Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> In article >,
> Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > In article <bQd2g.19629$IZ2.3545@dukeread07>,
> > "Kathryn" > wrote:
> >
> > > Anyone have a good recipe and directions for canning sweet stewed tomatoes? I
> have only been canning for 2 years now, so the easier the better!
> > > Thanks! Kathryn
> >
> > Kathryn, the two docs below are from the U of MN Extension Divn site.
> > The recipe for the Minnesota Mixture (stewed tomatoes) was developed
> > here at the U. These two recipes are still readily accessible with some
> > modest searching skills and I wonder about them because they do NOT
> > include the addition of lemon juice or other acid, which is SOP nowadays
> > when processing tomatoes in a boiling water bath. Read all the
> > information carefully.
> > When I did my first search, one of the links that came up included a
> > couple phone numbers for two county offices: the Marshall Extension
> > Office at 800-745-5232 or the Kittson County Extension Office at
> > 800-770-7029. These phone numbers were provided for registration for a
> > workshop held in 2003 -- before our Extension education system was
> > decimated. I do not know if they are still valid - but worth a try,
> > certainly.
> > I have concern about the recipe because it was developed before the
> > instructions to acidify tomatoes for BWB processing and I'm surprised
> > that it hasn't been updated to include it. And it's still on the
> > website as it always has been.
> > http://www.extension.umn.edu/foodsaf.../tomatomixture
> > .pdf
> > http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...on/DJ1097.html
>
> I received this response from the folks at the U of MN in response to my
> question:
>
> I wrote:
> "Is the U of MN's "Minnesota Tomato Mixture" still safe for boiling
> water bath processing? I note the absence of extra acid, which is now a
> standard in canning *plain* tomato products for boiling water bath
> processing."
>
> And received this reply:
> "Yes, we encourage home food preservers to add extra acid (e.g. lemon
> juice or vinegar) to all tomatoes and tomato products to ensure the
> product is in the "acid" range to be safe for water bath processing. To
> be on the safe side, add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to a pint of
> tomatoes/tomato products or 2 tablespoons vinegar to a pint OR add 2
> tablespoons lemon juice to a quart or 4 tablespoons vinegar to a quart.
> The MN Tomato Mixture was developed a number of years ago to contain
> enough acid to be safe for water bath canning. In light of today's
> tomato varieties and growing conditions, it's good to play on the safe
> side!
> Some folks don't like the flavor of the added lemon juice or vinegar and
> we suggest adding a little sugar to offset the flavor."
> Research on tomatoes and tomato mixtures has not occurred at the
> University of Minnesota recently. We are hoping to "raise the bar" on
> this issue in the future as we hear many people are canning tomatoes and
> tomato mixtures! As you talk with other preservers, do you think there
> is an interest in updating the MN Tomato Mixture or learning more about
> acidity of today's tomatoes and tomato products??
> I replied to the question in the last paragraph with a resounding 'yes'.
> Me? I live with citric acid. :-)
> -Barb

Thanks for the update Superior Mother! Salsa products are one of the most rapidly
growing industries in the US. Chile producers down here have increased their crops
something like 700% to keep up with the demand. And those salsa recipes containing
lots of other veggies are troublesome if one doesn't do the testing. I actually did
not like the recipes in the BBB.
Edrena