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| My tomatoes were all but destroyed by wilt this year. My peppers/garlic/onions all did great and I was hoping to still can salsa this year. I canned quite a few jars of whole tomatoes last year and I was wondering if I could use those instead of fresh? If so, what if anything do I need to change to my recipe to keep things safe? thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Mon, Aug 12, 13 at 11:57
| I would think so, but the tomatoes might be mushier. I've thought about doing the same thing. |
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| It isn't recommended - recanning any previously canned foods isn't recommended for several reasons. Especially so with salsa as it is eaten fresh from the jar vs. recanning foods that will be completely cooked before eating. But that doesn't mean folks don't do it. As long as you insure the previously canned tomatoes are thoroughly cooked first to neutralized any possible toxins before being incorporated into the salsa it is probably safe. The safety of the end product would then be determined by the way you canned the tomatoes in the first place - was the required acid added? - and if your salsa recipe is safe or not - do you use one of the tested and approved ones? So it is a do-at-your-own-risk activity. Or you can do as most do when crops are bad - buy the needed tomatoes from the farmer's market or store. Dave |
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- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Mon, Aug 12, 13 at 14:05
| I wouldn't buy any produce at the store to can. I want the best and ripen before picked. Unfortunately unless you have a store that buys locally, the amount of time from field to store shelf doesn't allow for that. |
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| well the salsa that I can is cooked before I can it. Yes I added lemon juice when I canned the tomatoes last summer. I may cook the peppers a bit longer then add the tomatoes and heat them up before canning. |
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| well the salsa that I can is cooked before I can it That isn't the issue. The pH and the density of it are what make salsa safe to can. Given all the low acid ingredients in it, an acidic pH is vital and the density needs to be low enough for the heat to fully penetrte. That is why only tested and approved salsa recipes are recommended for canning. Otherwise canning creates the a low-acid, low oxygen, and high vacuum environment that is perfect for the growth of any bacteria that survive your cooking. And cooking, much less just heating them up, doesn't kill many of them. So when using previously canned foods you want to be sure to boil them before adding to fresh ingredients. But of course it is always your choice whether to follow the recommended guidelines or not as we each determine our own tolerable risk levels. Dave |
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| Thanks much for your help Dave, hot pepper relish rather than salsa this year it is. Better safe than sorry. And now how to fix my soil for next year....... |
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- Posted by readinglady z8 OR (My Page) on Tue, Aug 13, 13 at 12:02
| I think one of the things that happens as we focus more and more on home-processing of foods is that we come to accept the natural seasonality of things. The previous two years were the worst ever for us, so cold and wet with consistent cloud cover that lots of things didn't ripen properly. Some things just didn't get canned. That's where a two-year cycle can help even things out. I wouldn't can from processed tomatoes because it's such a waste of utilities and lids to can a product twice. I might take a quart of tomatoes and add onion, chilies, etc. on-the-spot during the winter for a quick salsa. Who knows? If you do that you might come up with a new recipe and as it's not canned you can do what you like. Peppers, if you have any, can be prepped and frozen and onions and cilantro are available year-round. Carol |
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- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Tue, Aug 13, 13 at 16:31
| As far as your soil and the wilt, depending upon what wilt you got, it could be from the plants instead of your soil. If it is your soil, you will need to not plant any of the nightshade family in that area next year and possibly the following year. I'm assuming that you do rotate what is planted in any certain spot. |
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| I am not sure exactly what wilt I got. I thought it might be Septoria (we got an unusual amount of rain this year) but after researching photos on the internet I think it's wilt. It damaged 90% of my tomato crop. I did still get tomatoes from those plants, but only a handful from each. It only hit my peppers lightly and a choke cherry tree right next to my garden got nailed pretty bad too. That didn't help matters with all those affected leaves falling around my garden and in it. I was out there daily removing leaves from my tomatoes, using whatever organic treatment I could think of and finally a spray. I try to rotate as best I can. I have a 40'x80' garden (half of it is raised beds) and plant 40-60 tomato plants. Most areas get rotated yearly, some every other. I read that covering the beds with a high grade plastic (cooking the soil) may do the trick, but I do not think the temps will get high enough this summer to do it. I plan to plant again next year using a resistant variety such as Jet Star instead of my Viva Italia's that I always plant. Thanks again for everyone's help! |
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