Homemade, original salsa makes good gifts, freezes safely and can be enjoyed with a myriad of foods.
You might be thinking I finally harvested my bumber crop of tomatoes..
It isn’t so. Nevertheless, I am blessed. Nothing makes me happier than when friends share basketfuls of homegrown vegetables from their summer gardens. Because I can’t eat these fast enough, (and because I’d like to preserve the taste of summer for at least a little longer), I made homemade salsa. It’s so good I couldn’t resist eating it right out of the jar…
And here’s something I ‘m just learning: unless I want to send my salsa to a laboratory for testing, I’m taking a chance if I can the stuff! Salsa is a combination of acid and low acid ingredients; it is only appropriate for boiling water canning, if and only if, the level of acidity is adequate to prevent botulism. Hmm, I’m going to forego even caring about the level of acidity in my original salsa because: freezing is a safe option for preserving untested, original salsa. And it’s sooo much easier than canning… so go this route ( unless your planning on gobbling it all up, straight from the jar in the next week!)
Just in case you can’t eat it up fast enough, here are a few more options to make sure your homemade, original salsa doesn’t go to waste. Give it away to friends, family, your kids’ teachers, or the next person who walks down the street (you’ll be hailed a culinary goddess, because nobody can buy salsa this good!) Use your imagination and serve food with mucho salsa all week. For inspiration, some ideas are below.
Homemade Tomato Salsa
Homemade, original salsa makes good gifts, freezes safely and can be enjoyed with a myriad of foods.
- Yield: 3 1/2 pints 1x
Ingredients
- 12 medium tomatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/3 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 8 oz. tomato paste
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (pure without any additives)
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Instructions
1. In a large sauce pan, cook tomatoes, uncovered, over medium heat 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Return to the pot.
2. Stir in green peppers, onions, red pepper, celery, garlic, jalapeno, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce and reserved tomato liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, 1 hour, stirring frequently. Store in refrigerator for up to one week or freeze.
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