Salsa Recipe for canning

[eyeguy 54]

Something to try if you like. 

This years first batch.  a little different from last year.

8 pound of tomatoes. 

8 cups green pepper, 6 cup onion, 3 cup celery, 7 clove garlic diced

chop up and saute above till half tender in 2 tablespoon canola oil in big kettle.

add 1, 4 oz can jalepeno diced peppers or 2 if you like it a little past medium heat. 

pulse tomatos in blender  peels included and add to kettle.  or... ( you can blanch and peel if you want and cut up anyway you like) 

add, 4 T Brown Sugar, 1 T Cayenne pepper, 1 T Salt, 1 T Ground Oregano.

Heat it up and then add 2, 12 oz can tomato paste.

 

Cook for a while and then into canner. 

This will make about 14-15 pints usually. 

Options...   Add a can or 2  pineapple tidbits, not the juice. ( wifey wants me to try mango but havnt yet)

Add 2 Tsp liquid smoke. 

pretty good prices at walmart for canning supplies. 

 

 

 

[reinhard1]

Thanks!!!  Have to get a canner and some more jars.  Need some for pickled pike.  good luck.

[eyeguy 54]

on a side note if wifey does not like smokey flavor just add 1/8 tsp to a jar when you open it later.   less fights... lol  

[Boar]

I canned venison this past winter, turned out incredable. been wanting to look into a salsa to can,.

[reinhard1]

Sausage, grilling, smoking, general cooking, just got me a Kitchen Aid mixer and getting into baking and now I'm interested in canning.  My brother canned venison also as well as salmon so I've got to get going.  Love the salsa idea.  We all eat the stuff.  good luck.

[eyeguy 54]

did the pineapple batch today.  really good!!  2 cans of crushed pineapple went in just before canning. 

[eyeguy 54]

just getting started.

 

[reinhard1]

That makes for a lot of dipin!!!!  Looking good.  good luck.

[blue_healer_guy]

so would you say roughly 20 tomatoes for a batch?

[eyeguy 54]

8 pounds. all depends on the size of the tomatos.   looks like I forgot that part. lol  will edit it in.   

[delcecchi]

Do you pressure can it?  Looks like a lot of low acid stuff in there. 

[icehole10]

My tomatoes are just starting to turn. I am going to have one heck of a crop this year, so I will have to give this a try. One question off the topic a bit. What the best way to keep the tomatoes as you pick them? Right now, I have a few everyday, but that's not enough to do anything with. I have been putting them in the fridge, but I was wondering, do you guys have any tricks that work to keep them till you have enough to do something with them?  

[eyeguy 54]

Do you pressure can it?  Looks like a lot of low acid stuff in there. 

no, never have.  After cooking and putting in jars with lids and covers I put in the canner, bring to a boil for a couple minutes, then turn it off. very rare one doesnt seal properly. 

[pushbutton]

Icehole, I am not aware of any real tricks.....other than cooler temps. If trying to stock up I  just put ripe ones in the fridge. Not quite ripe will leave sit out a little before the fridge. Suppose a wine cooler would be ideal, but mine is usually full....lol.

Am with Del on this one. Most "approved water bath recipes" are going to have something along the line of a cup or so of vinegar, lemon, or lime juice.....per five pounds of maters along with other lower in acid foods. I don't go that much, but point being .....you should  probably try to reduce the pH a little more......especially if the tomatoes are store bought, which can be rather variable and /or adding other low acid goodies. You can also add a pinch of ascorbic acid or half a tab of vitamin c per pint for safety sake. 

[roony]

We still use the non U of M recommended open kettle method of canning salsa and tomatoes. We have never had a jar go bad. I had suggested to the warded that we get a pressure canner but she insists we keep doing it our own da m wrong way. Sometimes we add a little lemon juice or citric acid to the salsa because of the amount of "low acid stuff". 

