Canning Salsa Tutorial

I'm canning up salsa again because it's so good I am eating 1 to 2 pints a week, plus I need to use up the canned tomatoes I bought at Big Lots.  

I'm not much of a real 'recipe' person so amounts can easily change depending on your taste.  You can certainly add or subtract ingredients as you choose.

Canterbury Cottage Salsa Recipe

11 - 28oz cans of tomatoes

2 - large onions

1/4 cup garlic powder

1 tsp white pepper

1 Tbsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 teacup lime juice
1 - 54oz. container of sliced jalapenos, drained

2 bunches fresh cilantro chopped

The tomatoes I used were whole so they were whizzed in the food processor along with the chunk cut onions.  They did not all have basil.  You can easily use fresh tomatoes that have been skinned or canned that are diced although unless you like really smooth salsa I do not recommend tomato puree or crushed tomatoes.  You can also use the #10 cans of tomatoes.

The food processor was bought at Goodwill almost 20 years ago for $12!

The tomato and onion sauce was poured into my big Anya pot (Anya gave it to me) to start heating.  

The pot is just over 1/2 full.  This is when the seasonings were added, no salt as the canned tomatoes have that already, if using fresh you will probably want some.  The canner has the jars in it already, I fill them with water and heat in the canner before using.  They have already been through the dishwasher for scalding.

The lids are also heating in a small saucepan so the rubber can soften.

At this point the limes were squeezed.

 I had some key limes in the fridge from making guacamole last week and needed to use them up.  They made about 1/2 a teacup full.  You can certainly use bottled lime or lemon if you want or leave it out totally.  My last batch did not have any.
I used a lot of jalapenos but you can adjust that to your taste.

At the last I chopped 2 bunches of cilantro and stirred them in, I didn't want it to cook and be dark mush.  The salsa is only just heated, not cooked.

One by one the jars are pulled out of the canner with canning tongs, water dumped and 1/2 tsp of citric acid added to the jar, then I add the salsa.  These are pint jars, slightly larger than you would buy in the grocery store.

Fill to 1/2" of the top, wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth and put on a hot lid then screw down the ring tightly.  Place filled jars back in the canner and keep going.  When your canner is full, mine holds 8 pints at a time, process for 15 minutes at 10 pounds pressure for pints.  You can water bath tomatoes also but it heats up the kitchen.  3 pots of boiling water or food will do that.

And there they are after the pressure goes down and I can open the canner.  Lift out with canning tongs and set on a folded towel out of a draft.  Then listen for the best sound in the world, the pop of a sealing lid!   I got 21 pints from this and a teacup full of leftover.

If after they have cooled you have any that didn't seal, store in the fridge for using soon.  Let your jars sit until the next day when you can remove the rings and wash the jars to make sure you have no food particles stuck to them, also a little vinegar in the wash water helps if you have hard water.  I also now add a little vinegar to the canning water, it keeps the mineral deposits to a minimum.  Label and date and store in a dry cool place.  You will want to store these someplace easily accessible as you'll be wanting to try salsa on everything.

Always check your canning guide/blue book for times and temps and jar sizes depending on what you are canning and at what altitude.  I've been canning for years but still double check every time.

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