With tomato season in full swing now is the perfect time to harvest and put those garden gems to use. What better way than by making salsa?
I love gardening and tomatoes are a wonderful way to start if you are new to it. It is rewarding walking out of the home and picking the literal fruits of your labor. Now if you do grow tomatoes, you know how once they start turning red, they will be ready to harvest in loads. My favorites to grow are San Marzano’s, Heirlooms, beefsteak, and cherry.
How beautiful is that?
The wonderful thing about salsa is you can use any variety of tomato and even combine varieties. I used all you see in the photo above. The cherry tomatoes give a nice sweetness to the mix. Canning can be a bit intimidating but here we will be using a simple water bath method. No special equipment required except I do recommend getting a grip jar lifter. These can be bought at most grocery stores. It makes for safe and easy extraction.
To do the water bath we need to use a LARGE pot or canning pot of course. The easiest way to do this is in batches. I usually can 3-4 jars at a time. It only takes 15 minutes to get a good seal on the mason jars. Tomatoes are on the border of being high acidic and low acidic food so canning in a water bath is perfectly safe, but it is important to get a proper seal. Then we will move them to cool and seal for 12-24 hours. You will hear the lids pop; this is how you will know they are good and sealed.
Sealed and stored properly, the jars will last up to 18 months (about 1 and a half years). They need to be stored in a dark cool spot. Pantries, or storage rooms work well. Once opened, keep refrigerated.Â
Vinegar
A lot of people ask me if it’s important to add vinegar to the mix and the answer is yes! Without vinegar the salsa would not be acidic enough to safely can in a water bath. The vinegar adds a nice flavor to the salsa as well as helping it to have a long shelf life.
Peeling hack
To save time on removing the skins I have a great tip that does not involve blanching and an ice bath. We will simply cut the stem side of the tomato off, cut in half, and then remove the seeds.
Scrape out the seeds and then place the cut side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Easy for cleaning)
After loading them on the baking sheet, put them in the oven on BROIL for 5 minutes.
Let the tomatoes cool until gentle to the touch and simply peel the skins off. It is that easy!
From here we will chop the tomatoes and other ingredients. I add onions, jalapenos, 2 habanero peppers, cilantro, vinegar, salt, and pepper. All fresh of course!
Okay, let’s get started!
Homemade Canned Salsa
Equipment
- large pot or canning pot
- jar grabber for canning
- 6 pint size canning jars with lids
Ingredients
- 10 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped I use a variety of tomatoes. San Marzano, cherry, and medium sized.
- 4 cups chopped onions yellow or white About 4-5 medium sized onions
- 2 cups jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, and chopped About 12 medium sized
- 2 Habanero peppers, seeds removed and chopped
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped small About 1 cup
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup Distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Prep the jars for canning by heating the jars in boiling water. Fill the canning pot with water, bring to a boil and then submerge them in the water for 10 minutes and then remove with the jar grabber and set aside on clean towel.Wash the lids with soap and water, rinse and set aside.
- To prep the tomatoes/peel Cut the tomatoes stem/end off and remove the seeds.
- Lay the tomatoes cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Broil in the oven for 5 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let them cool until gentle to the touch.
- Peel off the skins and then chop them into small chunks. It will get messy and that is okay. We want all the juices and chunks. I also use cherry tomatoes. I do not seed them, just chop them into quarters or halves.
- Add the tomatoes and juices into a large Dutch oven or large saucepan.
- Add the onions, jalapenos, habaneros, salt, and vinegar to the pan. Move the pan to the stove and cook over medium heat. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Now ladle the salsa into the jars. Leave 1/2 inch of space in the jar. Place the lid on and seal. Only seal the lid to finger tight. Now super tight.
- Fill the canning pot half full of water. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Process the cans for 15 minutes in the water bath with lid on.
- Remove the lid after 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them sit for 5 minutes.
- Remove the jars (using the jar grabber if you have one )after 5 minutes and move to kitchen towel in a cool place. Check the lids for a seal. They should not flex. Repeat canning process with remaining jars if needed.
- Let them cool for 12-24 hours. While they are cooling you will hear pinging and popping noises. No alarm, this just means they are sealing properly. Then move to a permanent storage space. After opened, keep refigerated. They jars will last for up to 18 months.
- Enjoy!
