Can your own Homemade Salsa

Homemade Salsa

If you have any tomatoes left in the garden and want to pick them before the first frost, make homemade salsa! There is just something about eating fresh homemade salsa with your own tomatoes. Yum!! I got this recipe from a friend of mine and it has become a family favorite. This salsa is good eaten fresh or cooked and canned.

You’ll need tomatoes, hot peppers, green peppers, onions, celery, garlic and vinegar. Then also the seasonings you’ll need are, sugar, salt, pepper, chili powder, parsley flakes and oregano.

Wash the tomatoes in cold water. I use the pear shaped Roma tomatoes. It seems to make a thicker salsa, but other tomatoes will work as well.

Use a sharp knife to cut end off, then cut in fourths.

Place in food processor and process.

Process the tomatoes until they have a thick, chunky consistency.

Measure the tomatoes. You’ll need 12 cups of the thick sauce.

Dice the green peppers. You’ll need 2 cups. That is about 1-1/2 green peppers depending on the size of the peppers.

Dice the hot peppers into small pieces. These are the Hungarian Wax peppers. You can use Jalapenos for a hotter salsa or Habaneras for a fire hot salsa. I used a ¼ cup.

You’ll need 3 cups diced celery.

Mince 2 large garlic cloves

Peel onions and quarter.

Processes in your food processer until the onions are diced. You’ll need 4-1/2 cups diced onions

Dump tomatoes, hot peppers, green peppers, onion, celery and garlic into large saucepan or cooker.

Add seasonings and a ½ cup of vinegar.

Stir all together. Eat some fresh!!!! Or…

…bring to a boil and cook for 2 hours. Meanwhile –

Fill a water bath canner half full of water and bring to a boil.

Wash jars and rings in hot water and boil lids.

When salsa is finished cooking, fill jars with salsa, leaving an inch at the top. Wipe rim of jar clean. Top with lid and ring.

Carefully place filled jars into boiling water in canner. When water comes to a boil again, set a timer for 10 minutes.

Lift jars out of canner onto a towel laid out on the counter. Cover with another towel. Soon you will hear popping. This will be the jar lids sealing. Let jars set for 24 hours. Check for any that haven’t sealed by pushing on the lid, if it pops it is not sealed and will need to be refrigerated or put in the freezer. If it does not pop it is sealed and it is safe to take the ring off and store the salsa in your pantry. This makes approx. 6 pints.

Here’s the recipe:

12 cups chopped tomatoes

2 cups green peppers, diced

½ cup hot peppers, diced

4-1/2 cups onions, diced

3 cups celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. salt

1 cup vinegar

2 Tbsp. parsley

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. pepper