" How does one know if bwb canning is okay.."

The first clue if something can be canned or not is if canning/processing instructions are provided in the recipe. In this case they are not and the recipe makes it clear it is for fresh eating or fridge storage only. Freezing is always an option.

The second clue is the amount the recipe makes. This is a small batch recipe, a limited amount. Canning recipes are normally for very large batches of food.

The third, and most important clue is the source of the recipe. Safe canning recipes are only found in NCHFP/USDA approved books and sources. The first rule one learns in safe home food preservation is that "cooking is art, canning is based on science so you cannot safely can your own personal made-up cooking recipes.

Then once you have some training, a working knowledge of the current guidelines, and experience you can look deeper into recipes to see IF they can be adjusted to meet safe canning requirements.

In this recipe you are using already canned/processed foods. The standard canning guidelines strongly discourage doing that for several reasons. It uses large amounts of fresh herbs. Safe canning recipes will usually call for only very limited amounts of fresh herbs if any and recommend using dried herbs instead to reduce the effect on pH. It also contains too little added acid for all the low-acid ingredients it contains to safely allow it to be sealed in a vacuum. If it were to be tested its pH would very likely be well above the required 4.6 minimum required.

So I'm sorry but this recipe cannot be safely BWB canned. It very likely cannot even be pressure canned safely because its density is unknown and the processing time needed is unknown.

Canning salsa is one of the most risky type of canning there is simply because it contains so many low-acid ingredients, the pH is so close to the line, and because it is eaten fresh from the jar with no further cooking to destroy any toxins.

Burning Issues: Trying to Can Your Own Salsa

Dave

Here's a link to a canning recipe for salsa very similar to yours. I
too like cumin in my salsa so you could add 1/4 tsp. cumin to this
recipe and it would still be safe. Otherwise follow the recipe. It is
delish. But be aware that canned salsa is a bit more watery than
store-bought so you can always add a bit of tomato paste AFTER you open
it. It also has more of a vinegar or lemony taste, but that is
necessary to prevent it from being toxic when home canned. But I myself
find it to be fabulous and way better than anything I can get in the
store. Once you master this basic type of salsa you may want to branch
out into other types, made with yellow peppers or roma tomatoes or
peaches, etc. But start with the basics. The National Home Food
Preservation Center has an excellent section on salsa, which is a good
place to start for recipes too, besides the Ball site. They have a
recipe that calls for adding tomato paste ahead of time, which you might
want to check out. My favorite trick is to use roma tomatoes when I
can get them. There's a recipe on the NCFP site for that kind of salsa
too. But follow the recipes! Salsa includes peppers and peppers are
one of the things that can cause big safety problems in canning if not
handled properly.

https://www.freshpreserving.com/fresh-salsa-recipe-%7C-recipe-for-salsa---ball-fresh-preserving-br1031.html

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_salsa.html

Thanks to you both - Dave for taking the time with a detailed response, pinkmountain too. I like the tip about adding tom paste later. We're not big vinegar in my salsa fans so I think I'll just continue to freeze then try the paste trick to thicken it up a bit. Appreciate your time. (I'll check the links to articles later.)

You can use bottled lemon or lime juice in place of vinegar. That's how I do my home canned salsa. Plus, even with freezing, you'll get a thicker product using roma tomatoes, they are meatier. Or, if you're going to freeze (and only if you are going to freeze) you can try roasting the toms to dehydrate, or cooking it down before freezing. I freeze eggplant caponata that has a mix of tomatoes and eggplants, and I cook it down quite a bit. It's plenty thick when I thaw it out. The only issue there is cooked tomatoes taste different than fresh ones. But with freezing, the difference is negligible. Still way tastier than store bought because you can use RIPE tomatoes and control the quality of what goes into the pot.

Agree with Pink - Vinegar isn't required to get the right level of acidity. It is one of the options true and some prefer it. But for salsa many prefer using the stabilized lemon or lime juice instead.

Dave

Thanks again folks. Those articles were very interesting. If I decide to 'get into' canning, I'll be a frequent visitor to the Ball site.

I just ate my last batch of home canned yellow tomato salsa from last year, preserved with bottled lime juice. IT was delish, but different from either fresh or store bought. Different and yum in a good way though, IMHO.