09-27-2012, 12:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2012, 12:03 PM by The_Colonel.)
Thread Necro:
Making and canning your own salsa is something families remember years later. No store bought salsa, even if it is shipped from Texas, compares with the taste of that made from your own tomatoes from your garden or fresh-picked from a local farm! In the middle of the winter, you can have tortilla chips and your salsa and taste the summer flavor of fresh tomatoes.
Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated. This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this! It's a great thing to do with your kids!
Tomatoes - about 15 lbs (yes, quite a few - you remove the skins, seeds and a lot of the water, so it takes a lot to start.) You'll need about 3 quarts of prepared chopped tomatoes. This makes about 8 pints of salsa!
Salsa mix or your own seasonings - The Ball salsa mix sells for about $2.00 to $4.00 per packet. A packet will make about a 7 pint jars.
See step 7 below for seasonings.
Pint canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Big Lots, Wegmans, Walmart and other "big box" stores - about $8 per dozen jars including the lids and rings). Pint size works best!
Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once.
Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times.
Jar grabber - (to pick up the hot jars)
Salsa mix or your own seasonings. The Ball salsa mix sells for about $2.00 to $4.00 per packet. A packet will make about a 7 pint jars. See step 7 below for seasonings.
2 cups Lemon juice (if you make your own seasoning) or vinegar (if you use the Ball or Mrs. Wages mixes)
1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores. (Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables and meats that need pressure canning)
1 large pot.
Large spoons and ladles
Jar funnel ($3-Grocery stores, local "big box" stores; sometimes even hardware stores have these)
Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them.
Step 1 - Selecting the tomatoes
It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes!
At right is a picture of tomatoes from my garden - they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. And if you don't have enough, a pick-you-own farm is the pace to go! Here are 4 common varieties that will work:
Top left: Beefsteak
Top right: Lemon Boy, yellow
Bottom left: Roma, paste-type
Bottom right: Better Boy
I'm told that the best variety of tomato to use are Roma tomatoes also called paste tomatoes. They have fewer sides, thicker, meatier walls, and less water.
Also, you don't want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes!
Step 2 - Removing the tomato skins
Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough)
then....
Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water.
This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes! If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant.
Step 3 -Removing seeds and water
After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half. Now we need to remove the seeds and excess water.
Step 4 - Squeeze of the seeds and water
Just like it sounds: wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds. You don't need to get fanatical about it; removing just most will do.
Step 5 - Drain and dice the tomatoes
Toss your squeezed tomatoes into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off. You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking!
Next chop them up - I like 1/2 inch size cubes. You'll need about 3 quarts of peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes.
Step 6 - Get the jars and lids sterilizing
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sterilize" cycle. I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars.
Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!
Lids: Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes.
Note: everything gets sterilized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)
Step 7 – Prepackaged mix or your own seasoning?
I'm told that either works equally well. The salsa mix for canning has the advantage of being tested and easy. It's basically corn starch, onion powder, salt and seasoning. It doesn't have any preservative to improve the canning, so the advantage is only that it is easier. However, I like my custom-made from fresh seasonings better, so here is the recipe for that:
I use an electric chopper (food processor) to dice the seasonings fairly fine, about 1/8 inch cubes.
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 6 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 six-ounce cans tomato paste (adds body)
• 2 cups bottled lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional - you use Splenda if you are on a sugar-restricted diet)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons oregano leaves
Step 8 - Mix ingredients in the pot and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer
Start with the chopped tomatoes in the pot...
Add the seasonings and bring to a gentle simmer, just to get it hot (180 F, if you have a thermometer) there's no need to cook it; only to get it hot enough to ready it for water bath processing to kill any bacteria and enzymes.. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste it as it cooks. If you like the sauce hotter, add 1 teaspoon of chili powder.
Step 9 - Fill the jars with sauces and put the lid and rings on
Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.
Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal!
Step 10 - Boil the jars in the canner
Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for:
Recommended process time for Tomato/Tomato Paste Salsa in a boiling-water canner.
Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack - Hot
Jar Size - Pints or 8 oz jars
0 - 1,000 ft - 15 min
1,001 - 6,000 ft - 20 min
Above 6,000 ft - 25 min
IMPORTANT: The USDA says the only change you can safely make in this salsa recipe is to change the amount of spices and herbs. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe. Do not substitute vinegar for the lemon juice.
Step 11 - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight). You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually okay.
SALSA!
Making and Canning (or freezing) Homemade Salsa from Fresh Tomatoes!
