I want Annie's recipe! Is it posted on one of the forums? plmk!

I bet its here still, do a search for just annies salsa, and it should show up. They have expanded not only the thread lengths, but also many more threads in this forum. Right now, there is well over 4500 posts here in the HARVEST forum itself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Annies Salsa thread

Annie's at Canning Camp right now, but here's her recipe with her comments. Note her comment there are two amounts of vinegar, depending upon whether you water bath or pressure can.

"Sure I do, here's mine. Please note that it is pressure canned, because I cut the acid ingredients down by half. The original directions were to use 2/3 cup of vinegar and waterbath, but I wanted less of the acidic flavor and so cut the vinegar in half and process according to the Blue Book instructions for non-acidic vegetables. If you want to waterbath it, add that extra vinegar. If you want it mild, use the smaller amount of jalapenos.

ANNIEÂS SALSA
8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
3 Â 5 chopped jalapenos
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar (for BWB or 1/3 cup vinegar for PC)
16 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste
Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process at 10 lbs of pressure for 30 minutes for pints. Or BWB 15 minutes.
Makes 6 pints

Good luck and happy canning. I get a lot of compliments on this recipe, and one of the local attorneys actually paid me $10 a pint for the last jar a couple of years ago (He NEEDED it for a Super Bowl party). Fine by me, I wish I had made more!! Annie"

Posted by Carol

Can table salt be used in place of canning salt? I've never heard of such a thing and couldn't find it in the store. I really want to try this recipe.

Also, has onyone ever halved the recipe? I haven't 8 cups worth of tomatoes I don't think.

Canning salt (which sometimes is with the canning supplies and sometimes is with other salts) is a pure salt. Table salt has anti-caking additives which can affect the results, particularly with such things as pickles.

In the case of Annie's salsa, the salt is principally for taste, so it wouldn't have to be canning salt. If you can't find canning salt, I would recommend you look for a kosher salt or a sea salt. The package should say just "salt." Morton's Kosher won't qualify. It's just flaked table salt. But Diamond Crystal is fine.

Remember, though, I'm only speaking of the salsa and other recipes where salt is a taste element. In pickling you can use pure kosher or sea salt but you have to calculate the weight so it's equal to the weight of the canning salt because the proportions of salt in brine are crucial to safety.

Yes, you can halve the recipe. Just be sure the proportions stay the same with the veggies and vinegar. The cumin, salt and sugar can be adjusted to taste.

Carol

Thank you Annie for the recipe. I've lurked here for several years and finally this year had my own garden again- along with 3 little helpers (5,4,and 3yo). Your recipe is now a staple at our house!! We don't even want to eat the store bought salsa I have on the shelf first! It gave me the incentive to join the forum.
I used HWB method. Modifications- used home grown yellow and red peppers- very pretty, even gourmet looking! And approved by our Ia State Extension Office Home Economist?Anyway the people you call to see if it's safe.
Right now I even have a more modified version of the salsa minus jalepenos with little varation of herbs simmering and smelling like spaghetti sauce. Yum! Thanks again~ Carol

I've made the recipe both in the BWB and with the pressure canner. I find I don't mind the taste of the extra vinegar/lime juice that is required for the BWB. I like the pressure canner because I can do 14 pints at a time and don't have to hassle with the huge ammount of boiling water needed for covering all 14 pints in the BWB. However, I've found that the BWB version tastes a little fresher than the pressure canned version. Also, I often lose jar contents when pressure canning, even though I've gotten the hang of keeping the pressure pretty even.

So finally, my question. Can I prepare the recipe with the full cup of added vinegar/lime juice and pressure can the jars at 5 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes rather than 10 pounds for 30 minutes?

Chris

Just found Annie's recipe on Recipezaar while doing a google search on another topic. They've replaced Annie's name with "Wonderful", which I'm sure fits and it's virtualy the same recipe. The only problem is they're processing the recipe in a BWB for only 10 minutes with the smaller amount of vinegar.

