Homespun
TOMATO SALSA (Using paste tomatoes)
TOMATO SALSA (Using slicing tomatoes)
CHILE SALSA (Hot Tomato-Pepper Sauce)
Homespun
July 12, 2000
Salsa: More than Just a Dance!
Salsa has become a favorite for snacking and for including in many dishes. It is something that can be easily preserved from your vegetable garden bounty. Most salsa recipes are a mixture of low-acid foods, such as onions and peppers, with acid foods, such as tomatoes.
The type of tomato you use often affects the quality of salsa. Paste tomatoes, such as Roma, have firmer flesh and produce thicker salsa than large slicing tomatoes. Although both types make good salsa, slicing tomatoes usually yield a thinner, more watery salsa than paste tomatoes. Salsa can be thickened by adding tomato paste. Use only high quality tomatoes for canning salsa or any other tomato product.
Peppers range from mild to fiery in taste. Very hot peppers are usually small (1 to 3 inches long); mild peppers are usually bigger (4 to 10 inches long). Anaheim, Ancho, College, Colorado and Hungarian Yellow Wax are mild pepper varieties. Choose a mild pepper when the recipe calls for long green chilies.
Small, very hot peppers provide a distinct taste to salsa. Jalapeno is the most popular hot pepper. Other varieties include Serrano, Cayenne, Habanero and Tabasco. Use rubber gloves when you cut or dice these peppers because they cause extreme irritation to the skin. Do not touch your face, particularly the area around your eyes, when you are working with hot chilies.
The acid ingredients used in salsa help preserve it. You must add acid to canned salsa because the natural acidity may not be high enough. Lemon juice is more acidic than vinegar, but has less effect on flavor. Use only vinegar that is at least 5% acid and use only bottled lemon juice. If you wish, you may safely substitute an equal amount of lemon juice for vinegar in recipes using vinegar. Do not substitute vinegar for lemon juice. This substitution will result in less acid and potentially unsafe salsa.
The following recipes are a sample from our "Salsa Recipes for Canning" brochure. If you would like a copy, please contact our Extension Office.
Important: Follow the directions carefully for each recipe. Use the amounts of each vegetable listed in the recipe. Add the amount of vinegar or lemon juice listed. You may change the amount of spices, if desired. Do not can salsa that does not follow these or other research-tested recipes. (Others may be frozen or stored in the refrigerator.) Do not thicken salsa with flour or cornstarch before canning.
TOMATO SALSA (Using paste tomatoes)
7 quarts peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes
4 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
5 cups chopped onion
½ cup seeded, finely chopped jalapeno peppers
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups bottled lemon juice
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin (optional)
3 tablespoons oregano leaves (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (optional)
Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano and cilantro, in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner 15 minutes. Yield: 13 pints. (This recipe works best with paste tomatoes. Slicing tomatoes require a much longer cooking time to achieve a desirable consistency.)
TOMATO SALSA (Using slicing tomatoes)
4 cups peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes
2 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
½ cup seeded, chopped jalapeno peppers
¾ cup chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1 tablespoon oregano leaves (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (optional)
1½ teaspoons salt
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner 15 minutes. Yield: 4 pints.
CHILE SALSA (Hot Tomato-Pepper Sauce)
10 cups peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes
6 cups seeded, chopped chili peppers (Use a mixture of mild and hot peppers.)
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup vinegar
3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat to boiling and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot into pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes. Yield: 6 to 8 pints.
This page created by Margie Yarnell, Extension Secretary.
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