Salsa for Canning

[annecros]

Salsa for Canning

This is a salsa recipe given to me by my Houston born and bred sister-in-law specifically for canning and I've tweaked over the years for my tastes. It is a great chunky salsa that sticks to the chip. It halves, doubles and triples easily and is safe for canning in double and triple batches as long as all proportions are kept the same. It is fine to omit the vinegar if preparing for fresh and will be consumed within a day or two. If processing the jars under pressure, the vinegar may be reduced by half. The recipe is for pints, but I prefer to can in 8oz jelly jars for gift giving and sharing.

• 4 c tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained
  
• 1-1/4 c chopped onion
  
• 3/4 c chopped green pepper
  
• 2 chopped jalapenos
  
• 3 cloves minced garlic
  
• 1 tsp cumin
  
• 1 tsp pepper
  
• 1/4 c canning salt
  
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro*
  
• 3 T sugar
  
• 1/2 c vinegar
  
• 8 oz tomato sauce
  

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars leaving quarter inch head space, process at 10 lbs of pressure for 30 minutes for pints. Or Hot Water Bath (boiling water covering jar lids by one inch) 15 minutes. This makes a medium heat salsa. For a milder salsa, reduce jalapeno and add more green or poblano pepper. For a great, complex hot salsa, omit green pepper and add seranno or habanaro in the same proportions. *Cilantro is optional, but is really not overpowering at this proportion. Can be safely doubled if you are a cilantro lover. Add 4oz of tomato paste for even thicker salsa, or 4oz of tomato juice for thinner salsa.

Makes 4 pints, or eight half pints

( RG1965 )