I've found that sauces of any type are so much more flavorful if they are frozen in big batches and then chunked "as needed" than to try to have them bottled on the shelf from which you then have to refrigerate the remaining after opening until the next time - maybe weeks or months, all the while the orange juice gets old and spoils. I concur with the experts - freeze it. It does sound like a really good combo of flavors and the Fourth is coming up with a big family picnic - hmmm. Nancy

The "whys" in canning come from training, from certified classes, and can be a simple or as complex as you want to make them. But pH of the food is only one aspect that must be considered. The simple "why" is because it has never been tested and approved. The complex "why" is without that extensive lab testing you have no way of knowing the actual pH of each ingredient which can vary widely (there is a big difference between a pH of 5.37 and one of 5.85) and the final pH of the product, nor the stability of that pH as it rises during shelf storage, the % of water to be found in each food, how fast or slow the cellular structure of a particular food reacts to osmosis, the density of the finished product and the amount of time required for full heat penetration of that density, etc., etc. For example, celery contains much more water than onions and has a larger cellular structure so its pH is much less stable over time, it dilutes the pH of the mixture, and it reacts very differently under pressure than onions do. So they are not inter-changeable per the guidelines. A trained food scientist can relate to all these important variables but the rest of us lack the training to appreciate or understand their importance. Thus the 2 basic guidelines of home canning safety - (1) you cannot safely can your own made up recipes and (2) cooking and canning recipes are 2 different things and you cannot safely can cooking recipes. It is up to each individual whether they abide by those guidelines or not. Dave

Thanks for replying. Sorry to be so confusing. Let me try again. :) Here's an updated one- with volume only (I did measure it). The Sombrero recipe calls for 20 cups of chopped tomatoes. I always end up with 3 1/2 cups of tomato juice from 4 cups of chopped tomatoes, so I would need 17 1/2 cups of tomato juice. To "equal" the Sombrero tomato volume, I used- 14 cups tomato juice 4 1/2 cups of tomato puree 1/2 cup of tomato paste So I ended up with 1 cup more of tomatoes. The Sombrero sauce calls for 2 cups celery, 2 cups chopped onions, 1 1/2 cups green peppers, and 2 jalepeno peppers. It also calls for 2 garlic cloves. I counted this as 5 1/2- 5 3/4 cups of low acid vegetables. To "equal" the 5 1/2- 5 3/4 cups of low acid vegetables volume, I used: 12 habaneros (1/2 cup finely chopped) 2 1/2 cups onions 3/4 cups carrots 1 cup parsley 1/2 c. tamarind paste (I think tamarind is a bit higher acid, but wasn't sure) 5 garlic cloves 2 T. fresh thyme So I ended up with 5 1/4 cups of low acid vegetables plus the 1/2 cup of tamarind. The Sombrero recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar. I actually had to double the sugar, so I was wondering how that would affect the acidity and if I would need to increase the amount of "acid." Here's what I used: 3 cups sugars- I used mostly brown sugar, with a little white sugar, and 1/4 cup corn syrup The Sombrero recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of white vinegar. For my "acid," I used: 3/4 cup cider vinegar 1 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup lime juice 1/2 cup lemon juice I used just a bit short of 2 1/2 cups, although I did keep adding a bit more lemon juice for taste, but I didn't measure it (no more than 1/2 cup). The Sombrero sauce calls for 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp dry mustard, 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tsp hot pepper sauce, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. For my "dry" ingredients, I used: 4 T. ground allspice 2 T. ground ginger 2 t. ground nutmeg 4 T. freshly ground black pepper 2 t. salt (or to taste) (I used canning salt) 4 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. cloves So I guess my main question is whether I used enough acid for the recipe. Also, whether my reasoning was correct in trying to balance out the tomatoes, low acid vegetables, and the acid. Taste wise I think I could add some more lemon or lime juice (I used the bottled kind), but it definitely wouldn't stand up to any more vinegar. Any help would be appreciate. Thanks.

You might look in your control panel at ' Users ' See if you have Administrator privileges ? Perhaps let us know what version of windows you have,, maybe the program name too.