The sizes of the primary ingredients are variable. Tomatos can range from small like a golf ball to larger than baseballs. Same holds true for peppers and onions. If the end result is more, you simply fill more jars. The total amount is only approximate.

Agree with Ken - size of the fruit to begin with can vary greatly. Assuming you are measuring correctly. You could also be leaving in much more of the tomato liquid than some others do.

Not sure why a "a courser chop, I ended up with air bubbles" since that shouldn't happen just from a more coarse chop. Too little liquid or not removing all the air from the packed jar causes that to happen.

I know we sometimes get 8 or 8 1/2 jars but never got any more than that.

Dave

It's a good idea to measure your chopped veggies in any recipe, rather than hoping to duplicate your results from year to year based on a number of tomatoes, peppers, etc. I say this because I finally started doing just that in making my chow-chow last year. I put my chopped veggies in a big stock pot which has volume markings so I can get a good estimate of the volume. I measure each component before salting, draining and rinsing, but just the total volume after, and make notes so the next time I have a better idea what worked (or didn't). The components vary a bit from year to year depending on what the garden produces, but I have a record now. An obvious side effect of doing this is that I have a really good idea of how many pints I'll get before I add the veggies to the pickle.

I had some Big Bertha bell peppers this year that would make three of the peppers I had last year, and I've never figured out where the dividing line is between small, medium and large heads of cabbage.

Chuck

Gosh, I'm not sure how you could come out with that many more!

I know, I know, this is a dumb question, but I have to ask because it popped into my mind...bear with me please???

Are you sure you're using pints and not half-pints?

When I add up all the ingredients, there's about 18 cups (9 pints) of ingredients. I didn't count the dry stuff (i.e. pepper, cumin).

I don't know how you can get 10-11 pints.

Deanna (confused in Oregon)

DUH! Am I reading this correctly? ksrogers, what has the size of tomatoes or peppers or onions got anything to do with the final product? You have a recipe to follow! It calls for 8 cups of chopped tomatoes,drained.. It makes no difference if you use forty tommy toes or 1... 5 pounder. you are still only going to use 8 (EIGHT CUPS) for the recipe.

ccaggiano, we always get more than 7 pints.. Maybe fudging a little on the recipe, my wife might hsve a extra cup of tomatoes or a half cup more of oinions. But I remember the first batch we ever did three years ago,, WE measured every thing to the letter and ended up with 8 and a half pints. Maybe it has to do with the orignal recipe?? Annie are you sure you only got 7 jars??

I only made this for the first time a few weeks ago, and ended up with 6 pints and 4 12oz jars. (9 pints), plus another cup or so that didn't make it to a jar. I measured everything exactly as the recipe said, very carefully.

The difference in volume could be in the liquid lost in the draining of tomatoes. Maybe some of us are measuring before they're drained, and some are measuring after.

Which way is correct?

I chop my tomatoes, peppers and onions all to about 1/4"-1/2" cubes, I'm not overly picky about it. I cut in half, scoop out most of the seeds/gel stuff, maybe give the entire half a squeeze over the scrap bucket, but again, not picky about it, just getting rid of some of the juiciness.
Finish chopping to size and toss into the measuring cup.

I do not drain any further. When the veggies get to the required amount, I dump into the pot.

I lose about 3 oz. on the tomato sauce (use 29 oz can, rather than 2 16 oz. cans). Otherwise, the only variable is the 3-5 jalapenos. They vary some in size, but not 4 cups worth.

I almost always get 6 1/2 - 7 pints (based on the amount of tasting during the simmer time...LOL).

Hmmm.........it sure would be interesting to make this side by side with someone else to see where the differences are.

Deanna

I guess I should have actually read Annie's recipe! From the OP's question, I assumed it was one of those so many tomatoes, so many peppers, etc. I should have known such a cited recipe would be much more "scientific"!

Chuck

I am measuring based on the recipe. And NOT by the number of peppers, tomatoes, onions etc. I am sorry for being such a morom and not getting this. But I am really curious as to why this is happening.

And - Deanna - you are getting a little closer. When adding up the total amount of ingredients, you are coming out with 9 pints - not the seven that the recipe says you should come out with.

