This salsa recipe is the one that I make in abundance in the summer and can. That way, in theory, we have lots of good salsa to open during the winter months.
Of course, this is only the second summer that I’ve canned, so it’s only the second summer I’ve made an abundance of salsa. I don’t think last year’s salsa even made it to October. So either we eat a lot of salsa, which we do, or I really need to make a lot more. So I’m determined to do that this month.
I will give you an approximation of my cooked salsa recipe, but I encourage you to create your own recipe that fits you. I don’t like my salsa to be burning hot, but I do like heat. I mostly like flavor. This salsa recipe contains all of the important basic ingredients that guarantee a wonderful, flavorful salsa. But tweak it as you like.
Canned Salsa, or, Salsa for Canning
Lots of tomatoes, probably about 4-5 pounds – I used so many different varieties from my garden that I can’t really quantify them, and I didn’t weigh them ahead of time because I wasn’t sure how many I was going to use
4 tablespoons oil of choice, I use olive oil
3 white onions, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 green chile peppers like Anaheims, finely chopped
6 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 head of garlic, peeled, minced
2 – cartons Pomi chopped tomatoes, 26.8 ounces each*
2 bunches of fresh cilantro, mostly leaves, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
A few pinches of cayenne pepper, optional
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
To begin, seed the tomatoes and finely chop them. Set them aside.
In a large pot, pour in the oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the onions, green bell pepper, and the Anaheim peppers. Saute them for about 5 minutes.
I often chop jalapenos by hand, without gloves. But as a result, I have burned my eyes and nose many times. It’s not pleasant. So it’s really not worth being defiant about jalapenos and other hot chile peppers.
Fortunately, I was given a gift of this chopper, and it works really well on jalapenos! No touching necessary, except for removing the stem. I don’t even de-seed them first. But if you want to remove the seeds, which are what supposedly supply the most heat, use a latex glove. Then throw the jalapeno flesh into your chopper along with the garlic cloves and chop away! It’s just one way to make a nice jalapeno and garlic dice. No chopper? Use your knife!
Add the jalapeno and garlic dice to the onion mixture and cook gently for about a minute. Then add the canned tomatoes and the fresh tomatoes.
Cook the mixture, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes. It should not be watery. If it is, cook a little longer. Then add the cilantro and seasonings. Add the apple cider vinegar and cook for about 1 minute. You shouldn’t be able to smell the vinegar any longer. Turn off the stove, add the lemon juice, and give everything a stir. Let cool.
Someone selling salsa at a trade fair told me that he uses vinegar for that little bit of zing, but then adds lemon juice to cover up the flavor of the vinegar. I don’t know if that really works. Heck, I’m not sure it even makes sense. But I have done it that way for years.
To prepare to can, you need a large sturdy pot with a lid, preferably one with a heat gauge, like this one.
You can purchase the same one as mine at Wiliams-Sonoma.com.
One thing about canning, is that it will burn up your stove. What I mean, is that any bit of residue will burn, and because of the high heat, the brown spots can never be removed. At least I can’t. So I just use the same burner for canning.
You also need jars and lids that have been sterilized. I sterilize mine in the dishwasher. Remove them carefully and lay the jars and lids on paper towels. The important thing is to not put your fingers inside the jars and lids.
Then carefully scoop the salsa into the jars. There a wide-mouth funnel that you can use, but I didn’t use mine today because the salsa wasn’t that messy. Using a clean knife or narrow spatula, tamp down the salsa to remove any air bubbles within. Always leave a “headroom” of half an inch. Trust me on this. Otherwise the jars will leak. Then, if necessary, wipe off the tops of the jars with a clean paper towel.
I filled 4 – 12 ounce-capacity jars and had some left over salsa to refrigerate and enjoy over the next few days.
Place the lids on the jars, and then place the jars in the large pot. Fill the pot with water, at least 1″ above the top of the tallest jar. Place the lid on the pot and turn up the heat to high.
My gauge tells me when to begin counting the minutes to can. I can’t start counting until it reaches the green.
To know how many minutes your jars should be in the waterbath, use a reliable reference, like the one below, because canning times vary drastically. This has a lot to do with the acidity of what you’re canning. Tomatoes are acidic, so all tomato products require only 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the jars from the boiling water. It helps to have this tool, which securely grabs the jars for easy and safe removal. This guy is also available at Williams-Sonoma.com.
