More Salsa Making

Each year I try to can about 50 quarts of salsa to get us through the winter.  The following recipe contains approximate amounts of the ingredients I use.  

Cooked Salsa

10-12 medium to large tomatoes

2 large green bell peppers

2 medium onions

4 garlic cloves

5-6 cayenne peppers or jalepeno peppers

1 T. salt

Salsa is simple to make. There is no exact correct amount. (I'm guessing at the amounts because I make it two gallons at a time in my big canner.)  Adjust the amounts to suit your personal taste.

Peel tomatoes by submerging in boiling water for 45 seconds and then placing in cold water. The skins will pop off easily. Then core and chop tomatoes. Chop all the other vegetables in small pieces. Press garlic cloves through a garlic press. (I often use my food processor to speed things up. Just be careful not to over-process.) 

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then turn down to low and let simmer for a couple hours on low heat. This will cook off some of the excess liquid and will make the salsa thicker. Stir every so often to make sure it isn't burning in the bottom of the pan. However, if you have a thick bottomed pan, you shouldn't need to stir it much. Again the amount of time is not exact. Just cook it down until you reach the thickness of salsa you want.

I put my salsa in canning jars and hot water bath them for 35 minutes. However, the salsa will also keep well in the freezer. This small recipe will probably only make about 4-5 pints. Store in refrigerator and use up within a week if you do not freeze or can it.