Yes they can however I would suggest they first be thawed and at least partially drained before you weigh them, especially if they are beefsteak/slicer types rather than paste types. Otherwise you will be adding quite a bit of water weight to the total and that can throw off your required salt amount.

I assume the very different texture that will result is acceptable to you?

Dave

+1 for what Dave said. Thaw and drain them and they should ferment just fine. I do it all the time with my hot peppers to make sauce throughout the Winter.

Was thinking about fermenting salsa with them so I think the texture will be ok. Just going to do a small jar to try it and see how it works. I have some books ordered but they won't be here in time for us to do this.

So you are adding other ingredients besides tomatoes? Do you know how much salt you need?

Dave

I have a recipe I just didn't know if I could use previously frozen tomatoes or not. Fermented Salsa

Ok. That is a do-at-your-own-risk recipe since it apparently ignores several of the standard fermentation guidelines. Good luck.

Dave

What does it ignore? I saw several others. Very new to this and will have books to read soon so I will have a better understanding but my daughter is coming from out of town and we need to do something with her tomatoes before I'll have the books. We want to make a couple of jars of fermented salsa and can the rest.

I have limited canning experience and although I have a Ball book with their recipes I wish I understood better what I might be able to do differently. I haven't really found a recipe that is exactly what I want. I basically want stewed/diced tomatoes with onion and green chiles and no sugar for canning or water batch, whichever is appropriate.

"I basically want stewed/diced tomatoes with onion and green chiles and no sugar for canning or water batch, whichever is appropriate."

Then what you want is the Stewed Tomatoes recipe in the Ball Blue Book (p. 117 latest edition) and leave out the celery and sugar and sub green chilies for the 1/2 cup green bell peppers it calls for. Processed for 15 min for pints @ 10 lbs. (adjust for altitude).

Salsa's have different guidelines than most other tomato products because of all the other added low-acid ingredients. Most importantly, since they are eaten fresh from the jar without cooking to destroy any toxins, it is vital they be totally safe when made.

The recipe you linked not only adds acid up front which retards the development of the good bacteria but isn't nearly enough to prevent pathogenic bacteria from growing, doesn't have you weigh the foods, uses too little salt for the amount of ingredients called for, calls for sun fermentation for only a couple days which isn't nearly long enough and far too hot temp wise, and seals it in oil (a big no-no safety-wise). It is a potential botulism bomb. Plus it was never intended for canning, only limited fridge storage.

"I have limited canning experience and although I have a Ball book with their recipes I wish I understood better what I might be able to do differently. I haven't really found a recipe that is exactly what I want."

That is the first safety lesson we are taught in home food preservation and the hardest one for many to accept - you can't always have what you want. You can't can your own recipes, only tested recipes. Safety comes first over personal tastes or convenience.

With experience and training one learns what modifications can be safely made, things you can "do differently". But it isn't something you can safely do otherwise. Change increases risk so the basic principle is you stick to the tested recipe and then make any personal changes only AFTER you open the jar.

There are many trusted and approved sources online for recipes and instructions but there are 10x as many UNtrustworthy online sources and personal blogs by individuals who have no training or background in food preservation and are just making up their own recipes as they go along is a good example of one of those questionable source. So until you gain the necessary experience and do a great deal more research, for your own safety please stick with the approved sources like Ball and NCHFP and USDA Guidelines.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/

Dave

Ok...I don't know if that is the Ball Book I have. I'll look. I wouldn't have known I could make those changes. Also, to be clear I want to ferment a couple of quarts of salsa (like the link I posted) and then with the remaining tomatoes can like the recipe you make reference to in the Ball Book. I don't want to can the fermented salsa. I will look for some other fermentation recipes on salsa. I've seen many but I'm not sure exactly what to look for but I'll keep in mind the things you mentioned.

TY

Linda if you ask for what you are specifically looking for than usually one of us can provide it for you. First you just asked about fermenting frozen tomatoes - no problem. Then you wanted to make fermented salsa with them - totally different issue. Then you said you wanted "stewed/diced tomatoes with onion and green chiles and no sugar for canning or water batch" - another totally different issue. Each of these has different guidelines, different methods of doing and preserving. Thus the confusion.