I will add that my wife is meticulously clean and we make sure the sauce goes into the jars at close to boiling temperature. I'm not recommending our method to others but it works for us and our salsa is second to none.

My tomatoes are just starting to turn. I am going to have one heck of a crop this year, so I will have to give this a try. One question off the topic a bit. What the best way to keep the tomatoes as you pick them? Right now, I have a few everyday, but that's not enough to do anything with. I have been putting them in the fridge, but I was wondering, do you guys have any tricks that work to keep them till you have enough to do something with them?  

When we make a batch of salsa we use 192 cups of tomatoes. We blanch them and freeze them in gallon zip lock bags until we have enough or until we have time to make the salsa. It seems we have more time for canning in the winter so we often freeze the ingredients until then. 

[delcecchi]

The issue is botulism, which is an organism that grows in anaerobic conditions, like the inside of a sealed canning jar.   It has no visible signs of spoilage. 

now the risks of botulism from home-canned foods

Home-canned vegetables are the most common cause of botulism outbreaks in the United States. From 1996 to 2008, there were 116 outbreaks of foodborne botulism reported to CDC. Of the 48 outbreaks that were caused by home-prepared foods, 18 outbreaks, or 38%, were from home-canned vegetables.

 

Looks like it is fairly rare.  The USDA recipes 

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE 3 Home Can.pdf

for salsa seem to all have added acid in the form of vinegar or lemon juice for safe water bath canning. 

[eyeguy 54]

interesting.  30 years now and no botulism.  I tried some vinegar once a few years ago but did not care for the taste. 

 

What foods can cause botulism?

1. Foodborne botulism. The source of foodborne botulism is often home-canned foods that are low in acid, such as green beans, corn and beets. A common source of the illness in Alaska is fermented seafood. However, the disease has also occurred from chili peppers, baked potatoes and oil infused with garlic.
2. Saw that online in a report on botulism.  

 

 

add a little lemon juice to the recipe cant hurt i guess. will try it in a batch.

 

[delcecchi]

Like 50 cases in the whole country.  Looks like pretty good odds. 

As Dirty Harry said....

you’ve got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?

Couldn't resist.  Nothing personal.

[eyeguy 54]

been lucky all my life   either that or I'm good at stuff...   lol  or as my fishing friend dave says....    you're a legend in your own mind. HA !  lol 

[Big Dave2]

I put lemon juice in all tomatoes and salsa I can just in case.

I just noticed the part about "peels included". Does that mean you don't blanch your tomatoes at all? Do you put them in the blender whole? I hate blanching and peeling the tomatoes!

[eyeguy 54]

I hated blanching and peeling also. I cut the core out about 1/2 inch down with a steak knife, cut the mater in half or thirds and the zap them in the blender with peels. Just a little, not like a bullet.  

[pushbutton]

It's really not a matter of being good, but as Del points out....unlucky. Granted getting a case of botulism ranks up there with winning the lottery. Never used to care, probably no real rational reason now. Am currently having a drink and will soon be eating food too high in sodium ......which will most assuredly end my life sooner.

Also hate peeling and might have to give that a try.  I like a more smooth consistency, to where it probably wouldn't be an issue hitting the blend button a couple of times,  ....the other half likes chunky though, and usually wins out in most differences of opinions. .....lol.  

Hate to lol, but can't get the smiley thingies to work....lol.

[eyeguy 54]

smileys dont work here but you can type  :  )     or ;  )         

I dont mind it blended good either but my wifey is the same, but she keeps eating it and is liking it. not gonna be chunky at all when in the blender a couple seconds or so  or as I call it... globs of stringy tomato if blanched and quartered and peeled... 

 

[icehole10]

 

 We blanch them and freeze them in gallon zip lock bags until we have enough or until we have time to make the salsa. It seems we have more time for canning in the winter so we often freeze the ingredients until then. 

Might be a dumb question, but do you blanch, peel and freeze, or do you peel them after you thaw? Thanks

[roony]

We blanch, peel,  chunk and freeze.