But - I finally did it - I just graduated from the El Dorado County, California MFP class!

Happy to be back and looking forward to interacting with all the experts here - I'm a "half-pint" at this point :).

Best,
Monique

I was wondering how long this recipe should be pressure canned

Worcestershire Sauce

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped, with seeds
2 Tablespoons, garlic minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Two 2-ounce cans anchovies, drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 Tablespoon salt
1 lemon, peeled with white pith removed and discarded
2 cups corn syrup
1 cup molasses
1 quart distilled white vinegar
1/4 pound fresh horseradish, peeled and grated

Instructions

1. Heat the 2 onions, 3 T olive oil, and 2 jalapenos in your largest heavy pot over high heat. Stir the veggies for 3 minutes or until soft. Add the 2 T garlic, 2 cans anchovies, 1/4 t cloves, 1 T salt, 1 lemon, 2 c corn syrup, 1c molasses, 1 quart vinegar, 2 cups water and the 1/4 pound horseradish. Bring the mixture to a boil.

2. Once the mixture comes to a boil reduce the heat and simmer. Stir the mixture occasionally (every half hour or so) for about 6 hours. It is ready when the mixture lightly coats a spatula.

3. Strain the Worcestershire , stirring occasionally, until the mixture barely coats a wooden spoon, about 6 hours. Keep refrigerated, keeps indefinitely.

As to your recipe - no, I would say it is NOT SAFE for water bath canning. Only high-acid foods should be water bath canned. Even if you took out the oil and anchovies as you suggest, you still have onions,jalapenos, and horseradish. There is both sugars and vinegar in the recipe, but it's not purely pickled, for sure.

Additionally, we recommend that you only use canning recipes from safe and approved sources. These sources have tested the recipes in a lab to make sure that they are safe for home canners to prepare and eat. The ratios of ingredients are very, very important for food safety.

Safe sources include the National Center for Home Food Preservation; Iowa State University Extension Food Preservation; Ball Blue Book; The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.

If you wanted to use that recipe, I wonder if you could make it and freeze it, instead? Experienced preservers (I'm a half-pint and still a probie) what say you???

Charcuterie - I agree completely with Monique. The recipe itself makes it pretty clear it is a fridge recipe only. You could freeze it of course but it can't be canned - either way. There is just no way to know for sure what the pH is, what the bacterial level may or may not be, or what amount of processing time would be needed without lab testing. And since it says it stores indefinitely in the fridge there is no need to can it.

As we often mention here, there are cooking recipes and there are canning recipes but they are two entirely different things and cooking recipes can't be canned safely.

Dave

I also just graduated from the OSU MFP class (Oregon) on May 21st. Even though I've been canning for 30 years, the class was awesome. Something I've always wanted to do and really couldn't while working full time. Now that I'm not ('nother story), I finally took the class.

I agree with Monique and Dave, this is not a canning recipe.
I would think with all that vinegar, it would keep pretty much forever in the fridge though, or as the recipe says "indefinitely". Why bother with canning?

Deanna

It may be. The point is there is no way to know for sure without testing and since acidity doesn't remain stable on the shelf but fades over time, even if it tested safe now there is no way to know if it would still be safe when opened. And it isn't something you would cook before consuming so you lose that edge of protection too.

So it is a do-at-your-own-risk recipe and only you can decide if the risk is worth it to you. I'm willing to take some risks but for me there is no way canned Worcestershire Sauce would be worth any risk even though we use a fair amount of it in our house too.

Dave

Space in my fridge is at a premium. I might pressure can it, I can include the anchovies in it if I do that.

It's going to have to be refrigerated after opening anyway.
Unless you're planning to use an awful lot at one time, it is still going to need to fit in there.

Deanna

Of course no telling what the corn syrup and molasses and the rest of the stuff would taste like after all that. Burned sugar possibly.

Charcuterie - sometimes common sense just has to win out. Just cut the recipe in half or thirds and stick the jar in the fridge. You may not even like the stuff.

Dave

Monique, congratulations! I'm envious you are located where you can participate in the classes, there are none here remotely convenient to me. I hope you'll continue to check in and share what you've learned with us...

Oh well, at least I've been emailing the registration form to everybody who's been asking me about BWBing meat, zucchini, etc.!

I'm fortunate that we have a very active MFP volunteer community here in El Dorado County, CA.

Charcuterie, I understand, I'm trying to avoid industrial processed foods because I don't want those nasty chemicals. I hope that freezing might work out for you. Best!