Saturday, September 18, 2010

Salsa - my first canning experience

We bought a pressure canner!  Canning is a venture that my husband and I had long talked about but never did anything about.  I have fantastic memories of helping my mom can peaches and cherries and antipasto when I was a kid.  (mmm, home canned peaches!). 
Getting the canner was more my husband's doing than mine.  He really is searching for a great tomato sauce.  And he wants to can it.   Last week we went to a local farm and got a bushel of roma tomatoes.  He used half of them to make a large amount of tomato sauce with the intent to can.  He was disappointed with the recipe and decided to freeze his sauce, rather than canning.  I happened upon a salsa recipe at one of my favorite blogs,  Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  I figured that the recipe would be a keeper because I grew up in a town full of Mennonites.  I know they really can cook.  I've bought their baking and canning at local events.    Delicious.  This salsa was too.  It is a mild salsa and now that I know I can make it, I know I can play with it a bit for next time to turn up the heat.  The recipe originally called for water bath canning, but I pressure canned it as pressure canning is a much safer form of canning (no need to make anyone sick on my first canning venture!).  I'm really excited about this and look forward to other kinds of canning in the future.

15 lbs Roma tomatoes
3 lg onions
6 - 8 sweet peppers in a variety of colors
6 - 10 jalapeno peppers, seeded, chopped fine
12 garlic cloves, crushed - (I upped this to 20)
2 - 10 oz cans tomato paste
2 cups vinegar
1 cup lime juice (bottled)
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp oregano
3 tsp cumin
1 can black beans
1-2 bunches cilantro, chopped - (I used 3 bunches)

  1. Wash and chop tomatoes, adding to pot as you go.
  2. Finely chop onions and peppers, adding to pot.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil on medium heat.
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Ladle into (sterilized) jars, using canning funnel, cover with lids and screw rings.
  6. Place into hot water bath in large canner, bring to boil and process for 20 minutes. (I pressure canned instead, following the instructions with my canner
  7. Remove and allow to cool at room temp. Keep in cool storage.

6 comments:

Lara said...

I've only ever canned jams and jellies before. Maybe someday I'll get brave enough to try a pressure cooker.

Katerina said...

I did this the past years but this year I don't know it seems that time is passing so fast and with so many things to do, I do not have the time to do it. It is great because you have tomato sauce all winter.

Monica H said...

I've never heard of a pressure canner before. I've canned only a couple times using the boiling method and it's a lot of work.

Your salsa look good too!

Pam said...

I've never canned anything before. Your salsa sounds delicious.

Julie said...

Wow, that looks super. You're going to be so glad you have all that salsa!

Priscilla said...

wooww!! Now that's REAL tomato sauce right there!!
yuuummm all I'm thinking of is some pasta with that hehehe.

Have a great day!
Priscilla