# on a lighter note- Canning Salsa



## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

My Salsa seperated- like when you do whole tomatoes or peaches- like half the jar is water on the bottom- that has never happened before?
It tasted great going in the jar so I am not too worried- 
but has anyone else had this happen?


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## lickcreek (Apr 7, 2006)

I have. I just mix it well when I open the jar. It doesn't seem to make a difference.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Yes, it does happen sometimes. It also happens to quatered tomatoes, so it might be a tomatoe issue. Dosen't hurt anything tho.


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## siletz (Oct 5, 2010)

It means you had more liquid than normal in your salsa. We strain our tomatoes in a colander to get out some of the juice before adding the vinegar to get a thicker salsa. It doesn't harm anything, though, and you could always strain off some of the liquid after opening the jar if you'd like.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Because of this scenario, I now can tomatoes only, and peppers only... and mix them later at final use time, along with fresh onion and cilantro.


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

We just put up 25 quarts of salsa, but we like ours thick. We even add tomato paste just to help thicken.

By the way, anybody in our area need about 3 gallons of Jalapenos? We've never seen such prolific plants!


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

Last yr we added tomato paste- but Hubby wasn't paying attention and it cooked down too much- we ended up canning it as "Chili Starter" I can use it in Chili and wow- best mistake ever!


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## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

Did you cold pack the tomatoes/salsa? This sometimes causes separation, don't know why..

Okay you made me google why,lol 
Home canned tomatoes, tomato juice, and tomato sauces with liquid at the top and solids at the bottom are quite normal. It only reflects that the juice was made prior to heating. For example, the tomatoes were chopped, run through the steamer, sieve, or food mill while still raw and prior to heating. 
As soon as they are chopped or crushed, enzymes start to break down the pectin that helps to hold tomato cells together. The enzyme that causes separation is activated by exposure to air and inactivated by heat. In commercial production, tomatoes are flash heated nearly to boiling in a matter of seconds, using equipment not available to consumers. Because the pectin holding tomato cells together is not exposed to air when cold, it remains intact, and a thick bodied, homogeneous juice is produced. 
The solution is to leave tomatoes whole or in large chunks (do not chop). Heat before chopping or juicing to minimize the separation. 
The best way to do that at home is to heat quartered tomatoes quickly to boiling temperatures WHILE crushing. You can also heat the blanched, peeled whole tomatoes in the microwave, then crush them!
Make sure the mixture boils constantly and vigorously while you add the remaining tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes after all tomatoes are added, before juicing. If you are not concerned about juice separating, simply slice or quarter tomatoes into a large saucepan. Crush, heat and simmer for 5 minutes before juicing.
*Scenario 2 - liquid at the bottom and solids at the top *
What about the reverse: liquid at the bottom and solids at the top? That indicates too much preheating (more than 5 minutes). Pectin breaks down when it is overheated; then separation results. If separation occurs, just shake the jar before opening or decant the water off.


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

used2bcool13 said:


> Did you cold pack the tomatoes/salsa? This sometimes causes separation, don't know why..
> 
> Okay you made me google why,lol
> Home canned tomatoes, tomato juice, and tomato sauces with liquid at the top and solids at the bottom are quite normal. It only reflects that the juice was made prior to heating. For example, the tomatoes were chopped, run through the steamer, sieve, or food mill while still raw and prior to heating.
> ...


mmmm- We have #2-- thanks for looking that up


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