Makin' Salsa

Ever since I was a teenager, I have been making salsa every single summer. My parents grew a huge garden every year (which I hated at the time... but now I very much envy) and they would grow tomatoes and peppers with which to make salsa. The summer that I was the only child left at home, my parents and I had a system. My dad would wake up first and pick the tomatoes and peppers and grill them. He would put everything into bowls and leave in the refrigerator for me. When I woke up (hours later...) it was my job to skin all the peppers and tomatoes, chop everything up (onions, cilantro, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic) and add the other ingredients and mix it and leave it ready for my mother who would then can and process the jars to seal them.

Unfortunately, now that I'm an adult, I have to do all the steps of this salsa making by myself, with occasional help from my husband when he is home to help!

Therefore... I have eliminated the grilling from the recipe. I don't think it adds very much to the overall flavor and it takes SOOO much time.


My sister told me that she just blanches her tomatoes... which I have to admit, I had no idea what it meant to "blanch" something.

So.. here's my recipe for Salsa (and instructions for blanching tomatoes)

Ingredients:

25 medium tomatoes
3 yellow peppers
5 green bell peppers
6-9 jalapenos
(without seeds... the more seeds you leave in, the hotter the salsa will be)
1 bunch cilantro
(I put in 2 bunches because I like a lot of cilantro flavor)
3-4 cloves garlic
2-3 onions
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup salt

To blanch my tomatoes, I use my sink. I tied a string (or ribbon) to my drain plug and then filled the sink with my tomatoes. Boil a large pot of water.
Pour your boiling water over the tomatoes and let sit for about 4-5 minutes. Then pull the string to release the water. I have to admit that I had a little trouble with all of my tomatoes blanching. The skins should start to peel and roll, but if they don't do that, they will usually peel right off if you just use a little knife to cut the skin open. Even if they don't look like they have blanched properly, they probably have and you just need to help them get started.

I don't find the skins of the peppers to be a problem, but the skins of the tomatoes really bother me in my salsa, so I make sure I get all of them off.

Chop all your ingredients to the size and texture you like for salsa. I like mine chopped really small so I use my little mini-food-chopper. Thankfully, I have help in operating it so that I can keep chopping other peppers while he is chopping in the machine...

And then we have to clap and celebrate each time he does such a good job chopping the onions and peppers for me. Mix all ingredients together. This can be eaten fresh (and is soooo very tasty) or it can be canned and processed like I love to do. I usually make either 5-6 quart jars or 10-12 pints.

I use my hot water bath to seal the jars, processing quarts for 45 minutes and pints for 35 minutes.

TIP: Make sure when you are handling the jalapeno peppers that you wear gloves. I use those yellow bathroom type of gloves and I have them specially labeled and with my canning supplies. The juices from the jalapeno peppers can burn your hands and your hands will be burning for hours and hours... Just trust me... I've done it and its not fun!

Happy Salsa Making!