Hi everyone! First time canner and I'm very paranoid about my salsas head space being unsafe. We made these one week ago. Should I toss them? The seals seems good and strong but im VERY scared of botulism. I love canning and the thought of feeding my family with what we grow. I'd hate to waste all the hard work so I thought I'd get some opinions and thoughts. Also, I followed the ball recipe for salsa but I did blend it, and pre boiled before adding to jars then water bath canned these. Thanks for any input!
by Unusually_usual93
3 Comments
Congratulations on delicious salsa! If you followed the recipe, it should be perfectly fine. Botulism does not grow in acidic environments, just fyi. Mold does if it canned improperly.
Rest assured – if you followed the Ball recipe (which is safe), then it will be safe. I was nervous but have grown more and more into appreciating all that we safely can. This fall open one and enjoy the wonderful taste. Add a bit of hot sauce even. Enjoy it & welcome !!
During 1975–2009, botulism-related death was reported in 109 (3.0%) of 3,618 botulism cases in the USA – [Source](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5460764/).