Our family LOVES salsa – if we don’t eat it everyday, at least I think it’s safe to say we eat it every other day. We have been spoiled with the flavor of salsa made with a variety of home-grown tomatoes, peppers, and onions. So every August and September I make enough batches to see us through to the next season.
Here are some things I’ve learned through the years I’ve been canning salsa:
- When I first started canning I learned that in order to use a water-bath canner to seal salsa to be shelf stable, it’s important to use a recipe from a trusted source that uses USDA guidelines. This is because there are so many low-acid ingredients in salsa (peppers, onions, and garlic) that it creates a delicate balance between the acid (tomatoes and usually another ingredient like vinegar or lemon juice) and the low-acid ingredients.
- I’ve tried recipes from a Kerr canning book, the Ball Blue Book, the Oregonian, and some books I got from the library that all used safe guidelines. While they all had good flavor (I was using wonderful produce, after all), they were usually really watery and/or vinegary.
- About eight years ago in an attempt to find a thicker recipe, I started making a tomato-tomato paste salsa from the USDA website that I found in the Oregonian. It called for two 12-oz cans of tomato paste and 2 cups bottled lemon juice, which gave me a thick sauce and minus the vinegar taste.
- However, it wasn’t very spicy and a few years ago I looked at the ingredients of the lemon juice (a curse I tell you) and found that it’s full of preservatives. Great. I’ve got all these organically grown vegetables and I’m adding preservatives.
- I started looking for a new recipe and found the recipe that’s become our favorite in a book from the library (I wish I had the title, but I just copied the recipe) that published only tested recipes. It uses just one small can of tomato paste and just 3/4 cup of vinegar, so it’s still thicker and the vinegar doesn’t overpower (I changed it by adding a few more peppers (1/2 cup) but then decreased the onion by a 1/2 cup to keep the recipe in balance, which makes it a bit more spicy. I also add a few more dry seasonings which is OK in canning).
This salsa is fairly easy, it just takes a bit of time prepping all the ingredients, though a food processor makes it quicker. It cooks for only 30 minutes which is just the right amount of time to get all the canning equipment in order and jars cleaned.
And having home-canned garden salsa in the depths of winter is always worth it. Not only do you save money, it can’t compare with the typical flavorless bottled stuff.
Start with 5-6 pounds of washed tomatoes. I use about 1/2 slicing tomatoes and 1/2 paste tomatoes- the slicers have some of that great flavor and the paste tomatoes add thickness, so I like to include both.
You’ll need to peel and core them. You can see the method I use here. (Update 9/11: I now just core and quarter the tomatoes and use the food processor to chop them- peel and all! I can’t tell in the finished salsa and it goes much quicker now. Awesome.)
Coarsely chop them and measure into a bowl until you’ve got 7 cups. I like to see the chunks of tomatoes in my salsa, so I leave them fairly good sized. (Or use the food processor as described in the update above- pour from the processor to measure 7 cups. Oh- there are still some tomato chunks since the processor isn’t perfect!)
I drain any water that accumulated while I was cutting the tomatoes, then put them in a large stockpot. (This is the only thing that I can’t do with the quicker chopping method- the resulting salsa is a bit thinner, but since I saved all that time, I’m OK with it!)
Now, see the gloves? Trust me, you will want gloves for this part. The one time I didn’t use them I couldn’t sleep that night because of the burning sensation…
Cut in half and seed enough anaheim (or long green chilies, or some sweet if you’d like- you can change the variety, just not the amount) chilies to equal 1-1/2 cups chopped.
I like to just cut them in large chunks and then put them in the food processor to do the rest.
I like the way the processor chops them mostly fine, but also leaves a few larger pieces, that way we get some peppers on every chip we dip.
Put the peppers in the stockpot. Then seed and chop 8 jalapeno peppers, adding them to the stockpot.
This is the part of the recipe I wish were different- 8 peppers? Some years my jalapenos are huge and sometimes not. There’s a big difference in size, which hardly makes this exact. I wish it were a cup measurement like the other peppers, but I live with it. I’ve actually seen a lot of recipes like this…
Do the same thing with the onions, chopping enough to equal 1-1/2 cups, and adding to the pot.
Mince 3 cloves of garlic. I just throw them in the processor, too.
Yes, there are 6 cloves here. I’m not throwing caution to the wind, I’m just doubling the recipe- which I usually do to get 10 to 11 pints out of each batch.
Once the garlic is in the pot, add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and boil gently for 30 minutes. Stir often, making sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom (my thin-bottomed stock pot always burns, but my thicker 8-qt pot doesn’t).
Take this time to prepare the canner, jars, and lids. Here’s step-by-step canning guide where I take you through the whole process if you’ve never canned before.
After 30 minutes, it will look nice and salsa-y, with flavors all melded into a great goodness. You can taste it at this point to see how spicy it is (every year my peppers are different!) and add cayenne pepper if you need to increase the spiciness (dry ingredients are OK to add – just not anymore fresh).
Fill jars leaving a 1/2-inch headspace, attach lids and place in canner.
Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 20 minutes.
An Oregon Cottage’s Favorite Salsa For Canning
- 7 c. chopped, cored, peeled tomatoes (if using a food processor, no need to peel)
- 1-1/2 c. chopped onion
- 1-1/2 c. chopped green peppers (anaheim, ancho, or red/yellow sweet)
- 8 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (don’t forget the gloves!)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 6-oz. can tomato paste
- 3/4 c. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1-2 tsp. pepper
- 1-2 tsp. dry oregano
- 1-2 tsp. cayenne powder to taste
- In a large stainless steel stockpot, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
- Reduce heat and boil gently until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
- Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rim and attach lids.
- Place jars in canner, covering by at least 1-inch and bring to a boil. Process for 20 minutes, remove canner lid and let sit for 5 minutes, then remove jars to cool before storing.