So if the Stewed Tomatoes is what you want that same recipe will be in the index in any of the Ball canning books and if you ask here what changes you can make someone will be glad to answer for you.

If what you want is to make fermented salsa then you don't need someone's recipe. It is simply a matter of combining all the ingredients you want in it to your taste. Coarse chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, etc.

Then either

(1) weigh the amount of the total ingredients, and then add 3 T of canning salt for each 5 lbs of food, (2.5 lbs gets 1.5 T salt etc.)

OR

(2) measure the ingredients in cups and for every 4 cups (approx 1 qt.) add 1.5 T canning salt.

Mix it all well and pack into your fermenting container(s). If using a crock with a water seal just add your weights to hold down the food or fill a zip lock bag with salted water (1.5 T per quart of water) and stuff it in place to push the food down and block air from getting in the container. Set the container out of the direct sun in an area where the temp is 70-75 degrees and let it ferment for a minimum of 7 days, then taste. If it is the taste you want then store in the fridge. If not let it ferment for another couple of days and taste again.

Dave

Sorry I was going to email you all this but you don't have Messages turned on to get mail.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I asked about the frozen tomatoes to ferment in the recipe up above. Then I said, "We want to make a couple of jars of fermented salsa and can the rest." I guess I should have started a new thread for that so that there was no confusion. My bad.

1. I would like a fermented tomato salsa recipe that I can start without whey or brine or starter culture, if possible. From reading online I understood that tomatoes contain the correct bacteria to ferment from but I wasn't sure about them having been previously frozen - hence the starting question for this thread. - You have answered this. That is what I needed to know - how to put in whatever ingredients (peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro) I want and how to ferment it. Great! I understand about the salt and the recipe but I'm not clear on the jar/crock setup etc. I only have some mason jars right now (I have weights ordered).

So, I can put the salsa mixture in the jar. Put salt water in a ziploc and push in the jar. Should the water level in the jar be flush with the top of the jar at this point? Then do I put a lid on it loosely? Also, if I add dry seasonings (for example ground cumin) and they float (I assume the would float and not stay under the ziploc bag) is this an issue?

2. I would like a diced/stewed tomato canning recipe that I can add onion and chile peppers to, no sugar. - You also answered this. I found the recipe you refer to in my book and that should work.

TY!

So all you have to ferment in is quart mason jars, right? Nothing bigger? Not ideal but they can work. Reg. mouth work better than wide mouth but you only fill the jar with the salted and mixed ingredients a little over 3/4 full (about to the shoulder curve on the reg. jar) so there is a good 21/2 to 3" up to the rim clear for the bag to fill.

The bag of salty water acts as both a weight and a seal on the jar to prevent air getting in. It will fill the rest of the space in the jar and hang over the top. A quart ziplock works good and the only reason you add salt to the water in the bag is in case it leaks into the jar you don't want to dilute your brine with plain water. Some people use marbles in the bag, some use boiled gravel, etc. the point is just to be a weight and a seal. If air gets into the food you get scum.

If you are going to do much fermenting you will need to invest in bigger containers, regular fermentation air locks or a fermenting crock.

Dave

Great...ty!

It is highly inaccurate to measure salt by volume. All salts weighs differently per unit of volume. If you add salt as a percentage of the overall ingredient weight, no matter what salt you use (except iodized), you will get the correct amount of salt. I have found that 2% salt of the overall weight of your ferment will turn out pretty darned good. It will taste salty to start with, but after fermentation things change. I have found it is much easier to weigh your main ingredients in grams. Then multiply your total grams by .02 and you will have the salt you need. Sea salt, kosher salt, pickling salt, it all works out. For example, if your main ingredients weigh 1000 grams, the salt you will need will be 20 grams. Don't use iodized salt as it will inhibit the fermentation process.

Thank you for your clarification. It is not always obvious what type of salt people are referring to in their recipes and it does make a big difference.