Canning Traditions: Salsa

Backstory

               My mom and I found some locally grown tomatoes at a roadside farmer’s market outside of Aztec, New Mexico. They had all sorts of vegetables and produce! My mom and I were able to purchase some delicious, golden peaches. We also got some freshly roasted Colorado green chilis and a box of tomatoes!

               The sweet and smoky aroma of roasted chilis really encompasses the beginnings of fall in New Mexico. Throughout my life I have helped my mom many a fall in picking up roasted green chilis, peeling, separating, bagging, and freezing them for year-round use. There is truly never a bad time or meal that green chilis wouldn’t enhance (you can even put it in chocolate)!

               My mom and I dedicated our Monday to canning homemade salsa. Of course, we also peeled our chilis and froze (some) of them for a meal at a later time. Canning salsa is a simple yet time-consuming process. If you have a day on hand and want to try your hand at canning: go for it!

Ingredients

               You start off with all your ingredients: tomatoes, onions, green chilis, jalapenos, cayenne, salt, and whatever else you want to throw in! You can always try to create your own recipe. If you like a sweeter salsa, add sugar. If you enjoy spicier varieties, add more peppers. You can also usually buy a guesstimate of a type of green chili if that available to you. You can get mild, medium, or hot. However, chilis can often be unpredictable. It is likely you will get a batch with a bit of variety, which is pretty fun.

               If you know you like your salsas a bit less spicy, try adding fewer peppers, chilis, or dried spices. Going through the process to can it means to can alter it to your own personal taste. After you have decided on what recipe you would like to follow or use as a guideline the next step of canning begins:

Prep

Before you fully get started and commit to your canning journey, a bit of prep work might be required. Remember to wash your ingredients thoroughly. You can also soak your tomatoes in hot water for peeling. Gloves might be beneficial if you are venturing into chili peppers and onions. Remember to be conscious of not wiping your eyes, nose, or mouth when you have chili juice all over your hands. You might be mindful of surfaces you touch as well. Just be conscious, careful, and always have fun!

The next step is to rinse your jars thoroughly before use. Then, set up a medium saucepan of water and boil it. While the water boils, set inside the lids of the jars without the bands. Be sure to boil these for about thirty five to forty five minutes to ensure they are safe for canning. You can read more about canning safety here. Set your oven to 200 degrees. Place your jars upside down inside the oven when it is heated. Bake your jars for at least one hour for sterilization purposes.

Dicing

               Dicing can be especially fun and easy if you have a blender or food processor. If you like larger chunks in your salsa, feel free to do a looser chop or run in the blender. If you like a finer, more liquid product, blend for longer amount of time. However, note that onions can be particularly tough. Larger onions might require a bit more blending time. If you want to ensure that the onions get chopped extremely fine, consider adding them to the blender separately first.

Recipe

25 large tomatoes

½ cup chopped jalapenos

10 chopped green chilis

10 tsps minced garlic

3 chopped red onions

1 tbs oregano (optional)

3 tbs salt

1-2 tsps cayenne pepper

Directions

               Dump all the ingredients into a large pan. Turn the stove to medium to high heat. Allow the salsa mixture to boil down for about an hour. If you like your salsa mix a bit thicker, feel free to boil longer. Feel free to experiment with the flavors as well! Add different peppers or spices to truly make the recipe unique to your tastes.

Canning

               Take your jars out of the oven. Carefully, scoop salsa mixture into the jar. Be aware as to not overfill the jar. Only fill the jar to the first rung of the rim of the jar. Too much salsa can prevent the jar from sealing correctly and result in the mixture spoiling. Wipe each jar rim after it is filled with a wet cloth to ensure no remnants of food remain. With a set of tongs, remove the lids from the boiling water and place them atop a jar. Put the band atop the jar. With a towel carefully cover the jar in full. Then, twist the lid into place very firmly.

               Once the lids are all secured, place jars in a boiling water bath for one hour. Afterwards, take the jars out and set them on a clean, dry towel. Allow to cool, serve, and enjoy! Store the salsa in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If canned correctly, salsa batch should be safe to consume for about twelve to eighteen months. If you ever grab a jar off the shelf and it does not “pop,” do not consume it. If the contents of the jar ever look or smell bad, discard it. Discard any unused product after the twelve-to-eighteen-month timeframe.

               Canning might sound daunting at first. It is an engaging and fun process to complete either by yourself or with a friend. I recommend trying it out for all kinds of different foods like jams, jellies, vegetables. The sky is the limit! Remember to keep a can do attitude and you’ll be just fine.

P.S. Remember to grab some chips for the salsa! Happy snacking!