Makes 5 pints
-Jami
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
Do you know if it would freeze ok?
Yay! Thanks! I’ll make it sometime this week or next and let you know how mine turns out. Thanks so much!
fondly,
rebekah
Lauren-
I’ve frozen it many times and it’s still good, just not as convenient!
I absolutely LOVE your blog!!!! And now that we’ve been ‘gifted’ a home (we pay back taxes), I think I”ll be referring to it every day for the next year reviewing all your DIY stuff again!!! It was built in 1916 and no updates since then. Thankfully, but oh my!!! And it was vandalized some… so yes, we have our work cut out for us!
Your no till gardening, tho I think we’ll have to till once to make the garden bed!! If we are diligent to do it now we can plastic cover it over-winter. So, I’ve decided not to buy a tiller, just rent it – thanks to your post I came across today!!
Now to the topic at hand – I’ve had the same concerns as you, especially since my dear husband is Mexican! We loved the canned salsa I made for the first week or two, then it was too vinegary, so now I use it for stuff like zucchini squash to use it up. Haven’t tried it again because, well we don’t have enough tomatoes yet and am leery about the vinegar and how to make it spicy enough. I never thought to skimp on the onions to compensate!!!
Sorry to send you an essay – but 2 questions: do you think we could NOT clean the peppers (still skimping on onions), and use organic lemon juice? Santa Cruz makes it, but I have yet to find the ability to swallow their price… But I will when we get the tomatoes.
Thanks so much!!! And you don’t know what a blessing you are!!!
Pura Vida- Wow- thanks for your kind words! And your new house sounds fantastic- and such a deal. What a great opportunity (and work!). And yes, I think your idea to get the garden bed ready for next year is great- just go ahead and add some nice compost to it as you till so it can be working in the soil over the winter (under the weed-killing plastic, of course…).
If by “cleaning” the peppers you mean not taking all the seeds and membranes out- definitely leave them in if you want a hot sauce. I leave about 1/2 in, but my batches always turn out differently depending on the hotness of the peppers I’m using. I’ve not figured out a way to overcome that.
I did a lot of research about the lemon juice, and the reason for bottled is because it’s consistently about 5% acidity- fresh isn’t consistent. I’ve used organic and I’m OK with it, but I’ve not read anything OFFICIAL about it. I think if it’s consistent, it should be OK, and it’s certainly better without the preservatives. I know there are canners who use fresh lemon juice, though, and don’t think it’s a problem- but it’s just not worth it to me to go against the recommendations, though.
Hope you get those tomatoes soon!
Hi Jami,
Thanks so much for your quick reply!
I wondered about fresh lemon juice too and I am leery about going against recommendations too… tho I may consider it.
The way my husband says you can tell about the peppers is if they’re ‘woody’ like with lines on them, brown lines – not bad, just lines, that means they’ve aged more and are really spicy. I don’t use those, I give them to him to eat raw. Sometimes they’re even too hot for him.
I suppose I could use those and clean them out (yes seeds/membranes!), but he likes to eat one with his meals also, so I just give those to him.
I’ve only canned 3 times so far – first time was salsa in May this year. My parents brought 30lbs of tomatoes home with them from Florida. I’ve studied a lot, but really hesitant to start sometimes, especially since I can only use water bath canners at the moment. My Mom gave me her pressure canner, but I need to get a new seal…
Given this is our first year gardening, in pots no less, our plants have not produced standard sized fruits and I’m concerned, they may not continue producing. We’ve been using the tomatoes as they’ve come in, so we’ve not been bombarded by any crops yet, though I know, it’s still early. Maybe if we move here in the next week or so, I may just put the plants right into the ground and see how they do.
Otherwise, we’ll be buying tomatoes in bulk. We’ll see! Wow, I guess I just wrote another essay for you!!! Sorry!
Thanks again!
Katie
Pura- Wow! Thanks for the tip on the jalapenos! They usually get those lines towards the end of the season- no wonder those batches of salsa are hotter.
My cooked salsa is similar to yours. I cook my salsa in the oven (in my deep roasting pan) at about 300 degrees and there is never a worry about scorching. Also, by cooking it in my big roaster I can make a much larger quantity.
Great blog – I’ll be visiting again!
I’m trying your recipe tonight, but I noticed no cilantro. Do you add it fresh when you eat the salsa? Or do you not like it?
Cilantro is a low-acid addition and most safe-for-canning recipes don’t have it. If you want to add it, do it when serving (though you’re right, it’s not my favorite!).
Hi Jami. I was wondering if after eating the salsa all winter you are still happy with the no peel/food processor chopping? Do you not notice the peels at all? I know when I miss a few peels making other things they kind of curl up and float on top. I made this recipe last year for the first time and love it! I have also been searching for a thick recipe and was also using the oregonian recipe so I was so happy to find this one. Thanks!
We didn’t notice the peels at all, Tami! The processor whirs them up so much that they’re just part of the salsa. It’s a great time saver that I’m glad I found.
Thanks! Made a triple batch last night and used the processor method and it worked great! Saved lots of time and made much less of a mess. I will never peel tomatoes for salsa again!
I was going to look at your link on this page to: http://www.anoregoncottage.com/2009/08/boiling-water-canning-step-by-step/ but it seems to be broken…. ??
Thanks for alerting me – it’s fixed now!
I find I need a little more salt in my salsa…. it just wasn’t quite enough. And I omitted the cumin after the first batch, but I think that’s more personal preference. I have NEVER made a salsa with such great consistency. YUMMERS! Thanks for sharing!
Great to hear, Rachel! I’m always adjusting recipes to my family’s tastes, so that’s perfectly normal. And I actually go back and forth on the cumin thing…