Yeah you can leave out the hot pepper flakes. No problem. The lime juice "technically" is supposed to be bottled since the bottled juice is pH stabilized and fresh juice isn't.

Dave

Thanks, Dave.

Since I get free limes and lemons quite often, I use fresh juice quite a bit instead of bottled. I know they say not to but I see no point to throwing out a good fresh juice supply and buying preserved juice in a bottle. I don't like vinegar much so often substitute lime juice for some of the vinegar. I think the lime juice is more acidic anyway. I think you can usually leave out hot peppers in a canning recipe since peppers are low acid and the other stuff is probably higher acid.

<I know they say not to but I see no point to throwing out a good fresh juice supply and buying preserved juice in a bottle.>

The reason is the difference in pH of the tested and stabilized pH of the bottled vs. the highly variable and unknown pH of the fresh. Fresh limes and lemons, while acidic, test out over a wide range of pH.

Dave

I use my fresh lemon juice, but add a little citric acid to the jars.

<I use my fresh lemon juice, but add a little citric acid to the jars.>

That gives you an little extra margin of safety but still results in an unknown pH. The risk with salsas is that they are eaten fresh out of the jar with no further cooking to destroy any toxins that might have developed. So if it is an unknown going into the jar then it is still an unknown coming out of the jar when eaten. Your choice, your risk to take and share with others.

Dave

I see your point.