First, I want to check that you are using your pressure CANNER and not your pressure COOKER!!! You mentioned your pressure canner was, "alot bigger than my PC," and this concerns me.

Do NOT try to pressure can in a pressure cooker!!!

Please let us know and we'll go from there!

Be safe Di.

Kathy

O.k. Di, assuming you're using a different cannner pot than your pressure canner, I can stop worrying. :-)

According to Carol (Readinglady), who is our resident certified Master Preserver, she says that "no tested processing time has been developed for quarts" for ANY salsa recipe. Pints are the limit and quarts are unsafe to process due to their density.

For a BWB of Annie's Salsa (which is what I do), up the vinegar amount to 1 cup and process for 15 minutes.

Here's a link to a top on Annie's Salsa and quarts (scroll about 1/4 the way down....someone asked the same question)

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Salsa and processing in quarts

Thanks for the info gardengrl. Jeez now you've got me worried! I don't know the difference between a pressure cooker and a pressure canner! My pressure cooker has a tight fitting lid and a weight. My canner is just a large pot with a lid like what you would boil lobsters in( not that we have them here in southern ohio!)
I must have missed the part about using more vinegar. I have ammended my notes.

I was not raised in the country, but get plenty of gifts of salsa(in quarts) and such that are processed or not and it scares me! So I want to make that sure mine are safe and edible.

I am going to try making my MIL's pickled beans and corn, just cooked and put in a brine,but that has me nervous too! We used to love them but she is older now and seems to have haphazzard directions that make me leery!

Thanks for the help!
Di

Di, pressure cookers are typically used to cook things such as roasts, dried beans, sauces...things that usually take a long period of time to cook. They cut the cooking time down to about a third and are really convenient. Most practical sizes for pressure cookers are 6, 8, or 12 quarts. Some are bigger or smaller.

I could actually use my 23 quart pressure CANNER as a pressure cooker if I wanted to cook something HUGE in a short amount of time. My Presto canner user manual does have instructions on how to use it as a cooker; however, I cannot fathom having to pressure cook someting in a 23 quart pot!!! That would need something like a half a calf or a small pig!!! :-) LOL!

Anywho, some pressure cookers and canners use a weighted guage like you have. I can understand how it would be confusing. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense myself!

My best advice to you would be to Google whatever model canner/cooker you have and see what comes up.

Also, do you have a copy of the Ball Blue Book? This is a great reference to use for recipes, techniques, and safety procedures, and is approved by the USDA. Chances are, there is a version of your MIL's recipes in there that you could adapt safely and feel confident about.

Di, I'm sorry I'm so late, but Kathy is right. If you are going to water bath process the salsa, up the vinegar to one cup and process 15 minutes for pints. I used to do mine in quarts, then the USDA decided that they hadn't tested it for timing and so there is no guarantee that it'll be safe in quarts. I never use more than a pint anyway, so it all gets done in pints.

There are pressure cookers and pressure canners. Some are used interchangeably. You can cook in a canner, but you can't can in a cooker, if that makes sense. Your owner's manual will say "pressure cooker/canner" or just "pressure cooker". If it's a canner, can away. If not, well, buy a pressure canner, LOL.

As for the pickled beans and corn, I make dilled beans and corn relish every year. Most of the recipes are safe, but some don't contain enough vinegar. If you post them or send them to me, I'd be glad to take a look and see if I can figure it out, or if they are close to the recommended recipes.

Then again, both the National Center for Home Food Preservation and my own favorite, Michigan State University, have websites with recipes. Moo U (MSU, the Agricultural College, LOL) has "Preserving Food Safely". NCHFP is at the University of Georgia site. I'd love to link them but since I got this blasted Vista, I can't link anything.

Happy Canning, and I'm glad you enjoy that recipe, it's sure gotten popular beyond anything I imagined.

Annie

Depends on the age of your pressur cooker too. I have one from the 1970's, and it can be used for canning and cooking. Not so with the newer pressure cookers.

Di, do you have the Ball Blue Book of Canning? You can find almost any recipe in there, and most would be similar to something your MIL made anyway. Dilly beans and corn relish are common recipes, so ask away here and someone may have on you can use.

Here's my dilly beans recipe. It's from "Summer in a Jar" by Andrea Chessman. It's for a small batch though. You can double it or triple it though.

Chilly Dilly Beans

2 cups green beans, trimmed.
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. pickling salt
1 garlic clove
1 dill head or sprig fresh dill
1 fresh hot pepper or 1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I use red jalapenos from my garden)(I also take the seeds out of the pepper)

Trim the beans to fit into the pint jars, about 4 inches long.
For each pint, combine 1 cup vinegar with 1/2 cup water. Heat to boiling.
While the brine heats, place 1/2 tsp. pickling salt, 1 small garlic clove, 1 dill head and one hot pepper in each clean hot pint jar.
Pack with beans, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
Pour the hot brine over the beans, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Seal. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let the flavors develop for 6 weeks before tasting.

Figure out how many pints you want to can, and then make the amount of brine ahead of time. I always make a little more just in case. Just keep the ratio 1 cup white vinegar to 1/2 cup water. I like to use distilled water for a very clear brine, as we have wicked hard water here.