Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Mexican Tomato Sauce
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Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Mexican Tomato Sauce

   

Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Mexican Tomato Sauce1

United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service2

Mexican Tomato Sauce
2-1/2 to 3 lbs chile peppers
18 lbs tomatoes
3 cups chopped onions
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 cup vinegar
Yield: About 7 quarts

Procedure: Caution: Wear rubber gloves while handling chilies or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face. Wash and dry chilies. Slit each pepper on its side to allow steam to escape. Peel peppers using one of the following methods:

Oven or broiler method: Place chilies in oven (400° F) or broiler for 6-8 minutes until skins blister.

Range-top method: Cover hot burner, either gas or electric, with heavy wire mesh. Place chilies on burner for several minutes until skins blister. Allow peppers to cool. Place in a pan and cover with a damp cloth. This will make peeling the peppers easier. After several minutes, peel each pepper. Cool and slip off skins. Discard seeds and chop peppers. Wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water, slip off skins, and remove cores. Coarsely chop tomatoes and combine chopped peppers and remaining ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 depending on the method of canning used.

Tables

Table 1.

Table 1. Recommended Process time for Mexican Tomato Sauce in a dial-gauge pressure canner.

Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack
Jar Size
Process Time
0 - 2,000 ft
2,001 - 4,000 ft
4,001 - 6,000 ft
6,001 - 8,000 ft
Hot
Pints
20 min
11 lb
12 lb
13 lb
14 lb
Quarts
25
11
12
13
14
*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.


Table 2.

Table 2. Recommended process time for Mexican Tomato Sauce in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.

Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack
Jar Size
Process Time
0 - 1,000 ft
Above 1,000 ft
Hot
Pints
20 min
10 lb
15 lb
Quarts
25
10
15
*After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.



Footnotes

1. This document is FCS 8193, a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 2003. Reviewed: June 2008. This document was extracted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. It was originally published on CD-ROM as part of HE 8149, Guide 3: Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

2. Reviewed for use in Florida by Amy Simonne, assistant professor, Food Safety and Quality, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.


The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.



Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.