Yeah, that figures. LOL I guess I won't get rich on that "secret" recipe since it's all over the internet. (grin)

Oh well, I'm happy to share. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I guess I'll just be flattered.

Does this mean I have to give up my designation as "Salsa Queen"? Darn, I kind of liked that. I guess I'll have to go back to being "Empress of the Universe". Darn it.

Annie

I think you're still "Salsa Queen". You'll have to add "Wonderful" to your (growing) list of accolades. :o)

Thank you, Malon, I do appreciate that. In return I will not require you to address me as "your Highness". LOLOLOL

Annie

Ok I've finally got the ingredients to try this recipe and bought my pint jars last night. There are no instructions on the water bath method which I'll have to do since I don't have a pressure cooker. I've done a little skimming through this forum about how to do this method but I'm running out of time so I thought I'd just post the questions and hopefully someone can answer.

How far from the top of the jars do I fill it with salsa?
Do I need to prewarm my jars or anything?
Exactly how does this warm bath work? Just take a pan and fill it up with hot warm, do I need to let it be 212* according to a candy thermometer? How much of the cans need to be submerged? Keep in hot water for 20 minutes? I guess the lids pop when sealed? Do I store sealed jars in refrigerator or pantry? How long after cooking and sealing can we try salsa? Sorry for my ignorance but any help would be greatly appreciated!

The page I've linked to below will tell you everything you need to know about boiling water bath. The NCHFP is a great site to bookmark.

Once the jars are properly sealed and cooled they can be stored on the pantry shelf. You can remove the rings after 24 hours. For optimal flavor, wait a few weeks to use the salsa.

1/2" headspace in the jars. Be sure with boiling water bath to use the full cup of 5% vinegar.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Boiling Water Canners

Thanks that does answer a lot of my questions. I didn't even know about the canner pots or racks, which causes a new dilema - finding one. I've went to 2 stores and can't find a canner pot and racks. I read somewhere that you could improvise and just put cooling racks in a pot but mine are too big. Any ideas of where I should look to find racks or what I could do instead? This is turning out to be a hassle.

If you have a big pot you can even put a towel in the bottom. It's messy, but all you're aiming for is something on the bottom to prevent the jars from breaking due to thermal shock.

Some people have found cake racks at places like the dollar store or other discount stores. They come in different sizes so odds are you'll find something cheap that works.

Another option is to wire together canning rings.

Carol

Well, I now have to chime in because I finally made Annie's Salsa last night, after reading about it here for the past 2 years.

I have to tip my hat, because it is a very good salsa and I'll have to make another double batch next week. There was about a 1/4 cup left over that I snacked on last night while all the lids were popping. It's really very good.

I'd like to add more heat, so I'll sub some of the green pepper for hot peppers next time.

I keep reading about lemon juice, but there is none is the recipe (or maybe i can't read! )

I am going to hot water bath??? should i be adding some if so how much??

After reading all of the guidance on making adjustments :0 I decided to try a couple of things...but I thought I would run them past you to get the nod of approval...otherwise, these jars will go into the freezer when they cool off! :)

I peeled my tomatoes, but I blended them (I blend all the ingredients). I know this means they weren't drained...so...

I added a full cup of vinegar to the recipe, even though I am processing in a pressure canner.

Also, I left out the other tomato products...it sounded like a smaller tomato to vinegar ratio was okay, just no more and no more veggies. I also traded out the green pepper for some hot banana peppers.

All these things seem to be acceptable according to all the guidance I have read, but like I said, I thought a final ok would be fantastic. :)

Thanks!

sister1 - I am not the expert on acidity so I'll let someone else answer that. But - I do know that this recipe is no longer approved for the pressure canner - only a bwb.

And another question for you experts... just finished my third batch. I always double the recipe. The first two times, I came out with 12 pints plus 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart more. I put the quarts in the fridge. For some reason, this time I came out with 12 pints plus 2 1/2 quarts more. I know I followed the recipe to a t. The only thing I can think of is that the tomatoes were chopped much finer this time. Would that account for the extra? Also, do you think there will be a problem with the acidity? Thanks guys!!

