SO here’s the history. We’ve been making salsa every September for about 4 years now and it’s become a tradition that I love! That is until I’m elbows deep in Roma tomatoes wishing we had never started!! Anyone else have a task like this that they love to hate?? We love the final product and honestly there is nothing better than cracking open a seal on a jar of home-made salsa! So in the end, its worth all the work and onion tears!
This recipe is from Sharon Stewart, my mom’s cousin, and we love how simple it is! We change it each year based on what’s available locally and so each year its a bit different! Sometimes it’s just my mom and I and sometimes my sister visits and helps us out! I was so excited to add my home-grown jalapeno peppers to the recipe this year!! I’m new to gardening so hope to share my gardening journey in an upcoming post! Our Roma tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers came from Desert Hills in Ashcroft, BC. Desert Hills is a fav of ours and my mom and I love to drive out whenever we get the chance!! They have lovely plants and produce as well as an incredible staff!! We always leave there with something extra as a gift and we love supporting their business! If you are local to the area its a must see in my opinion!! This year, as many of you know, we had an intense fire season, which meant little direct sunlight and lots of smoke in the area. This was rough on the crops so tomatoes this year had a different flavor. All this meant was that we adjusted our seasoning accordingly. I’m a ‘taste it then add a dash of _______’ kind of cook so this style makes duplication of flavor profiles almost impossible. It also makes my cooking mates kind of crazy! The other thing we ALWAYS opt out of is cilantro, insert puke emoji! I feel like cilantro is a love it or hate it ingredient so do as you wish!!! I will sometimes add fresh cilantro to a jar if I know I have guests who love it! Are you team cilantro? Let me know in the comments below!
Fun fact: We hide jars from my dad and Lino to help preserve the batch!! They both could sit down and crush an entire jar in one sitting!!!
I always see these lovely blogs with the recipe card embedded in the text and I did some research…. I’m not there yet but hang in there, I’ll figure it out! Cant wait to share once I do!
So without further ado, here’s the recipe, typed out old school style! Tweak it as you see fit or what’s available to you! And mostly, I hope you do this with your mom, sis, mother-in-law, neighbor, aunt or friend and that you have a lovely bonding experience! Its honestly my favorite thing about the process, connection!
Salsa
makes approx. 25 pints
Ingredients:
25 lbs. Roma tomatoes
5 mild peppers – red and green cone shaped
9 Jalapenos
3 Red Chili Peppers (Reserve seeds)
15 Cayenne Peppers (Reserve seeds)
3 Poblano Peppers
4 Red Bell Peppers
3 Coloured Peppers of choice (green, yellow, orange etc.)
4 Large Spanish Onions
18-20 Cloves of Garlic
5 Tins of tomato paste
3 1/2 cups of Vinegar
3/4 Cup of Sugar
3 Tbsp. Pickling Salt
8 Tsp. Paprika
*3-5 Tbsp. Cilantro (Optional)
Instructions:
1. Blanch, peel, seed and coarsely chop tomatoes.
2. Seed peppers (reserve hot seeds to add if you prefer spicier salsa. We added the seeds of 9 jalapenos this year and it would be considered a medium heat salsa. ) WEAR GLOVES! You will never forget the hellish burning of your nail beds if you don’t follow this advice! Chop all ingredients and add to a stock pot or large pot/pan of your choice. You will need something large enough to hold approximately 50 cups! If you have a food processor, use it!!! If you don’t, go buy one!! It saves an hour of chopping by hand!
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour uncovered. This is the point where I take out a spoonful and taste. If its not hot enough, add the reserved seeds. I sometimes add more paprika, salt or even sugar to balance out the flavor. Trust your taste buds! If you are a cilantro fan then add it at this point and continue cooking for another 15-30 minutes or until desired consistency.
4. Process. Pints take 20 mins, Quarts 25 mins. We did half pints (perfect for a hostess gift) this year and processed them for 15 mins. We had 100% seal rate this year which was awesome!
5. Enjoy the fruits of your labor! This is the moment when I open a bottle of wine or crack a cider and step back and feel proud of the previous 4 hours of work!
Looks amazing!!
Our girls are finally starting to like salsa… might have to give this recipe a go next fall!
Congrats on the BLOG!!!! love it!!