Canning question

[honey-lilac]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but it has to do with food!

So I made a batch of tomato sauce today, canned in a water bath.

Trouble is, I forgot to add lemon sauce at the end, and I only boiled for 30 minutes instead of 35. I saw a site which said that you have to boil for at least 35 minutes (and we're at high altitude too so usually we have to add 5-10 mins) to prevent spoilage, and also the adding lemon juice is supposed to be essential.

We don't have room in our freezer or refrigerator, only in our pantry.

Can I still store these jars safely or do I have to rush to use them up? And er, how do you know if an opened jar is safe to eat? I've never canned tomatoes before and I'm scared stiff of botulism etc.

[robugmum]

If you're worried, I would open all the jars, stick the sauce back in the pot, make sure you're happy with the flavour (might as well, right?) re-season with lemon juice, refill the jars and reprocess them.

BTW, I canned almost 200 lbs of tomatoes last year, we are still enjoying them - it is soooo worth it!

[Ellp]

I've never added lemon juice to my tomato sauces. I think the original purpose was to raise the acidity level of the tomatoes so that its less likely to spoil.

As for the timing, I can't exactly remember how long I've processed my tomatoes for but I don't think I would sweat over 5 minutes.

I agree with Robugmum that if in doubt you can always reprocess the tomatoes. I'd probably just open up the jar, put the lemon juice in, and reprocess them in the jar again, rather than dumping out the tomatoes in the pot. That way you save yourself the step of having to clean out the jars, and resterilizing them.

Btw, I canned with Robugmum last year (HI!!!! ) and we had such fun! I only did 40lbs of tomatoes and I ran out sometime back in May. I'm definately doing more this year.

[sunnygir1]

Did you put other ingredients in the tomato sauce, or just tomatoes?

If it's just red tomatoes, you don't have to worry about the lemon juice and you don't have to can for 35 minutes...more like 15...I'd have to look it up to be sure. If your jars sealed you're fine.

The deal is that if you add other ingredients: onions, garlic, other vegetables, fresh herbs, etc., you lower the acidity of the concoction. Then I would understand the need for the lemon juice to raise the acidity back up.

I have never canned tomato sauce with other ingredients...I always freeze it, and if I did can, I would probably use a pressure canner.

[noobmom]

You can reprocess as long as it's been less than 24 hours since you canned. You'll have to use new lids.

The reason for the lemon juice is to raise the acidity. Today's tomatoes are bred to be sweeter and less acidic than in the old days. Also, people used to pick both ripe and underripe fruits together for canning purposes (don't know if you did that).

Many people can using older methods and haven't died. Personally, I wouldn't risk it. If you decide to keep the jars as is, I would boil the contents for at least 10 minutes before tasting it.

[honey-lilac]

Hmm. Today was one of those days and I didn't get around to reprocessing yet - so it's been over 24 hours. =( I think I'll use them up sooner rather than later and boil them for a good 10 mins as is. (We usually put meat in there anyway and simmer for a long time before serving, so that shouldn't be too problematic on its own.) Lesson learned though!

(And yes, we added garlic, onion, spices, etc.)