She added a full cup of vinegar and pressure canned. That is fine to do. I also pressure can my salsa.
The pressure canner recipe was less than a cup, I think it was 1/3 of a cup. You can always sub the type of peppers, just as long as the total amount is the same, not more.
You should not drain the tomatoes any way. The thinner density it what you want. You did fine.
************
I am not sure why you got more, but as long as you measured the tomatoes out and then added the right amout of acid, it should be fine.

Linda - I thought that the salsa was no longer approved for pressure canning. Can you clarify for me? Thanks!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Changes to Annie's Salsa

sisterl - by blending you do end up with more watery liquid so the ratio of water to vinegar is affected - vinegar gets diluted.

But you left out the 16 oz. of tomato sauce and the 16 oz of tomato paste, right? If so, then the overall liquids were reduced by several ounces (since paste has little liquid and sauce only a bit more) and replaced at least in part by the extra liquid from the blending. Using the full cup of vinegar should make you safe IMO but you would have also lost the acidity provided by the sauce and paste so end pH becomes a big question. Follow me?

That is a big change in the recipe so IMO this batch needs to be frozen. If you had drained the blending a bit or added the sauce and the paste or if you had left out the sauce but doubled the paste and still increased the vinegar then I'd be far more comfortable with the end acid level. Let's see what others have to say, ok?

The peppers exchange is no problem as long as you kept the total amount the same.

As to pressure canning, you can do it (I do and so do others but for 30 min. vs. the BWB for 35 mins.) but approval for it was withdrawn along with the canning it in quarts provision. IMO it is still far safer than BWB. Bottom line is pressure + higher temps is safer than BWB. However, you will get a texture change with PC. We prefer it mushier but many don't. Just so you know. ;)

Hope this helps.

Dave

ccag - extra means either extra liquid which can cause a pH problem or inaccurate measurements. Annie has said in the past that she sometimes get a little extra - maybe a pint. We sometimes get an extra pint or pint and a half. But not 2 1/2 quarts extra! Doubling recipes like this often leads to problems which is why it isn't recommended.

How you want to resolve it is up to you. I'd freeze them. Since salsa is eaten fresh from the jar it isn't worth the risk to me. JMO

Dave

Dave - they are cooling now - would I be okay if I just threw them in the fridge and ate them quickly??? As long as you think it is safe, I'll give a some away and use the rest so they'll be eaten within the next week or two.

Next - I have to say that either I am an idiot and do not understand this at all or there is a lot of contradictory information on these threads.

You just said above"As to pressure canning, you can do it (I do and so do others but for 30 min. vs. the BWB for 35 mins.)"

On Thursday, you posted the recipe, saying:

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process at 10 lbs of pressure for 30 minutes for pints.

if I want to process in a BWB up the vinegar to one cup and process 10 minutes in BWB.

NOTE: To repeat what Annie said, the Extension agency no longer recommends canning in quarts or pressure canning her salsa (probably because they don't have the resources to test it). For those who have made it in the past, the pressure canned recipe called for a smaller amount of vinegar.

So, to update, make Annie's salsa with a full cup of vinegar, can only in pints and boiling water bath for 15 minutes. (From Carol)

Can you please clarify this for me? And I apologize if I am a complete idiot. But obviously, for safety reasons, I do want to make sure I understand this.

Sorry but I guess Linda Lou and I were posting at the same time as I didn't see her post above. She is the authority sisterl so stick with her advice and ignore my reservations, ok? Sorry for any confusion.

ccaggiano - Ok let's try this one more time. ;) I understand the confusion and I have to say that much of it stems from the fact that people keep playing around with this recipe instead of just following it - the umpteen discussions on modifications and experimenting with it when it is perfect the way it is is enough to blow my mind. Why folks feel free to get creative with a salsa recipe of all things and not with other recipes (I hope) I can't say. But since you don't pressure can don't worry about the PC aspects of it and just follow the BWB canning instructions and you'll be fine (if you can get your excess amounts under control ;).

