump them in the pot), and it seems plenty thin enough.

Annie?

My understanding is that it is still necessary - for two reasons. First because that amount of juice, the liquidity of it, without the sauce could vary widely. Some who tried making it with only Roma or other paste tomatoes found this out the hard way. And 8 cups of 8 different kinds of tomatoes could end up with 8 different amount of juice even when not drained. So the sauce is a way of insuring it is soupy enough for safety.

Second, it can always be drained somewhat after opening the jars. So for safety sake it is better to make it too soupy than not soupy enough.

Dave

As Dave mentions, it can't be too thick, or it might be too thick for the heat from the boiling water bath to penetrate fully and uniformly. I think it's your call, if you think it's about as much liquid as it is with the tomato sauce, it's probably fine, but there's no guarantee. As I've mentioned, salsa is one of those things that isn't heated to kill toxins, so I'm extremely careful with it.

Annie

Annie how do you feel about freezing your salsa instead of canning?

SOB. Sorry, thought this was the search bar. And now og

ff to search for tge reading glasses....

Lakeaffect, the page just kinds of jumps around as I'm trying to use it, so it might have been the search bar when you started typing!

Judy, I've never frozen it, I raise grassfed beef, pastured chickens and organic pork, so freezer room is at a serious premium. It's mostly saved for meat, although I freeze berries in the summer and make jam later, which allows me to make room for whatever meat is being processed in late fall/early winter.

I would think it might become watery, although liquid could be drained off, but it might retain a nice fresher flavor. Some people are vehemently opposed to the acid, whether it be vinegar or citrus, and freezing it would allow you to use little or no acid ingredient.

If you try it, let us know how it is, please?

Happy Canning (and/or freezing, LOL)

Annie

I have frozen it and found no ill effect,but I do like my salsa less chunky,and freezing it does that to the salsa. I like to use the salsa I freeze for Tortilla soup and for my Sloppy Joe starter!!!!

My experience with freezing stuff with hot peppers in it is that the peppers lose a lot of their oomph, but if you're not really into the "oomph" part, then you will probably like it. It doesn't go completely away, just not as sharp as it might be otherwise. For some, this would probably be a good thing . . . Plus, if you froze it you would not have to use as much acid. But that would ONLY be for freezing. I'm like Annie, freezer space is at a premium at my house so I almost always can salsa. But I have frozen some occasionally, especially if a jar doesn't seal. I also make a chili base with tomatoes and hot peppers which I freeze in canning jars. That's how I use up my tomatoes when canning time is minimal and tomatoes are maximum! I also make a spaghetti sauce base with basil.