Making and canning your own salsa is something families remember years later. No store bought salsa, even if it is shipped from Texas, compares with the taste of that made from your own tomatoes from your garden or fresh-picked from a local farm! In the middle of the winter, you can have tortilla chips and your salsa and taste the summer flavor of fresh tomatoes.
Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated. This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this! It's a great thing to do with your kids!
Ingredients and Equipment
Tomatoes - about 15 lbs (yes, quite a few - you remove the skins, seeds and a lot of the water, so it takes a lot to start.) You'll need about 3 quarts of prepared chopped tomatoes. This makes about 8 pints of salsa!
Salsa mix or your own seasonings - The Ball salsa mix sells for about $2.00 to $4.00 per packet. A packet will make about a 7 pint jars.
See step 7 below for seasonings.
Pint canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Big Lots, Wegmans, Walmart and other "big box" stores - about $8 per dozen jars including the lids and rings). Pint size works best!
Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once.
Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times.
Jar grabber - (to pick up the hot jars)
Salsa mix or your own seasonings. The Ball salsa mix sells for about $2.00 to $4.00 per packet. A packet will make about a 7 pint jars. See step 7 below for seasonings.
2 cups Lemon juice (if you make your own seasoning) or vinegar (if you use the Ball or Mrs. Wages mixes)
1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores. (Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables and meats that need pressure canning)
1 large pot.
Large spoons and ladles
Jar funnel ($3-Grocery stores, local "big box" stores; sometimes even hardware stores have these)
Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them.
Process - How to Make salsa from Fresh Tomatoes
Step 1 - Selecting the tomatoes
It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes!
At right is a picture of tomatoes from my garden - they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. And if you don't have enough, a pick-you-own farm is the pace to go! Here are 4 common varieties that will work:
Top left: Beefsteak
Top right: Lemon Boy, yellow
Bottom left: Roma, paste-type
Bottom right: Better Boy
I'm told that the best variety of tomato to use are Roma tomatoes also called paste tomatoes. They have fewer sides, thicker, meatier walls, and less water.
Also, you don't want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes!
Step 2 - Removing the tomato skins
Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough)
then....
Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water.
This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes! If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant.
Step 3 -Removing seeds and water
After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half. Now we need to remove the seeds and excess water.
Step 4 - Squeeze of the seeds and water
Just like it sounds: wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds. You don't need to get fanatical about it; removing just most will do.
Step 5 - Drain and dice the tomatoes
Toss your squeezed tomatoes into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off. You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking!
Next chop them up - I like 1/2 inch size cubes. You'll need about 3 quarts of peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes.
Step 6 - Get the jars and lids sterilizing
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sterilize" cycle. I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars.
Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!
Lids: Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes.
Note: everything gets sterilized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)
Step 7 – Prepackaged mix or your own seasoning?
I'm told that either works equally well. The salsa mix for canning has the advantage of being tested and easy. It's basically corn starch, onion powder, salt and seasoning. It doesn't have any preservative to improve the canning, so the advantage is only that it is easier. However, I like my custom-made from fresh seasonings better, so here is the recipe for that:
I use an electric chopper (food processor) to dice the seasonings fairly fine, about 1/8 inch cubes.
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 6 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 six-ounce cans tomato paste (adds body)
• 2 cups bottled lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional - you use Splenda if you are on a sugar-restricted diet)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons oregano leaves
Step 8 - Mix ingredients in the pot and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer
Start with the chopped tomatoes in the pot...
Add the seasonings and bring to a gentle simmer, just to get it hot (180 F, if you have a thermometer) there's no need to cook it; only to get it hot enough to ready it for water bath processing to kill any bacteria and enzymes.. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste it as it cooks. If you like the sauce hotter, add 1 teaspoon of chili powder.
Step 9 - Fill the jars with sauces and put the lid and rings on
Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.
Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal!
Step 10 - Boil the jars in the canner
Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for:
Recommended process time for Tomato/Tomato Paste Salsa in a boiling-water canner.
Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack - Hot
Jar Size - Pints or 8 oz jars
0 - 1,000 ft - 15 min
1,001 - 6,000 ft - 20 min
Above 6,000 ft - 25 min
IMPORTANT: The USDA says the only change you can safely make in this salsa recipe is to change the amount of spices and herbs. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe. Do not substitute vinegar for the lemon juice.
Step 11 - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight). You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually okay.
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“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” ~Cesare Beccaria