But for clarification for those who do PC salsa, it isn't that pressure canning itself is prohibited - they'd never go that far because pressure canning is inherently safer than BWB. It is just that it isn't officially recommended (note the statement that "the recommendation was withdrawn because it hasn't been tested") and that the instructions changed.

There are (or were) 2 different recipes. As Linda Lou said above, the PC recipe originally called for less vinegar, said quarts were ok, and gave processing times. What has changed is that you now use 1 cup of vinegar, can only in pints, and have no official processing instructions. So while pressure canning that recipe (pints + 1 cup of vinegar) hasn't been tested and so cannot be officially approved, it remains optional simply because pressure canning is always safer than BWB.

So, simply put it isn't that you can't PC it, it is just that if you choose to do it you understand that it isn't officially approved, that you must use the whole cup of vinegar (or bottled lemon or lime juice), and that you do it only in pints, and that the time and weight for PC is unknown as it hasn't been tested. I don't recall how long Linda Lou does hers or at what weight. I do ours @ 10 lbs. for 30 mins.

If you choose to BWB you must use the whole cup of vinegar (or bottled lemon or lime juice and do it only in pints and BWB for 35 mins.

Clear?
__________________

As to your salsa - I seldom disagree with Linda Lou on anything but personally I wouldn't be comfortable with the pH of that much excess (2 1/2 quarts extra) for any long term storage except freezing. It is either too diluted or mis-measured somewhere along the line for my comfort. But yeah assuming it has everything in it, it is safe for fridge and quick consumption. Your choice.

Dave

Dave - I promise this is the last question on the salsa. And I do apologize for not being more specific when asking for clarification. I am bowing my head in shame because you gave such a great response but I actually understood that part. But of course, you are partly to blame because you could have just read my mind :-)

What I couldn't figure out was why there were three different BWB processing times between those two posts. One said 10 minutes. One said 15 and yet another said 35 minutes.

35 minutes in BWB? I just checked the NCHFP website and their tomato based salsas are generally for 15 minutes...

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Salsas

This was a copied and pasted post (thus the italics) and was a summary of changes. Taking it out of that context can cause confusion.

The 30 min. is clearly a pressure cooking time since the pounds of pressure is given with it.

The 10 mins. was the BWB time in the original recipe.

The 15 mins. was the updated time given by Carol in a later revision and is, AFAIK, the latest info.

Dave

This is a quote from your previous post to this thread, Dave. There were no italics in that post. Thus the source of confusion:

"If you choose to BWB you must use the whole cup of vinegar (or bottled lemon or lime juice and do it only in pints and BWB for 35 mins. "

Also, I see how ccaggiano got confused when you wrote this (in full context):

"As to pressure canning, you can do it (I do and so do others but for 30 min. vs. the BWB for 35 mins.) but approval for it was withdrawn along with the canning it in quarts provision. IMO it is still far safer than BWB. Bottom line is pressure + higher temps is safer than BWB. However, you will get a texture change with PC. We prefer it mushier but many don't. Just so you know. ;) "

Aaarrgghhh! Now I'm doing it too!! Thanks for catching that.

Dave slinks off to pound his head against the wall.

(grin) Don't beat yourself up Dave. Here's the source of your confusion. Linda_Lou now recommends we increase the *Pressure Canning* time to 35 minutes...

Here is a link that might be useful: Pressure canning question about canning

Ooops... now I'm confused. That link should be titled: Pressure canning question about Salsa

medcave - I won't add to the confusion by trying to clarify it all again. ;) I'll leave that to Annie next time she is by. Typos are a real b*t*h.

Now you know why I cringe every time I see a new post titled "Annie's Salsa question" (no offense Annie). It seems so simple and straight forward to me (not to mention great to eat).