Let the jars cool. You will hear a pop from each jar from the vacuum seal. After cooling, test the tops of the lids to make sure they don’t move or pop. They should be somewhat concave, especially if you used the 2-part lids. And as a note, you can re-use the rings, but throw away the used flat lids and replace them the next time you can. They’re cheap.
Store the jars in your pantry and use as necessary. Once the salsa jars are open, of course, refrigerate them. It’s probably wise to always inspect the jars for any strange bubbles or discoloration, and give the salsa a good smell after opening. It’s just about being safe. But seriously, canning is really straight forward.
* If I used approximately 50 something ounces of canned tomatoes, then I’m assuming I used about the same weight of fresh, seeded tomatoes, because it was about a 50-50 mixture of canned and fresh. I weighed a medium, round tomato on the day I wrote this post and it weighed 5 ounces exactly. So, that’s at least ten tomatoes for this recipe. Hope that helps.
note: If you’ve read my notes on how I cook, then you’ll understand why I don’t have precise recipes. The reason? Preciseness doesn’t really matter in home cooking. You can omit the jalapenos and this salsa will still be good. In fact, the above chile peppers came out of my garden, so I wanted to use them. If I had to buy salsa ingredients only at a grocery store, I might have chosen different ones. Also, you can add more cilantro and it will still be good. I encourage you to make this salsa your own. Trust me, it will still work.
Great post. We love a good salsa.
Us, too! Many brands are too sweet.
This reminds me, I need to remember to make salsa as well as sauce given all the tomatoes we have. We love salsa and eat a ton of it year rounds. :)
We do too. And there aren’t many brands we really like!
We like the Newman’s peach. :)
I’m guessing that’s a white peach. Never heard of it, because I live in Oklahoma most likely!
Newman’s Own brand of food. :) I’ve made homemade peach BBQ so I should try homemade peach salsa.
OH!!! I thought you were talking about some kind of exotic peach! I’ve bought Mrs. Renfro’s – they have some great super spicy habanero and ghost pepper salsas. Others are just too vinegary, or too sweet for me. I don’t think I can get Newman’s Own salsa here, but I’ll make sure and check next time. Thanks!
Mrs renfo’s sounds delish!
my sister’s mother in law has made canned salsa every end-of-summer that I can remember!
she makes literally tons of it, and gives everyone a few jars
it is a great way to save time (and money) during the winter, so good for you for starting this tradition!
your recipe sounds delicious too!
Thanks! It does probably save money, too, but I really do it for the higher quality, if I may say that!
Looks delicious!!! Pinning this :)
Thanks!
I’ve never tried preserving in this way, something to try! Your salsa sounds wonderful.
I only started last summer, but now I’m addicted!
Nice, Mimi. This is very thorough. I love that you use jalapenos. They’re my favorite for bringing just a little bit of heat.
Jalapenos can’t be beat!!!
Wonderful post … and I’m sure the salsa is wonderful too – I don’t eat enough of it to can .. a can will last me a year, but I love to make it fresh …
I guess we eat a lot of Mexican and Southwestern dishes, so salsa is a staple here!
Yes, I have understod that from reading your blog .. that you like Mexican food … I haven’t that much Mexican, but I do a fantastic Fajita … one of the best our guests always said.
There’s nothing much better than fajitas, especially with guests. Our other top favorite is Indian cuisine, which shares many of the same ingredients!
This is a great post and I cant wait to try this myself. :-)
Thanks! I hope you like it! We’re sort of salsa addicts here…
Great post chef! I just find myself with a bunch of tomatoes, so this recipe was heaven send ;)
Thanks a lot!
Oh good! I love the inclusion of good canned tomatoes as well!
Very nice post, canning can be tricky. That USDA guide looks like just what I need as well as those tongs, Your salsa sounds and looks delicious!
It’s pretty darn good, if I may say so myself!!!
Your salsa looks very delicious, love the flavour!
Glad to be back!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Congratulations on everything!!!
I’ve never made a cooked salsa…only the quick raw kind. Yours looks awesome. Love the chillies from your garden!