Do I have to process home canned salsa?

by Sheila

I made salsa with a friend and am not sure if I "trust it". We had a borrowed recipe (with vinegar in it) but the part I question is that we did not use pressure or boiling water technique.

We heated the washed jars in the oven, then put the cooked (boiling) salsa into the hot jars and but the hot lids on. They did all seal.

Is this good enough? I thought it had to go into the pot and boil the whole jar? As you can tell I am a very beginner! Thanks very much.

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Answer:

Hi Sheila, You are correct. You should always process home canned foods in either a water bath canner or a pressure canner, depending on the food type. Salsa can be safely processed in a water bath canner.

Here is a link describing Water bath canning


What you did is called open kettle canning. This is where the food is put into the jars hot and allowed to cool on it's own. You can get a seal this way but there is no guarantee that the food inside has been cleared of any spoiling factors.

Open kettle canning used to be common but it is now not recommended. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I hope that helps.

Sharon