I prepared everything for making hot sauce, then realized I forgot to buy vinegar (everything is closed on Sundays). In the end I used what I had lying around. Here is what my recipe was approximately
500ml lemon juice
500ml 8% acidity vinegar
1.5 liters worth of fresh tomatoes
500ml of fresh peppers, spices, onion, garlic
My end result was 3l after 40 minutes of cooking, so this is a bit approximate, but yeah, about that. Given that tomatoes are already rather acidic, bordering 4.6, and that the only non-acidic component is the 500ml of fresh peppers garlic and onion, do you think my sauce is acidic enough to be shelf stable (after proper water bath canning)?
I could always put the result in the fridge when it cools down and buy ph strips, but I’d like your opinion first.
Photo post bath.
by spud_pie
4 Comments
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I’m not sure these jars are safe for canning (please if I am wrong, someone link a safe source about these). You also can’t just make up a recipe. You don’t mention any water bath canning processing time
I think you will need to refrigerate these
You need to follow guidelines such as this from OSU Extension. A pepper is a pepper but you need proper ratios or it’s just a game of guessing. I would eat it myself, but stored in the fridge. It’s not a candidate for canning if you’re wanting the most appropriate response.
[Canning Hotsauce](https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5365)
You need a tested recipe and ingredients with the proper acidity…also jars meant for canning. I don’t know who or what source is pushing testing pH with pH strips…they are not reliable in a home canning setup. I would cool those down and portion into containers or bags for the freezer.