But all of the redundant discussion posts on it and all the experimentation and changes folks want to make in it have only served to complicate and confuse what started out as a simple, straight forward, great recipe.

Dave

Since this is such a popular recipe, maybe we should make a new thread and call it: 2009 Guide to Annie's Salsa & Questions. The first statement, in the new thread would say, in big bold letters...

This thread contains the latest approved recipe for Annie's Salsa. It also contains information for ingredients that can safely be substituted and omitted. Please post any question about the recipe to this thread. Once posting, it will be bumped to the top and it will be read and answered. If everyone gets in the habit of posting their questions to this thread, all of the information will be kept neatly, in one place. And the next person that wants to try the recipe will not have to weed through pages and pages of threads, just this one thread.

I volunteer to take on the task of gathering the information. I will also e-mail it to a few to check for accuracy before posting. We all know how confusing simple typo's can be around here!!!

It is a shame that this forum does not allow for sticky's and it is a major drawback. I am personally responsible for more than my fair share of posts on this recipe. I didn't realize that once a thread gets bumped to the top, people actually do read it. In my experience with other forums (not on gardenweb), if an older topic was bumped, most people ignored it. After the initial question was answered, the topic ended up becoming a personal chit chat between a couple of people with jokes back and forth. Hence the reason I kept posting new questions. I do apologize for that. I consider myself pretty smart (at least in everything but canning) and it still took me a year to figure this out.

Your thoughts??

I made Annie's salsa today. I followed the instructions and BWB for 10 min. I knew about the change from 30 to 35 min for PC but when was the BWB changed to 15min? Does that mean I have to redo the 6 pints I canned today? We just finished the last jar from last year-I had to hide it to keep the kids from scarfing it all up. Last year all my salsa was BWB for 10 min. and we all lived.
Donna

Why on earth would you have to pressure can this for 35 minutes if you only have to BWB it for 10 or 15 minutes? That doesn't make canning sense. Pressure canning times are always shorter than BWB times.

It sounds to me as if the times are reversed and it should be pressure canned for 10 or 15 minutes and BWB for 35 mins. Is it possible that these times got crossed?

I would like to see a thread with all the updated info. I just made my first batch today. I did BWB with a full cup of vinegar. The recipe I copied said process 10 minutes. I did 15 minutes because my altitude is over 1000 feet. I wanted to pressure can the salsa but the last post I saw said to no longer do it that way. I just ate some that was left over and it is really good. Tomorrow I am going to try a processed jar.
Scott

Suggest that you do a search The search box is found a the top and bottom of the subject listings in each forum. for the key words 'Annie salsa recipe'. It should bring up a huge amount of threads newer than the 4+ year old one here. I think the dropping of the PC was due to the higher amount of acid and the issue of the salsa being a bit more mushy if its PC compared to a BWB.

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie salsa recipe search for threads.

Bump for ccaggiano's updates!!

(sorry, haven't been here in a while!)

I made this salsa tonight and ended up with over 8 pints. I'm worried that it won't be safe to eat. I didn't have enough tomatoes to equal 8 cups so I used 1 drained can of diced tomatoes and a can of smoked peppers in adobe sauce. The tomato sauce was in a 15oz can rather than 16oz so I added an ounce more of tomato paste. For acid I used 1 cup of store bought, processed lime juice. I tasted it and the mix didn't taste very acidic so I added about 2 extra tablespoons of lime juice. I also processed 2-3 minutes longer in the hot water bath when I realized how much excess I had.

Did I totally screw up the recipe or will it be ok?

I used 5 1/2 lbs of Roma tomatoes for most of the mix, peeled, chopped, measured, they didn't equal 8 cups so I added the 1 15-16 oz can of diced tomatoes plus the peppers in adobe and it equaled 8 cups exactly. I drained the mix, added the rest of the ingredients. I measured all of the vegetables precisely but ended up with a total of 8 pints plus 400 ml/0.85 pints. I don't know if the tomatoes were just overly watery or not.

