Investment Cooking - Canning Salsa

 

Whether you have an abundance of produce coming on from your garden, found a great produce deal at the store or just want to make a double batch of my super easy recipe you can easily put up some salsa to have on your pantry shelf.

 

I will often make a double or triple batch of salsa and can it in pint jars.  Not only do we eat it here, but I like to share it with my friends as well.  To begin I wash about a dozen pint jars and rings in hot soapy water, rinse them well and then, while they are still hot, give the jars a plunge in boiling water for about ten minutes.  You can also clean and sterilize canning jars by running them through the dishwasher.  I find doing the boiling water is faster.  I bring the water up to the boil remove the canner from the burner, add my jars and cover the canner with its lid and let it sit pretty much while I’m preparing the salsa.  I am able to reuse this water to process the salsa too.

 

Once the jars are in the boiling water I prepare all the fresh vegetables that I’m using in my salsa either by chopping them up by hand or running them through my grandma’s old meat grinder.  Then I prepare the tomatoes by rinsing them in cool water and removing anything from them I don’t want in my salsa.  I chop them and place them in my big mixing bowl.  All of the vegetables are then gently sautéed in my great grandmother’s big pot on the stove before I add my tomatoes and spices.  I allow it to cook down for a while until it is the consistency I want, then I add in some spices and salt before I taste it for flavor.  After making any adjustments I let it cook about ten more minutes to make sure all the flavors have melded and give it a final taste test.  

With the salsa completed I remove it from the hot burner and place me water bath canner still filled with jars and hot water onto the burner.  I remove all of my jars to a folded towel on my counter.  I place flat canning lids for the jars in a bowl with some of the hot water from the canner.  To each canning jar I add a teaspoon of lemon juice.  I allow the canner to come back up to boiling while I ladle the salsa into my hot jars with the lemon juice leaving about a half inch of head space.

 

Once my jars are full I wipe off the rims of each jar with a clean damp cloth dipped into a bit of white distilled vinegar.  Then I add a flat lid and a ring to each jar of salsa without over tightening.  Each jar is then placed in my canner and lowered down in.  I only want the water about an inch over the jars so I will add or remove water at this time.  Once the water is boiling I set the timer for 35 minutes and allow the jars to process.  I use this time to clean up my kitchen.

 

When the timer goes off I turn the burner off and carefully slide the canner off of the hot burner.  I remove my jars to the folded towel on the counter and allow them to sit until they have cooled completely.  Then I can remove the rings, check the seals, wash off the jars if they have any residue on them and label them with the date and what is inside.  They are now ready for my pantry. 

A good tip is to add a couple tablespoons of white vinegar to your water bath canner.  This helps prevent the jars from getting a milky haze on them during the canning process.  Always do your own research before you home can food.