Mom’s Homemade Salsa
Our growing season this year has been a little unusual. First off, through most of the month of April and all of May it rained and rained. Delaying our crop planting and in turn, delaying our garden planting. Pushing back the harvest times a bit. Our garden tomatoes are just starting to turn and since our shelves were empty, Mom’s Homemade Salsa was the first to be canned this year.
We love this salsa recipe and use it for a variety of meals throughout the year.
Like these Slow Cooker Beef Street Tacos and one of my personal favorites, Chipotle Chicken!
This salsa recipe is a great way to use up a variety of garden produce, not just your ripe tomatoes.
Also onions, green peppers, and jalapenos.
The ingredients get combined into a large stock pot and simmered for a couple hours before the canning process starts.
Now if you have never canned anything before, no worries!
There are numerous resources online, including this tutorial from the main mason jar players themselves, Ball!
Fill your pantry shelves with this kitchen staple.
You will be prepared for any impromptu football game or girl’s night in that may come your way.
Mom’s Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
- 15-20 Tomatoes peeled, seeded, and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 3 Large Onions chopped
- 1 Green Pepper chopped
- 1 can (6 oz) Tomato Paste
- 1 can (4 oz) Diced Jalapeno Peppers
- 1 can (4 oz) Diced Green Chilies
- 1/2 cup White Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp Canning Salt
- 1 Tbsp Dried Cilantro
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
Instructions
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Into a very large stockpot, combine all of the ingredients together.
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Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, stirring frequently.
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If your tomatoes give off a lot of juice and you want a thicker salsa, dissolve 1-2 Tbsp of cornstarch in a small amount of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the salsa in the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. Salsa should thicken slightly.
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Prepare canner, jars, and lids according to manufacturer's instructions.
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Carefully ladle the hot salsa into the heated jars, using a funnel and leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
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Center lids on jars. Apply and tighten bands.
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Process in boiling water canner for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude. **Increase processing time: 5 minutes for 1,001 to 3,00 ft; 10 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 ft; 15 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 ft; 20 minutes for 8,001 to 10,000 ft.
I’m new to this. But why do you need to cook tis so long? Shouldn’t take that long to to cook the only raw ingredients ,tomatoes, peppers and onion.
Bonnie, great question. You cook the ingredients for a while to develop the flavors, but more so to thicken the salsa. Depending on the tomatoes you are using some of them could cause the salsa to be too “runny”. Cooking for the time outlined should allow the salsa to thicken.
Good info! It’s also necessary to cook down food prior to canning to help with preserving. Fruits and vegetables have “cells” which contain very small amounts of oxygen. The cooking process helps to break down the cells and release this oxygen, which would encourage bacterial growth if canned raw.
Exactly! I can tell you’ve done your fair share of canning. 🙂
Is this spicy hot?
My husband can’t do real hot spicy foods but loves salsa
I would say this is a very mild salsa. If you are concerned though, maybe leave out the can of diced jalapenos.