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Garden Salsa

Source of Recipe

From "Beginner's Guide to Canning" by Diane Devereaux


Recipe Introduction

"I dedicate a specific area in my garden to grow the ingredients for this crowd-pleasing salsa recipe. Short on time or garden space? Not to worry! Fresh store-bought ingredients or even commercially canned peeled tomatoes will work just fine. The key is to make it easy for yourself."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 ½ pounds Roma tomatoes (16 medium), cored and diced (8 cups)
â—¦ 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
â—¦ 6 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped (1 ½ cups)
â—¦ 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped (1 cup)
â—¦ 1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
â—¦ ½ cup apple cider vinegar
â—¦ ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
â—¦ 8 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 tablespoon salt


Recipe

This recipe is hot packed, so have clean jars resting in hot water. In a smaller pot, add lids and rings, 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, and water to cover. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

In a large stockpot, combine the tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, bell pepper, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Place the hot jars on a cutting board. Using a funnel, ladle the hot salsa into the jars, being sure to leave a ½-inch headspace. Remove the air bubbles and add additional salsa if necessary to maintain the ½-inch headspace.

Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand-tighten.

Place the jars in the water bather, ensuring each jar is covered by at least 1 inch of water. Add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar to the water and turn the heat to high. Bring the canner to a boil and process quarts for 25 minutes and pints for 15 minutes. Be sure not to start your timer until the water is at a full rolling boil. After processing, wait 5 minutes before removing the jars from the canner.

Makes 3 quarts or 6 pints