Hot peppers,Ghost Chili peppers In Spaghetti Sauce questio

[dominoebarb]

Can you chop up hot peppers or the Ghost Chili or white habenaro type with out blistering the skin and removing the seeds in my homemade spaghetti sauce and processing them in a hot water bath method canner and if I can are there any special precautions I need to take so we do not get botulism or something else?

[Molly53]

dominoebarb wrote:
Can you chop up hot peppers or the Ghost Chili or white habenaro type with out blistering the skin and removing the seeds in my homemade spaghetti sauce and processing them in a hot water bath method canner and if I can are there any special precautions I need to take so we do not get botulism or something else?

If you wish to follow current USDA/NCHFP (National Center for Home Food Preservation) guidelines for optimum, shelf-stable storage safety, you'll need to pressure can your sauce, Barb.

Click on SPAGHETTI SAUCE for detailed directions. Alternatively, Tangy Spaghetti Sauce for Canning (link) is an heirloom recipe (meaning, it no longer meets current guidelines) using the BWB method and has been very highly rated. If I were using this recipe, I'd add supplemental acid in the form of bottled lemon juice or citric acid to reduce the pH to a level providing an inhospitable environment for spoilage organisms.

Use your peppers to taste in either recipe, but be very sparing when adding them. Bhut Jolokia/Ghost Peppers are near the top of the Scoville Scale (VERY hot). You can always add more but you can't take away once they're in the mixture.

Also, please be very careful handling the peppers. Consider using goggles to protect your eyes and certainly use gloves to protect the skin of your hands. FYI, most of the "heat" is located in the seeds and inner membranes.

There are other ways to utilize your peppers. Click on PICKLED HOT PEPPERS and HOW TO CAN NON-PICKLED PEPPERS for some great information.

Also:
Habanero Pepper Sauce
Habanero Mango Hot Sauce
Roasted Tomato and Habanero Sauce
Essential Habanero Hot Sauce

Had you thought about fermenting them? It's the old fashioned way to preserve vegetables. Click on Fermentation ~ Pickles, Sauerkraut and Vegetables for more information.

Take a look at Fermented Hot Chili Sauce Lacto-fermented peppers are a deferred-gratification food. Unlike sauerkraut, cukes or carrots, which can be enjoyed within weeks of fermenting, peppers have more in common with a fine wine, which benefits by being tucked away, forgotten, its physicochemical properties needing a minimum of 3-months (6 is better) and up to 3-years, to mingle, creating flavors you didn’t know existed.

Also, click on FERMENTED WHOLE PEPPERS (no vinegar involved). Whole fermented peppers or pickled pepper rings need to ferment for at least 3-months, but 6-months is better. For a chunky mash texture, use your food processor with its steel blade. If, after a week, or so, your mash develops surface mold/bloom/scum (this is normal), simply scrape it off and discard.

Both of these recipes can be BWB'd.

Your peppers will also dehydrate beautifully. Slice them into rings (or leave them whole) and place on a cookie sheet in the oven overnight at 150F until they are brittle. The less moisture left in them, the longer they will store. You can keep them in mason jars until you're ready to use them.

Additionally, you can roast and freeze them. ROAST AND FREEZE PEPPERS (link)

[Dib's]

dominoebarb wrote:
Can you chop up hot peppers or the Ghost Chili or white habenaro type with out blistering the skin and removing the seeds in my homemade spaghetti sauce and processing them in a hot water bath method canner and if I can are there any special precautions I need to take so we do not get botulism or something else?

As far as the peppers go wear gloves-they can be clean dish gloves or the throw away kind. If you are going to add Ghost peppers a few go a long way in the heat department, same for habaneros.

If your spaghetti sauce recipe is like this one for Big Batch Spaghetti Sauce then you can use a boiling water bath canner. If your recipe calls for meat then you will need to use a pressure canner.

It sounds to me like your a new canner, I strongly recommend you read the first 5 threads here-
http://www.food.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=286600

[dominoebarb]

Would I have to use canning salt? I hate adding salt unless I have to also how much lemon juice would I need to use?

[Dib's]

dominoebarb wrote:
Would I have to use canning salt? I hate adding salt unless I have to also how much lemon juice would I need to use?

It would be a whole lot easier if we could see the recipe your using. Is it posted here?

