Summer is slowly coming to an end, what means the end of my favourite season and the end of fresh local tomatoes. What better way than to make canned salsa with all the tomatoes that have not been eaten and save it for a rainy day in the winter. My friends LOVE this salsa so much, so I refuse to open it when they are over because I want to savour it for myself! It is quite the process, but it makes a lot, and if the can seals, it saves for a while.
A few notes:
- You can use whatever tomatoes you want, but I choose to use Roma as they have a lower water content.
- I used medium and small mason jars
- To peel the tomatoes, I score the bottom of the tomato and drop it in boiling water for a few minutes then quickly into ice water. The skin just slides off when you do this, and you don’t lose any “meat.”
- I used a food processor to make the process much faster
Ingredients:
- 10 cups peeled, chopped and drained tomatoes
- 3 cups chopped red onion
- 1 3/4 cups chopped green bell pepper
- 5 jalapeños, finely chopped, membranes and seeds removed (leave in for extra spice)
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 7 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 12 ounces tomato paste (optional if you want a thicker salsa)
Method:
- Combine all the ingredients except for the cilantro in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- After the 10 minutes add in the chopped cilantro and stir.
- Fill sterilised pint-size canning jars within 1/2-inch of the top. Wipe the rim of the jar clean and seal with a lid and ring.
- Process in a water or steam bath canner for 15 minutes
- Remove the jars carefully from the water or steam bath and let cool to room temperature with some space between each jar (cooling process becomes faster this way). Check to make sure the jars have sealed correctly. The most satisfying sound is the sound of the “POP” when a jar seals!