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| Last week I had my first attempt at pressure canning. I bought 20lbs of San Marzano tomatoes from a local farmer and went off a recipe i found online. I'm reading into canning tomatoe sauce a bit now and what i'm finding is that i should have put citric acid/lemon juice in my final product before pressure canning which i did not. I also put olive oil in the sauce and about 1/2 bottle or more of red wine. I'm reading now i should def. not use oil... I had some last night and am alive now but am questioning the other 7 jars.... should i toss them? put them in the fridge? freaking out here. :( |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 18:17
| I don't know about the oil part, but the San Marzano is a higher acid tomato, so that part shouldn't be much of a problem. Everyone is stating that we have to add acid to the tomatoes, mainly because most of the newer varieties of tomatoes are lower acid, unlike the older varieties that I grew up with. If I was you, I would use asap and refrigerate it til then. I'm sure someone else will tell you differently, but I've done this (without the oil) for years without any problems. Just remember to boil any of that for the 10 minutes after opening. Be sure to clean any area that MIGHT have anything spilled on it. |
This post was edited by myfamilysfarm on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 20:53
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| Well there are many recipes found online that range from minor safety issues to downright lethal ones. Which is why when canning it is important to only use recipes from approved sources. Yes, the guidelines for canning tomato sauce recommends the addition of added acid - even when pressure canning - since tomatoes are a borderline low-acid food. Does that mean everyone does it? Unfortunately, no. But in your case the added wine probably covered that issue for you. The oil issue will depend on how much you added, how long you processed, and the other ingredients. Can you provide us a link to your recipe? There are only a very few tested and approved recipes that allow oil since it has the effect of insulating bacteria and preventing the heat processing from killing them. So 'technically' you should toss the sauce and that is what I would recommend based on the info so far. But most folks probably wouldn't so ultimately the choice is yours. If you decide to keep it then I would freeze it and then make sure it is well cooked - boiled for 10 mins. - prior to eating. If you plan to do more canning please invest $6 in the Ball Blue Book for Home Canning and explore NCHFP for approved recipes. Dave |
Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Canning Tomato Sauce
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- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 20:18
| You can also check out the Ball Blue Book at most libraries and copy the recipes, but the book is well worth the price. |
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| If it has oil and no added bottled lemon juice, there is no way to determine if it is safe. The advice I would have to say if you called me at work is do not open the jars. Throw them all away after wrapping in newspaper and place in heavy trash bags. If you open and smell them, you could potentially inhale botulism if there is any in those jars. You cannot see, taste, or smell botulism. There are no signs of it until you eat it. Within 2 or 3 days there can be enough botulism in a food to kill or paralyze you. Technically if you would boil for 10 min. it would be fine to consume . However, if you open and drip any on a counter, a dishcloth, etc. then you can still get botulism from cross contamination. Now you know to only follow safety tested recipes from reliable sources. Oh, and just because this is a specific variety, the soil in which it was grown, the watering conditions, etc. affect the ph level, and do not mean it is a higher acid tomato. Grow seeds from the same original tomato, in 2 different soils and they will not be the same ph probably. |
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- Posted by myfamilysfarm 5b (My Page) on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 20:43
| As usual, I'm wrong. |
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- Posted by abetterdaughtr none (My Page) on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 22:18
| Thanks for all the insight. I'm probably going to toss but.. All that put aside I was wondering how you would feel if I tested it with my PH tester? I'm assuming its a No because if there potentially was bocholism I would be spreading it all of I've but just wanted your thoughts. Thanks again, Stacey |
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- Posted by abetterdaughtr none (My Page) on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 22:54
| One more thought. What if I did not open the jars - put it back in the pressure canner and re-process for a ridiculous amount of time and then open boil and freeze. Am I crazy or what? |
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| We never suggest testing your own foods. Foods can change ph as they sit longer in storage. Then, reprocessing will not take care of something that was not properly canned. It is too late. Reprocessing is safe only within 24 hours of the initial canning and that would be for a food that was safe to start with . Besides, you still have the oil in there. Sorry, it is not ever going to be deemed safe . |
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- Posted by abetterdaughtr none (My Page) on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 1:06
| Ok - will do. Thank you for all of your help. |
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| How about posting the recipe for review? Like Dave said, the wine should acidify (though we don't know how much, Ellie Topp's Chunky Tomato Basil sauce uses red wine and red wine vinegar). How much oil? |
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