Charcuterie,

I've made this recipe many times and the amount I get varies from about six pints to about eight pints. I think it probably depends mostly on how watery the tomatoes are. Roma tomatoes are usually very meaty, and the fact that you got less than eight cups from 5 1/2 pounds suggests yours were quite meaty (I usually find about four pounds gives about eight cups).

So my guess is that the liquid from the canned diced tomatoes is what made it have so much volume. If you had added more fresh tomatoes, they would have cooked down. Since the tomatoes you added were canned they were already cooked down, so they wouldn't have shrunk as much in cooking, if you see what I mean.

I do think your salsa should be safe to eat. The added extra peppers is actually the one thing that goes against standard safety recommendations---peppers are a low-acid food, so if you have more peppers total compared to tomatoes than a recipe is tested for, you don't know for sure that it's acidic enough. But those cans of peppers in adobe are small, and you added extra acid, AND I know that Annie's recipe has a generous margin of error of extra acid.

So while the standard answer is "you should never change anything in a tested recipe," I know that I, personally, would feel very happy eating your salsa.

I'll be right over, in fact. ;-p

Good luck,

Zabby

Basically I agree with Zabby that it is probably ok. My big concern would be the added peppers and in the future you need to avoid doing that. Extra tomatoes are one thing but extra peppers is another matter entirely. But the 1 cup of lime juice, since it is more acidic than vinegar, "should" cover them pH wise so fortunately you used lime juice instead of vinegar.

But also for future reference, adding extra processing time doesn't cover extra additives, especially when those ingredients are low-acid. It is temperature that counts, not time, so even with more time you'd still be processing at the same 212 degrees. See what I mean?

Dave

I figured since the recipe said to use 3-5 jalapenos, that if I used only 4 plus an extra couple of tablespoons of Real Lemon brand lime juice that it would even out the canned peppers. I suppose I should just follow it too the letter next time.

I actually went ahead and pressure canned everything last night for 30 minutes at 15psi just to be safe. I have some more tomatoes coming in so I will try to make another batch without changing anything!

Thanks you both digdirt and Zabby!!

One bad thing was that I found a bit of glass in the hot water canner after the initial processing. I'm 99% sure one of the jar lips chipped, but after checking the visible part they all seem ok and the seal is excellent. I suppose I'm just going to have check them all closely as we use them.

Ahhh we were reading it as those canned ones were extra peppers beyond what is already called for in the recipe. Sorry about that. If you didn't exceed the amount of peppers called for in the recipe then no problem.

We all know the recipe so well that it is just assumed that you already added what was called for in the recipe and were just trying to make up the 8 cups with these extra peppers. So in the future we can avoid confusion if you tell us exactly how much of what you added, ok?

Do you live at a 15 psi altitude?

Dave

I would like to know where this fabulous recipe is please?

ANNIE'S SALSA
8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
3 to 5 chopped jalapenos
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
16 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process pints for 15 minutes in BWB.

Makes 6 pints

A lot of changes have been made to this recipe. Some people like lemon or lime juice in place of some or all of the vinegar, that's fine. Some people leave out the cilantro, that's fine too. Some people add more hot peppers and fewer onions, fine as long as you keep the same total measurement the same. Some people leave out the sugar, that's fine.

Per Annie - I like it a bit sweet, kind of thick and chunky and not too hot. I like the flavor of the apple cider vinegar best, but others don't necessarily.

I do scoop out the goo in the middle of the tomatoes with my thumbs when I'm peeling and chopping, so it's 8 cups of chopped tomatoes without the seeds and goo.

Dave

Love love love this recipe!! I ended up with 13 half pints. I am definately making more! The whole family loved it. My next batch will have more jalepeno peppers and a tad bit less sugar to spice it up a notch. Thank you soo much!!! I can't wait to look for more of your recipes!

Are Annie and linda lou still on this site?

Yes, they both drop in as time allows.

Dave