Homemade Salsa: A Rainbow in a Jar!
This is an adaptation of Canadian Living's Peppy Salsa and they best preserved homemade salsa I have ever tasted. This batch is 5 times the original recipe and makes 55 cups of salsa.
Servings: 55 cups
Ingredients
- 40 oz (1134 g) jalapeno peppers (I used 8 and would use 10 next time)
- 40 cups (9.5 L) coarsely chopped, peeled tomatoes (about 1 box); juice strained from tomatoes (we made sauce from the juice)
- 15 cups (3.5 L) chopped seeded, Anaheim, Cubanelle peppers, or sweet banana peppers (we used Sweet Banana)
- 10 cups (2.4 L) chopped onions (5 1/2 large white onions)
- 10 cups cider vinegar (we used 4 cups; last year 6 and it was too acidic)
- 5 cups (1.25 L) chopped sweet red peppers
- 5 cups (1.25 L) chopped yellow peppers
- 20 garlic cloves , minced (10 large purple cloves; use 20 large next year)
- 6 cans (5-1/2 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
- 2/3 cup (150 mL) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) salt (we added 2 more tablespoons)
- 6 tbsp (45 mL) paprika
- 4 tbsp (24 mL) dried oregano
- 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) chopped fresh coriander (we used 4 bunches; next year 6?)
Instructions
- Wearing rubber gloves, seed, core and finely chop jalapeno peppers to make 5 cups
- Start the water bath so it will be ready when you are
- In large heavy non-aluminum pot, combine jalapenos, tomatoes, Cubanelle peppers, onions, vinegar, red and yellow peppers, garlic, tomato paste, sugar, salt, paprika and oregano; bring to boil, stirring often
- Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring often; once bubbles appear simmer-boil for 30 minutes, testing texture (ours was ready after barely 20 minutes of boiling)
- Stir cilantro (coriander) into salsa; start canning
- Using funnel and ladle, fill hot 2-cup (500 mL) canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) head space; cover with prepared lids
- Use a strainer to capture cups of salsa; top each jar with juice (otherwise, you will have too much juice in the jar)
- Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight only
- Boil jars in boiling water canner for 20 minutes; transfer jars to rack
- Let cool for 24 hours checking that lids curve downward; refrigerate any that do not and use within 3 weeks
- Refrigerate after opening
- You will have a good litre and a half or two of sauce left: makes and excellent base for a vichyssois
Notes
Cider Vinegars: These differ from gentle fruity vinegars to sharply acidic; we prefer the gentler appley ones so make sure you taste first
August 29 and 30 2016: used only 9 cups of the banana peppers and more of the yellow and red; yield was 45 cups which was odd
We strained tomatoes first