Monday, August 27, 2007

Garden Fresh Canned Salsa


With the help of my friend Katie, I just canned my first batch of homemade garden fresh salsa. We got a lot of our ingredients from the local farmer's market. This recipe is wonderful! Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips, in taco soup, enchiladas or just straight from the jar (yes, it's that good!).







2 gallons of tomatoes, peeled and quartered
(Boil for 10-15 seconds, then run under cold water to peel)
4-6 large green peppers-chopped
4-6 large red or yellow peppers-chopped
4-6 large onions-chopped
2 cups white vinegar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup salt (1/3 is probably enough)
2 Tbsp. chili powder
(2) 4 oz. cans diced green chilies
2-3 jalapenos diced (we used only 1, the seeds are what makes it hot)

In a large heavy duty kettle cook all ingredients on medium heat for 2 hours until thickened, stirring occasionally. Liquid will come to the top. Skim off as much liquid as you desire, and save for soup broth. Using a funnel, pour salsa into jars and wipe the rim clean with a paper towel. Place flat lids in hot water before putting on jars, then screw on lid firmly but not too tight. Place jars in your water bath canner. Processing time starts when the water begins to boil.

Processing times:

Pint jar: 15-20 minutes
Quart jar: 20-25 minutes

After removing jars from canner, place them on a towel on the counter and cover with the towel. Do not move for 24 hours. You will start to hear a popping sound indicating the seal. You can check the seal by pushing on the lid.

*This recipe requires a lot of chopping, so to save time I would definitely recommend using a food processor.

3 comments:

Kimberly said...

Wow Lisa - I'm impressed! I'm thinking that here in a couple weeks when my romas are all ripening that I'll have try your recipe out :-) Can you tell me about how you figured out how many tomatoes makes 2 gallons?

Emily said...

That was my first thought too. I was seeing two gallon ice cream buckets full of tomatoes.

I've never used a food processor before. Any suggestions on what to look for?

Lisa O said...

I'm sorry I'm slow at replying to comments. We bought two big flats of tomatoes at the farmer's market and we had way too much. We really only needed one. As we boiled, peeled and chopped the tomatoes we put them into a couple of gallon size juice pitchers to measure them.
We used Katie's food processor (I don't own one yet either). I imagine anything that chops veggies easily and quickly would do the trick. Good luck!

Happy Cooking!

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