Salsa canning

[masimmons]

I have lots of tomatoes and peppers and would like to try making salsa and canning it. Has anyone done this before? Any recommended recipes? Thanks for any advice.

[Beth]

We used to make great picante sauce and can it. In fact, my husband found a box with some old jars and I am heart broken that we didn't realize they were there. We had salsa, pickle relish and bread and butters from 2000-01. They look good, but I'm afraid to eat them.

I have posted that recipe before -- let me see if I can find it. My Cookbook didn't copy into Mastercook on this computer, so I don't have it handy to post again.

[Beth]

Fortunately, Wendy found it in archive and re-posted it where I could find it. This stuff is really good, and you can play around with the types of peppers. I may just have to buy tomatoes and make some. I have to do something about the squirrels here -- they are worse than the ones at my last house.

Canned Picante Sauce

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
10 cups fresh tomatoes -- peeled and chopped
1 large onion -- chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic -- minced
1/2 cup vinegar
2 fresh jalepeno peppers -- minced
2 fresh anaheim peppers -- minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 Tablespoons chili powder
cilantro or parsley (optional)

Combine all ingredients in Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until you reach the desired consistency, about 45-60 minutes. Cooking longer will break down the tomatoes and thin the sauce.

Ladle into sterilized 1 pint canning jars. Fill to bottom ring (about 1/2 inch head space). Wipe rims and seal.

Process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

If you're really lucky, you'll only get 5-1/2 pints and have to eat the 1/2. You can mix the margaritas while the other jars process.

Yield:
"6 pints"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:rolleyes:

[Terri_A]

I have a salsa recipe that I love...but I've never canned it. We have a restaurant in Houston called Pappasito's Mexican Cantina and this is a knock-off of their recipe, which I think is best served warm!

Ingredients-
8 Roma Tomatoes - whole
1 small Yellow Onion, diced ( about 1/3 - 1/2 cup)
1 Fresh Jalepeno pepper stem removed and seeded
1/2 tsp Celery Salt
1/8 tsp Oregano
1/4 C fresh Cilantro
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 Fresh Pablano Pepper
1/4 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 - 3/4 C water
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Preparation-
In a moderately hot skillet that has been sprayed with a cooking spray, brown the coarsely chopped Palano pepper and jalapeno pepper. Brown and stir until the skins have turned dark on many sides of peppers. Add tomatoes and brown them until the skins on the tomatoes have turned a dark brown on several sides, remove pan from heat. Put oinion in hot skillet that has been removed from the heat and stir. In a food processor or blender, add celery salt, oregano, cilantro, sugar, garlic salt and pepper. Pour peppers, oinions and tomatoes and add water a little at a time, process just enough to chop to a medium consistency but not to a smooth paste. Leave a little chunky. Remove from processor and pour into a hot skillet, turn up heat quickly stir for about 3 min and serve warm.



My fave -

[Mary Ann]

Beth,

I'm going to try your salsa recipe in the next few days, and was wondering how you would classify the heat. We like things pretty spicy, and I'm considering throwing in an habanero--or is it spicy as written.

As an aside, I just started canning this summer(bread and butter pickles, strawberry-rhubarb jam and rhubarb-pineapple jam) with some tutoring from my SO's mother, so hope to join the canning thread soon. I just got a water bath canner and some jars today as an early birthday present.:)

[Beth]

Mary Ann, I would call it on the mild side of medium as written.

We haven't made it in 2-3 years, and when we do make it, my husband does the tomato and pepper prep. He tends to measure generously and we have a tendency to play with the pepper mix, using a combination from the garden and/or market. So, as we make it, I would say it is on the mid to hot side of medium (I'm using Mexican restaurant salsas in CA and TX to define my medium range).

If you want it hot, you can certainly add more. I would suggest getting it going and tasting, then adding more until you get it where you want it. You can always add more, but you can't take it out.

[DoDoDurk]

I submitted the Hearty Fresh Tomato Salsa recipe in
the August '04 CL page 174. My family really likes it,
and it has a bit of a kick to it. The magazine version
calls for fresh corn, but I use 1 cup frozen corn thawed
and drained.

It makes quite a bit, however, we go through it quickly!
I have not tried to can it, so I'm not certain how
to make recommendations on that.:(

Wish I had your bounty of tomatoes and peppers! My
tomatoes are rather sluggish this year.:( They
also have brown spots---can anyone tell me
why that's happening?:confused:

[masimmons]

I'm don't know enough about canning to know if its safe to can any recipe. I read that because salsa combines low acid foods and high acid foods that you have to be careful to add something acidic - like vinegar or lime juice.

Terry_A - I've never had warm salsa before, but bet its wonderful over grilled fish or chicken.

Beth - did you use Roma tomatoes, or does it matter?

DoDoDurk - I'll have to check out the August issue for your recipe. I don't know what to tell you about the brown spots - maybe a virus? Some of my early tomatoes had blossom end rot - a big black splotch on the bottom of the tomato. This is caused by a calcium deficinecy in the soil. My later ones have been fine.

Thanks to everyone for your help!

[Beth]

We would usually use Romas to the extent we had them, but often we had more other tomatoes. If the tomatoes seem especially seedy or liquidy, you can seed them or drain off some liquid.

The picante sauce is going to be more saucy with some lumps. It is not a chunky type, but the flavor is wonderful.

[masimmons]

I made Beth's picante sause this afternoon and it is delish! There was not enough to fill the final jar completely, so I refrigerated it and just tasted. Very good! I used 4 jalapenos and it has a 'bite' not too hot, but not mild either. I also mixed romas with regular tomatoes. Thanks Beth.

[Beth]

Glad you enjoyed it. Liek I said, if you're lucky, the last jar won't fill so you can eat some right away without feeling bad about opening something you just canned.