# canning vs. freezing salsa..



## hildare (Jul 6, 2009)

so, fantastic and skilled canning experienced folks.. can you freeze salsa? why would canning it be better (and i've read a bit that canning it is a pita)..


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## Arduinna (May 30, 2002)

If it's one of the pureed type ones I guess you could but if it is has any fresh herbs or chunky tomato I wouldn't freeze as the texture will not be the same. I just make it fresh when I need it, it's doesn't take that much time and it tastes the best freshly made. We don't even buy jarred salsa.


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## smpayne (Oct 21, 2009)

Fresh unpureed salsa is called "Pico de gallo".

Canning salsa is not too hard, if there is enough vinegar in it, otherwise you have to preassure can it. I personally don't like the ones with lots of vinegar and therefore don't bother. Due to some of the ingredients other than tomato (herbs, peppers, etc) you would need to follow a specific recipe that has been tested for canning.

Freezing will change the texture of a chunky salsa, but I would go ahead and try it with a small batch and see how it turns out. It will not be the same as the fresh made version, but it probably will still taste good.


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## tankgirl73 (Jun 10, 2007)

It doesn't have to be vinegar... it just needs enough acidity. I use bottled lemon juice and lime juice. I basically follow an 'approved' recipe though I confess I've changed it a tiny bit -- nothing that would change the acidity, though.

I don't make it fresh every time because I like cooked salsa, not the fresh raw stuff. And I like to make it up in the fall with fresh local tomatoes, so it lasts all winter. That way I don't have to use store-bought tomatoes from who-knows-where, or else use icky canned tomatoes. (Although I also can a lot of plain tomatoes, so I can use those until they run out)

It's no more of a PITA than any other canning. It takes a longer water bath than jam (esp. since I usually put it into pint or liter jars), but it's soooo worth it. SO YUMMY!! I'll usually make a HUGE batch and can like 9 litres at a time...


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## hildare (Jul 6, 2009)

thanks, y'all.. we decided to freeze it last night! It's cooked before freezing.. I'm not a big vinegar fan & we have a bumper crop of romas, so that seems like a good preservation method. we'll see how it turns out, though. I usually like it chunky but you have to make pretty juicy/blended to do it this way. It tasted good going in to the freezer, though


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## smpayne (Oct 21, 2009)

tankgirl73 said:


> It doesn't have to be vinegar... it just needs enough acidity.
> 
> 
> > True! However,most of the recipes I have seen have called for vinegar. I would love to try your recipe.


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