Canned Salsa!

I just love salsa. I make it fresh every year just as soon as the ingredients are ready. I’ve tried to can it and I’ve tried to freeze my salsa, but the results were always disappointing. Whichever method I used, it was always watery and tasteless. I usually ended up using it for soup stock.  A few years ago I realized that salsa needs to be cooked in order to put it up for the winter.  I was quite happy when I figured that out:)

I have developed the following recipe.

First chop several cloves of fresh garlic (or less if you don;t like garlic as much as I do), about 1/2 onion (I like red onions the best) and 2-5 peppers, depending on how hot you want it. Sometimes I roast the peppers first, but I didn’t this time. Saute the garlic and onions in a bit of olive oil  till transparent. In the meantime finely chop, or put through food processor  8-10 tomatoes. Stir into the pot when garlic and onions are ready. Bring to  a low boil then let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the peppers, black pepper, cumin, oregano and cilantro to taste. Stir in either about 1/4 of lemon juice or vinegar. This is necessary to keep the salsa safe.

Have your hot water bather, and your jars and lids ready to go. Fill pint jars, put in the bather and bring to a full boil, Process for 15 minutes. Remove and retighten the lids. Let cool. Put in your pantry. Admire:)

Here are some photos of the process:

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