The threads are in chronical order, so if you scroll down a bit you will see each thread an each date of each post. I would still try the big holed sieve if you have the machine and its acsessories. I do over 200 pounds or more of tomatoes and have the motor attachment. A bushel runs through in about 15 minutes and I runout of vessels to hold it all in. A manual chopping only, will give you bits of skins, and when heated they flal off and roll up into small red 'sticks'. Removing the skins helps, but now the toms are really hard to cut, juices go every where! Think about your labor and what's the easiest and less time consuming. Most of us still have teeth and can chew. My dad used to get upset if we saw the cranberry sauce getting into the turkey meat on our plate. His answer was 'it all goes to the same place'.

Thank you Linda Lou, I knew minced was small, diced was cubes but didn't know size (I think I've seen "1/4" dice" but wouldn't know if that was on the large or the small side), and "roughly chopped" would be really big, but I don't know what "chopped" meant. I will cut onions and peppers to app. 1/4", Annie said she quarters tomatoes to make it chunkier so still want to know her consistency. Lisa, yes I do know 16 oz = 1 C fluid. I just assumed that paste should not exceed sauce, and it's easier to pour 4 oz out of a sauce can (to get 12 oz of sauce to equal the paste) than to spoon paste out (unless I measure it in Tbsp, then thoroughly scrape the spoon out). I'm not even sure how much I scraped out of the 12 oz can. But that brings up something I never thought of - the 12oz can is sold by weight, not volume, and I assume the recipe is referring to volume? So who knows how much I *really* got out of the 12 oz weight can? Of course, I could measure it next time, but if 12 (or 16) oz volume comes out to weigh more b/c paste is so dense, then I assume that wouldn't be safe either, the salsa would be too thick. Now I'm *really* confused. I did find on the Canadian Fight Bac website "cooked type (salsa) and not processed, it can be refrigerated for one month." - now, I did process these, opened 2 jars (1 hot, 1 medium) yesterday to taste and will use today at a BBQ. If I open the others and stir to oxygenate, will they last 2 weeks to a month? Or should I freeze them? http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en/cookwell/ask/where_how/#1684

Event was last weekend and was a phenomenal success. An auction of donated items and the $10 contest entry fees raised over $1400 for "Step Up For Charity" and the first ever annual hot sauce competition was held. There were over 120 entries of both commercial and amateur sauces. In the salsa category Annie's Salsa took 1st, Annie's Peach Twist Salsa took 2nd and a variation on Annie's Peach Twist Salsa took 3rd. (my entries) My Tomatillos Turtle Bean Salsa took 2nd in the "Fresh From the Fields" category which used peppers picked there and prepared entirely on site. Only entered 4 items and they all ribboned so felt did really well. I so wanted to enter my fermented sauces, but until I can get them certified safe am going to continue to use for my own consumption only and dehydrate the rest for powder. Swept the salsa category with these..... 1st 2nd 3rd And my entry in the "Fresh From the Fields" 2nd jt

If your canner is a Presto then spend the $12-15 to buy the 3 weight set. That way you don't have to worry about getting the gauge tested and can just ignore it. The weight set is discussed here in many threads. If another brand with a gauge then you may be forced to have your gauge tested regularly to be safe. But I am more concerned about your inability to control the stove heat and prevent the radical pressure changes that causes the siphoning. Is the stove gas or electric? It does take some practice sessions with the canner and just some jars of water in it but it shouldn't be that difficult to control your pressure. All the way on until your t10 min. of continuous venting is done, then put the weight on and as soon as the pressure gauge reaches 11 bls., slowly begin to reduce the heat in small increments. Hope this helps. Dave PS: As to the "cool air on the jars" bit - yes, instructions say to "not expose them in a draft to cool" but they do need to be out of the canner and on to the kitchen counter. ;)