Salsa
I’ve tried store-bought salsa in the past, but it just cannot compare to home made salsa. I always find the store-bought to be too salty and it tends to have a strong vinegary taste. It takes some time to make this salsa, but the end result is worth it. Once you have tried it, you won’t go back to store bought. I use salsa in so many dishes, particularly in Spanish pork chops, but also in a multitude of Mexican dishes. Obviously though, the best way to enjoy salsa is by scooping it on to a nacho straight out of the jar. This salsa is made over 2 days. The tomatoes need to sit in a salt brine for at least 10 hours to draw as much water as possible out of the tomatoes, which makes for a thick, chunky texture. The second day is for chopping vegetables and processing the salsa. I prefer to chop all the vegetables by hand, thereby controlling the size of the chopped vegetables and ultimately, the texture of the finished salsa. This method ensures nothing is chopped too fine, which could result in a mushy mess. If you want to use a food processor, that’s up to you. Usually, vegetables like peppers need to be pressure canned, but this salsa can be processed in a boiling water canner because of the added vinegar, which decreases the pH to safe levels.
Salsa
Yield 7 litres or 14 - 500 mL jars
Ingredients
18 lbs tomatoes (roma are best)
10 – 15 assorted large hot peppers (use a variety of sizes, colours, heat level)
4 assorted sweet peppers (red, green, orange, yellow)
3 jalapeno peppers
3 large sweet onions
1/2 pint jar home canned tomato paste
1 pint jar of home canned kernel corn (optional)
1 pint jar of home canned black beans (optional)
½ cup pickling salt
2 ½ cups 5% vinegar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Directions
Day 1
To remove tomato skins, fill a large bowl with ice water. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop 4 or 5 tomatoes into the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them in an ice water bath. Skins will easily slide off. This is known as blanching. Cut out blossom ends. Cut tomatoes into 1 inch cubes in a large non-reactive plastic pail or bowl. Stir in the salt. Cover and leave to sit overnight or at least 10 hours. Do not stir or agitate once covered.
Day 2
Place water in boiling water canner. Heat to a simmer. Place 14 clean, warm 500 mL or 7 one litre mason jars on a rack in canner. Cover with simmering water. Place SNAP LIDS® in a bowl full of warm water. Keep both jars and lids warm until ready to use.
Drain off as much clear saltwater liquid from the tomatoes as possible. Pour the tomatoes into a large stock pot, add the vinegar and sugar and turn on the heat. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
Chop all the peppers (except the jalapenos) and onions into ¼ inch chunks. Add to the stock pot and continue to simmer another 25 to 30 minutes.
Add in the corn and black beans if using. Let the salsa simmer until it is reduced to a thick, chunky texture, stirring often to prevent burning.
Chop the jalapenos and add a bit at a time to the stock pot, letting it cook 10 minutes with each addition, then tasting it for heat before adding more. This is totally a preference thing. If you like your salsa hot, add more jalapenos peppers, if you like it mild, add less. It’s difficult to gauge the heat when the salsa is hot so let a spoonful cool before tasting it for pepper heat.
Ladle salsa into hot, clean, jars to within ½ inch of top of jar rim. Fill jars one at a time, remove air bubbles and re-adjust headspace. Wipe jar rim. Place SNAP LID® and screw band on jar. Tighten until fingertip tight. Place in canner on rack. Repeat until all jars are full.
Add enough hot water to the canner to ensure jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Place lid on canner. Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil 15 minutes, 20 minutes for litres (adjusting for altitude). Turn off heat. Remove lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter, without tilting, to a protected countertop.
Cool upright 24 hours. After cool, check that the jars are sealed. Sealed jar lids curve downward. Remove screw bands and store separately. Clean, dry and label with contents and date.
TIP: When chopping hot peppers, always wear gloves and do not touch your face with your hands.
*Altitude adjustment for boiling water method
Altitude in feet Increase processing time by
1001 to 3000 5 minutes
3001 to 6000 10 minutes
6001 to 8000 15 minutes
8001 to 10000 20 minutes