So, and please bear with me, if I have too much liquid from the tomatoes in there, wouldn't that account for the extra pint or two I am getting above that? I am measuring packed, finely chopped tomatoes, onions and peppers. And there is a ton of juice from those veggies in my measurements so my "cups" are full.

I am comfortable with my end product because I have learned to measure my end product before I add the acid. And I add my acids based on how much I will ultimately end up with rather than what the recipe calls for.

Measuring by volume is not as accurate as measuring by weight. Things getting chopped and placed in a measuring cup can differ in weight and amount, as it depends on the size of the bits.

Ken, I get what you are saying. But the recipe is based on volume, not weight.

Like I said, I am comfortable with the safety of my end product because I am adding the acid based on my final volume. The recipe is calls for one cup of vinegar to Annie's end product of seven pints. So that is one cup of vinegar for every 14 cups of salsa. So if I get 10 pints of salsa before the vinegar, I'll add a cup and a half of vinegar and am confident that the recipe is safe.

I've learned enough from you guys over the past two seasons on this board to do this.

What I can't figure out is why, after following this recipe to a t, I am ending up with so much more end product. And I am hoping that by asking this, some of you with more experience can shed some light on this. I am not that concerned about my own salsa. But am thinking more about the people that are new to canning and might do the same thing.

I have no idea unless your measuring cups are not accurate enough. I have a 1/3 cup and 1/2 cup that look very similar. ALso have a 1 and 2 cup metal measuring cups, but they definatly look different. The glass pyrex measuring cups are also not very accurate as the glass thickness, taper, and printing can be off as much as 1/2 cup.

Are you using dry cup measurements for dry things and liquid cups for the liquid/chopped veggies ? It really does make a difference.
They just did a study on measuring cups on Americas Test Kitchen. They found that not all do measure the same. Same thing we teach in classes, use the right ones for the job.
Ken is right, they do vary in accuracy. I have one plastic one that is for liquid things, but it does not measure the same or as accurate as my other cups. I just use it mostly to use to pour things out of or when it doesn't matter if things are 100 percent accurate. The hummingbirds don't care if I mix up their nectar in it.

I posted in another discussion about an experience in a canning class I once had - about the many varied ways people measure things. It was amazing to see the different amounts everyone got for 4 cups of chopped solids - some were as much as 1 cup total over - yet each one of us really believed that we had measured correctly until we saw the differences. Even more curious was that everyone was over 4 cups and no one was under.

Instructor said it was an unconscious mind-set, a fear of being short and that if some is good, more is better. :)

The old construction axiom of "measure twice, cut once" has some truth to it.

Deanna said she gets 6 1/2 to 7 pints, we have gotten up to 8 1/2, Annie mentioned in the past that she sometimes gets 6-8 I think. But 11 to 12? That has to be either insufficiently drained or mis-measured to make that much difference.

Dave

PS: "drained" and "well-drained" also means different things to different folks.

Well - I was finally successful in making the right amount of salsa. As it turned out, I was using a 2 cup measuring cup and was measuring on the heavy side. It is so wide at the top that just going a little bit over the 2 cup line adds about 1/2 cup of ingredients. Add that to the 18 cups of actual ingredients (9 pints) and there is my 11 - 12 pints.

I finally made a double batch tonight, added four pints from my first batch that was made with white vinegar and came out with 18 pints plus one extra for the fridge. I'm glad I figured that one out.

Here is my next question... when sharing the salsa, does anyone else take a step back and decide whether or not the recipient is "salsa worthy?" I do. And I am really, really stingy with it. Which so unlike me. Heck, I drive around with fruit, veggies and drinks. There are two homeless guys in my town and when I see them, I always give them something. Just as long as I don't have to share the salsa :-)

Salsa comes in several heats from zero to white hot. Its one of those things people would be upset if they expected a mild store bought and yours singes the inside of a mouth. But even for that, you can make yours as mild or as hot as you like, or even add a bit more dried hot peppers to the last few jars, and label them 'extra bold', or something similar. Cider vinegar or lime juice also tones down the overall flavor.