I was reluctant to post, given the firm admonishments I've seen, but here goes:

We found two hot sauce recipes we liked, and while people on websites said that they canned them for years using waterbath canning, we weren't confident they were acidic enough (one has 1 to 1.5 water to acid ratio, the other has all vinegar with no water added, but it also contains brown sugar, molasses and peaches in heavy syrup). We are aware of the importance of using an official recipe for waterbath canning. So, we pressure canned them (in 4 oz & 8 oz jars) for the longest pressure canning time recommended for any of the contained ingredients (the peppers and carrots: 35 mins at 10 lbs).

But, I'm still afraid of them.

It seems that if pressure canning carrots or peppers in water would be acceptable at that time/pressure, then it should acceptable to can them in a more acidic fluid at the same time/pressure. Is that wrong?

As a general guide, yes that would be true IF the scidity level was high enough. A 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water is the minimum recommended for untested recipes so I'd skip the the one with more water in it.

There are exceptions to your statement however that depend on the density of the food.

If you can post the recipes or link to them we can take a look at them and better know for sure.

Dave

Here are the ingredients of two recipes I made, followed by the URLs for the full recipes:

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Habanero Hot Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 habanero peppers, seeded and blanched
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup white vinegar

[http://allrecipes.com/recipe/habanero-hot-sauce/]

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Bob's Habanero Hot Sauce - Liquid Fire:

24 habanero peppers, seeded and blanched
1 (15.5 ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

[http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bobs-habanero-hot-sauce---liquid-fire/]

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I also consider quality and economy. In this case I think both recipes fail on those counts. Both are easy to make year-round with commonly available ingredients (barring the habs) so in that regard the time and considerable expense of canning is a waste. Add to the waste the fact that such ingredients as peaches, molasses and mustard are already processed and preserved, so you're basically re-canning a mixture of preserved foods spiced up with habs.

Secondly, the application of heat, particularly the heat of pressure-canning, is going to flatten the flavor. Peppers don't like excessive heat and neither do mustard and many spices. In the second recipe in particular you might be unpleasantly surprised at the flavor profile once that spiced mixture has sat on the shelf a while.

My inclination would be to freeze or dehydrate the habs or can just habs in vinegar BWB (many recipes available on this forum for peppers in vinegar as well as at the NCHFP) then mix up the sauces "on demand." For gifting sauces like these could easily be made some weeks ahead and refrigerated.

To answer the original question, the second sauce, Bob's, is probably fine for BWB and wouldn't require pressure canning. You have higher-acid peaches, yellow mustard and a good amount of vinegar. The problematic ingredients are the molasses and the peppers.

But this is a guess and even if it were possible to can this I wouldn't for the reasons given. Canning stuff like this is a costly luxury.

Carol

Your thoughts are very helpful for a newcomer. From what you say, it seems I need a paradigm shift.

Our thinking was: Lots of produce > find recipes to use produce > preserve final product.

Your suggestion is: Lots of produce > preserve produce > make final product later.

That actually makes a lot more sense. Thank you.

Just one last question: Is it true that pressure canning (as opposed to BWB) makes the question of acidity a non-issue, or does that still matter?

As Carol said, the Bob's recipe is probably ok and ok for BWB canning as well. The other recipe has some real problems for canning in any manner and should be skipped. As an aside I'll add that that particular source of recipes is NOT considered a good source for reliable, safe canning information. Best to stick with the approved and tested sources.

Is it true that pressure canning (as opposed to BWB) makes the question of acidity a non-issue, or does that still matter?

True in part only. Acidity is 'less' of an issue than it is with BWB canning but it is still relevant. First, because with pressure canning you are working predominately with low-acid foods, and second, because pH does not remain stable during shelf storage. It rises.

So the primary focus shifts to using proper processing times and pressures and the density of the food. The more low-acid the food is (the higher its pH) the longer the processing time required. The more dense the food is the longer the processing time required.

As some new food preservation I strongly recommend some exploratory reading at NCHFP for all the basic theory and practice guidelines.

Dave

Certainly the high heats of pressure canning have the potential to kill botulism spores. However, water activity (i.e. % of water in the product) and density are also issues as they influence heat penetration. Obviously if the canner is at temp and pressure but the time (which is also a factor of jar size) is not sufficient to fully penetrate all the product, then pH is not the most significant issue.

The other issues are the ones I mentioned - quality and cost-effectiveness. For example the NCHFP tested summer squash but decided against recommending canning because pressure canning that product doesn't result in a very appealing food - think yellow beige mush in a jar. Sometimes it's just not worth it unless you don't really care what you eat. To me that defeats the purpose of canning your own home-grown food.

Paradigm shift is the perfect term.

Carol

I grew up in a household in which we had as little to do with food growing and production as possible, and nothing was made from scratch ("Why make it when you can buy it in a box?!"). Given that, it's not just been a matter of learning how to grow/cook/preserve, but also how to think about it. Hence the need for the paradigm shift!

This forum is a welcome wealth of knowledge on that front. I really appreciate your willingness to help a novice!

I'm now armed with the Ball Blue Book, and I have contacted our local extension agent to see if there are any classes that will be available in the spring!

Carol