[dominoebarb]

3 Tablespoons of oregano
3 clove of garlic, minced 3 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons diced, fresh OR dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
About 20 pounds of tomatoes about 1/2 of a bushel

This is the recipe I use and really wanted to add the hot peppers to it

[Molly53]

I wonder if you'd consider doing a small, test batch to see how you like using the peppers in spaghetti sauce before you commit to the expense of all of those ingredients, Barb.

[Dib's]

dominoebarb wrote:
3 Tablespoons of oregano
3 clove of garlic, minced 3 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons diced, fresh OR dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
About 20 pounds of tomatoes about 1/2 of a bushel

This is the recipe I use and really wanted to add the hot peppers to it

Your recipe looks fine. You don't have to add salt if you don't want to.

[dominoebarb]

So would I have to ferment the peppers before I could use them in that sauce recipe?

[Molly53]

Oh, gosh. No.

If you're going to use the peppers in sauce, use them either fresh or dehydrated.

I was just suggesting alternative ways for you to preserve your peppers.

[dominoebarb]

Oh Im sorry I more than likely wasn't very clear. I am making home made spaghetti sauce with the recipe above and canning it for later use and wanted to know if I could use ghost chili peppers,and the other hot pepper varieties that I mentioned in the sauce and then process it in the hot water bath canning method? Im sorry if I confused you. We like very spicy sauces and I wanted to make sure it would be ok to do before doing it.

[dominoebarb]

What happens if I forgot to remove the air from the jars before water bath canning? Do I need to re process the sauce? I do not normally forget to do this but this batch I did ugh me

[Molly53]

This guesswork and worry about storage safety is why one should follow a tested recipe start to finish, as I recommended in my first post.


Signs of Spoilage:
Bulging jar lids, or a leak, may mean gas is present and the food spoiled.

Before opening home canned foods wash jars and lids and carefully inspect the jars. Bacteria, yeasts and molds should have been destroyed if the food was properly processed.

When you open the container, look for such danger signs as spurting cloudy or frothy liquid, an "off" color, deterioration, or slimy texture. A foamy or murky appearance and patches of mold are visible signs of spoilage. That ordinary looking mold on home- canned food may indicate the presence of a much more deadly problem: botulism.

The odor in good jars of food should be pleasant and characteristic of the product. Do not use food which looks or smells bad, or if there is any doubt as to its safety.

Destroy food if any of these signs are obvious; discard out of reach of humans and animals.

All low-acid, home-canned food should be boiled 10 to 20 minutes to ensure destruction of botulism-causing toxin for added safety. Heating denatures the toxin so that it does not react with the body. Never taste low-acid, home canned food before cooking it.

Perhaps you'll find these clickable links helpful:

Altitude Affects Canning/Bottling/Preserving

How Canning Preserves Food ~ US Cooperative Extension Service

USDA 2009 Guide To Home Canning

Canners and Methods NOT Recommended and Why

[dominoebarb]

Yes I read that in one of the links you gave me but I could not find the answer to my questions of re processing it if I did not release the air? Im sorry I am such a pain I really like canning and want to continue to do so but maybe its just not for me if I am making mistakes and not finding the answers I need. You guys have been awesome but I feel like a pain when I can not find the answer'son my own. Will it hurt to reprocess the spaghetti sauce just to be safe? If I do reprocess do I just dump out all of the sauce into a pain and get it hot as well as the jars and new seals or do i just leave the sauce in the jars and put them back into the canner in the hot boiling water/\?

[Molly53]

dominoebarb wrote:
Yes I read that in one of the links you gave me but I could not find the answer to my questions of re processing it if I did not release the air? Im sorry I am such a pain I really like canning and want to continue to do so but maybe its just not for me if I am making mistakes and not finding the answers I need. You guys have been awesome but I feel like a pain when I can not find the answer'son my own. Will it hurt to reprocess the spaghetti sauce just to be safe? If I do reprocess do I just dump out all of the sauce into a pain and get it hot as well as the jars and new seals or do i just leave the sauce in the jars and put them back into the canner in the hot boiling water/\?

You're not a PITA.

I don't know what to tell you.

My best guess is to leave them alone and not re-process if they've sealed tightly. Keep an eye on them, remembering the signs of spoilage and cook the contents very thoroughly prior to consuming.

Is it possible to store the jars in your frig?

If you'd like to preserve your own sauce instead of a tested recipe in the future, perhaps freezing it might be the best alternative.