Canning whatever

How do you can good ?

More specificly, salsa... I want to make fresh salsa and can the excess for later use instead of having to whip out the proccessor ever month.

Any tips on canning fresh goods ?

Look for the Ball canning guide....I'm told by my sister, who cans a lot, that the guide covers most everything and has decent recipes to boot. Also, I think that salsa freezes pretty well. and tastes fresher than canned. We had excess tomatoes last year and froze lots by just blending them up and freezing them. We also made some salsa, and it tasted as fresh a couple of months ago as when it was made last year.

Chuck


Chuck

Thanks Chuck, I have 3 qts in the freezer since my first post as I had to do somehting with 6 qts... LOL
(I like Salsa, but even I have mt limits) [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

This is the recipe I used:

4-5 quarts tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 c. jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 clove fresh garlic, pressed)
1 Tbsp. pickling salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar

Cook for 2-2 1/2 hours until desired thickness, skimming foam off. Put into sterilized jars and seal.


I ended up with a bushel of tomatoes from a friend and started with 4 gallons of tomatoes instead of 4 quarts. Since I like my salsa milder I only used half of the required jalapenos to make a really good medium heat. It also turned out a little bit sweeter than I like, so next time I'll use only half of the required sugar. Other than that the recipe is a keeper. I've put in an order for another bushel of tomatoes next week to make my DH and DMIL some hot salsa.

Yolanda

BTW, I ended up with five pint jars, three 20 oz jars, and 6 qt jars of salsa. It cooked down to about half before it got thick enough for my liking. :-)

Yolanda