# Canning questions



## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

I'm doing a duel experiment today. 

I make a very spicy tomato dish. I start with sauteing some onions and green peppers. Then I add a jar of store bought spaghetti sauce and loads of hot peppers like halberno, jalapeno, frying peppers, green and red peppers. I usually sear some sort of pork on both sides, add this sauce and slow cook through. Served over white rice.

Today I'm going to try making my own spaghetti sauce and I'm adding the peppers at the start instead of later in the cooking process.

I'm also doing it in a big batch and plan to can a lot of it. 

Are plum tomatoes acid enough? Or will the peppers absorb too much? Is a couple drops of lemon juice enough before canning it? 

Any last minute tips before I start? I'm gonna watch a movie and then get on this.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

halberno?? you are in my prayers...:ignore:


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

JayJay said:


> halberno?? you are in my prayers...:ignore:


I love'm been using them for years.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I would add at least one to two teaspoons of lemon juice to pints and at least one good heaping tablespoon of lemon juice to the quarts. 
There used to be a proportion chart of how much veggie you could add to how much tomato and still be safe. Probably somewhere in the ball blue book.
I know that for every half bushel of tomatoes I can into sauce I can put about 4 spears of celery/two big onions/two big green peppers. and I do put the lemon juice in even tho I use old acidic type heirloom tomatoes.. I like the kick that the lemon juice gives the sauce. 
Depending on how much you make at a time I'd say check per the ball blue book.. 
I'll go surf the net and see if it is on their web site..

Looking at the spaghetti sauce from the BBB it looks like the ratio is two cups low acid veggies to 5lbs tomato product. 
Another recipe has it 6cups tomato puree to 1 1/2 cups low acid veggies. Both are in the BBB.
and add the lemon juice to each jar before processing.
But if you are adding any meat then you must pressure can it at the longest timed Item in the sauce. 
Hope that this helps.

ETA: Oh I have also started not putting any herbs in my spaghetti sauce. I found that I had to add more every time I opened a jar so I make it with out and just add them when I open a jar for dinner. I don't know if I wasn't putting enuf in when I made it or the flavors of the herbs just got overwhelmed by the sauce in the jar after canning. I just make it plain now. adding the garlic/oregano/basil and olive oil when I open a jar.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

Well it's started. I diced up the peppers and tomatoes and ran them through my food processor which turned them into mush. Whoever designed the thing made it way overpowered

As I'm cooking it's now bland but does light an alarm a second or so later. 

I'm just not tasting the spices or the sugar I added. I might just say screw it and raid my freezer for some frozen halbrenro and use the rest of my japenoes. But I'm gonna take your idea of adding spices when I use the stuff. Fingers crossed

Either way I'm letting it cook down a while and see what happens. It's simmering on low heat.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

spaghetti sauce needs to sit for several months for the flavors to mello


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

The flavor has improved markedly. Half an hour ago I'd have called it a bad batch of me buying the spaghetti sauce. 

It's not bland anymore, It tastes okay and tingles from the moment it hits my tongue till the burn kicks in. But not as flavorful as I want. 

Who knows where it'll end up.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

I'm a raging idiot apparently. I bought the wrong size replacement lids for the jars and a smaller size for new jars (which the new lids fit). I also when I ran to go buy a unrelated product I turned the burner higher than intended, which resulted in a scorched bottom to the pan. 

Bottom sauce is still passable but now I'm canning 11 smaller jars and 3 larger (left over lids).


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

Water bathing seems to be working, guess I'll check to see if whole project worked....


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

bahramthered said:


> Water bathing seems to be working, guess I'll check to see if whole project worked....


Is there meat in your sauce?


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

No, just veggies. 

When I was doing it I heard that popping sound the cans make. Took me back to my childhood when my mom canned. Guess it was a good sign.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Ping ping ping!! love that sound..


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

Scarred the heck out of me, First two cans where on the counter when they both pinged while grabbing the third. Took me a second to figure out it was a good thing.


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