Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
sunshinegirl818

Using Mrs. Wages ? about adding vegetables.

sunshinegirl818
11 years ago

Hi everyone! My name is Tina and this is my first post. I have a question and I need some help. I have never made homemade spaghetti sauce let alone can it but I love a challenge. I have searched all around the net and found lots of information. I decided to buy the Mrs. Wage pasta sauce package for canning and enough supplies to make to batch. Which 2 pkg. Mrs. Wages and 12 lbs. tomatoes. I would like to add onion, peppers, and mushrooms. Do you all think it is ok to do this using Mrs. Wages. I know I will need to use my pressure canner but I don't have a clue how much time or pounds. Thank you in advance for the help.

Comments (3)

  • digdirt2
    11 years ago

    No I'm sorry but that would result in a very unsafe canned sauce. Those are all low acid ingredients you want to add and they would change both the pH and the density of the sauce substantially. If you want to use those ingredients, to be safe, you would have to use one of the approved and tested canning recipes that includes them.

    The Mrs. Wages mixes are safe to use IF you follow the instructions exactly. They are pH balanced with citric acid to cover only the amount of ingredients called for - not extras.

    In home canning when one tries to make up their own recipes and/or guess at the processing time required you are already heading down the road to unsafe canned foods. So your choice is to use the Mrs. Wages mix as it instructs or use the Ball Blue Book or NCHFP instructions for making and canning spaghetti sauce. I linked it for you below.

    Dave

    PS: welcome to the forum by the way! :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Spaghetti Sauce

  • wierdrules
    11 years ago

    What digdirt says is correct, IF AND ONLY IF you were planning to use a BWB to can the sauce.

    As you recognize the need to switch to the pressure canner, all you would need to do is identify the right pressure and processing time. This information might be in your canner instructions, or your local extension office should be more than willing to help you find it.

    Of course, depending on the tomatoes you have, and the type and quantity of vegetables you are adding, there is the hypothetical possibility that you would end up with a safe mix for the BWB, but as there is no way to test it you certainly can't count on it!

    Gaila

  • digdirt2
    11 years ago

    all you would need to do is identify the right pressure and processing time. This information might be in your canner instructions, or your local extension office should be more than willing to help you find it.

    Good luck trying to do that.

    The pressure and processing time are part of the testing process, not something you can just make up. Canner manuals are fine for operating instructions but not for processing instructions. Most are outdated.

    And county extension offices abide by the NCHFP guidelines. They do don't provide processing times for personal, made-up recipes.

    IF AND ONLY IF you were planning to use a BWB to can the sauce

    Sorry but simply pressure canning something does not automatically make it safe for consumption. That is a far too common assumption that leads to potentially unsafe canned foods. The primary safety issues depend on what goes INTO the jars.

    Dave

Sponsored
Daniel Russo Home
Average rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars13 Reviews
Premier Interior Design Team Transforming Spaces in Franklin County