Veggie Tales - July 2021
Jamie
2 years ago
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Len NW 7a
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoLen NW 7a
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Veggie Tales - July 2018
Comments (428)And the rest of it: CANNING & PROCESSING The recipe for pressure canning originally specified 1/3 cup vinegar and copies of that recipe are still available on the Internet. Pressure canning salsa has not been tested, therefore it is not officially recommended. If you wish to pressure can the salsa, you must include a full 1 cup of vinegar. Processing time that is currently used by some is 10 lbs. pressure for 30 minutes. Adjust for your altitude (see below). Because salsa is eaten out of the jar without heating and includes low acid vegetables such as garlic, onions and peppers, it is one of the riskier products to can at home due to two factors: the pH or acidity level (the normal cutoff point for boiling water bath vs. pressure canning is a pH of 4.6 and salsa can edge very close to that) and the density of the product. The salsa should be thin enough for the liquid portion to thoroughly suspend the chopped vegetables so the very center of the jar heats up to the same temperature as the outer portion next to the glass during processing. If you want it thicker, puree it AFTER you open the jar. DO NOT puree before processing - this would affect the density. Or, add a thickener such as Clear Jel or cornstarch AFTER you open the jar. DO NOT add other low acid vegetables before processing, such as corn or black beans. Only add them after you open the jar. ADJUSTMENTS If you live above 1000' in elevation, you need to calculate your altitude adjustments for both boiling water bath (BWB) and pressure canning (PC). As your altitude goes above 1000 feet the atmospheric pressure is reduced. This causes water to boil at temperatures lower than 212 degrees Fahrenheit. For safety in water bath canning, you must bring the contents of your jar to at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit. To compensate for the lower boiling temperature at altitude, you must increase processing time. For this salsa recipe, BWB times at altitudes of (per the Ball Blue Book): Up to 1000 ft. Processing time is 15 minutes. 1001 - 3000 ft. Increase processing time an extra 5 minutes to 20 minutes total. 3001 - 6000 ft. Increase processing time an extra 10 minutes to 25 minutes total. 6001 - 8000 ft. Increase processing time an extra 15 minutes to 30 minutes total. 8001 - 10,000 ft. Increase processing time an extra 20 minutes to 35 minutes total. Adjustments for pressure canning can be found in the Ball Blue Book or on their website. Do make sure you know the altitude where you do your canning. People that live in Denver know they are in the Mile High City and have to make adjustments, but portions of cities like Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Oklahoma City are all above 1000' and it may be something you're not aware of and need to be compensating for. DO I HAVE TO USE BOTTLED LEMON JUICE? The pH scale runs from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). Each increment from 0 to 14 is 10 times more acidic/alkaline (remember the "magic" number of pH 4.6 for BWB vs. pressure canning). pH testing on fresh lemons ranged from 2.20 to 3.20, so one variety of lemon or even an individual lemon grown in a different orchard might be 10 times LESS acidic than another. Bottled lemon juice, which is processed to a standard acidity, is used for testing in recipes and is also pasteurized, therefore it also will not create any further enzyme reactions in your canned goods (per the folks at ReaLemon a couple of years ago). Note: Bottled lemon or lime juices are only called for when canning borderline pH foods (tomatoes and salsa usually). If you are making jams and jellies with high acid fruits (any fruit excluding Asian pears, bananas, mangoes, figs and melons), feel free to use fresh lemon or lime juice. Do I personally like using bottled lemon juice? Not particularly, but when a canning procedure SPECIFICALLY CALLS FOR IT, I use it without questioning it. A very good explanation is in this publication from North Dakota State University -"Why add lemon juice to tomatoes and salsa before canning?" Especially note the different pH values of individual varieties of tomatoes (and there are thousands more varieties). For the more science oriented, this 2004 paper from the NCHFP:...See MoreVeggie Tales - February 2021
Comments (551)Here is the list of tomato plants I transplanted into containers; (most only have one plant, but some of the containers had 2 or 3 plants growing together, so I just transplanted the whole thing and will remove the smaller plants as needed before they start putting on too many blooms. The few squash plants I have keep putting out blooms every day): Chocolate Stripes Dark Shekel George Detsika’s Italian Red Dark Star Pink Ping Pong (2) Hungarian Heart (2) Angora Super Sweet (2) Honeycomb Mortgage Lifter Giant Belgium (2) Black Cherry (2) Sweet Tangerine (2) Classic Beefsteak Black Beauty (2) Creole (22 containers used)-these were just the tallest tomato plants now. I have maybe 30 or so more 3 and 4 inch containers with tomato plants....See MoreVeggie Tales - June 2021
Comments (191)Lea and Len - I'm so sorry for the damaged plants and fruit. Hopefully all is not lost and can be salvaged. Here is the heartland we are having rain day after day. At my house we have received about 8" in the last week but areas to the north and east have gotten nearly double that amount. The rain is supposed to end by noon tomorrow. I haven't even gone out to the garden since Sunday due to the rain. I imagine I may have some monster summer squash out there. I need to pick the bush beans too and take them to the lake. I'll have to do that while I'm 'working' tomorrow. Nothing like getting paid to harvest the garden! We are heading to the lake tomorrow afternoon and it is supposed to be nice, sunny, and temps in the low 80s through Monday. I'm hoping to get lots of fishing in. Hope they are biting!!...See MoreVeggie Tales - July 2022
Comments (143)We just got 1.25" of rain over the past hour and it looks l like another wash out knocking on the door. These storms just pop up like toast. I wished for rain but that 1.25" is enough for now thx :-). I'll need to go out after this next batch and pick the thin skinned heirlooms which are showing any color. Need to do some more melon thumping too. Glad it's raining though, if any melons split open there are many more young ones out there which will benefit greatly from more rain.....Lightning looming, better hit submit.......See MoreLen NW 7a
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agovgkg Z-7 Va
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2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agoLabradors
2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agoLen NW 7a
2 years agovgkg Z-7 Va
2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agovgkg Z-7 Va
2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoLoneJack Zn 6a, KC
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
2 years agoLen NW 7a
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years agovgkg Z-7 Va
2 years agoleahikesgardenspdx
2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agovgkg Z-7 Va
2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoleahikesgardenspdx
2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agoLen NW 7a
2 years agocindy-6b/7a VA
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years agoRD Texas
2 years agovgkg Z-7 Va
2 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
2 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
2 years agoLen NW 7a
2 years agoitsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)
2 years ago
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itsmce (zone 6b, Kansas)