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How to make salsa
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This month's notes: May 2008: Spring is here!: strawberries are starting in the deep South and are peaking or fading in California, Texas and Florida!  Organic farms are still not common, but any that are, have the word ORGANIC by their name! Check out my easy canning directions, and canning equipment or How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals
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• Tomatoes - about 20 lbs (yes, you need a big basketful - you remove the skins, seeds and a lot of the water, so it takes a lot to start.) This makes about 9 pints of salsa! If you only want to make a single jar, see this page instead!
• Salsa mix or your own seasonings. The Ball salsa mix sells for about $2.00 to $4.00 per packet. A packet will make about a 7 pint jars. See below for seasonings.
• 1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores, Wal-Mart.  Note: we sell canners, supplies and kits through our affiliates: click here or see the bottom of this page) Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables  and meats that need pressure canning

• Pint canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Publix and Wal-Mart - about $8 per dozen jars including the lids and rings).  Be sure to get wide mouth jars to fit the pickles in!  Pint size works best! 
• Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar.  They may only be used once.
• Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars.  They may be reused many times.
• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) 
• Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them. ($2 at Wal-Mart)
• 1 large pot.
• Large spoons and ladles
• Jar funnel ($3-$4 at Wal-Mart)

Step 1 - Selecting the tomatoes

It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes!  

At right is a picture of tomatoes from my garden - they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. And if you don't have enough, a pick-you-own farm is the pace to go!  At right are 4 common varieties that will work:

Top left: Beefsteak	Top right: Lemon Boy, yellow
Bottom left: Roma, paste-type	Bottom right: Better Boy

The picture at left shows the best variety of tomato to use: Roma; also called paste tomatoes.  they have fewer sides, thicker, meatier walls, and less water.

Also, you don't want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes!

Step 2 - Removing the tomato skins

Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough)

then....

 Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water.

This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes!  If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant.

Step 3 -  Removing seeds and water

After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half.  Now we need to remove the seeds and excess water. 

Step 4 - Squeeze of the seeds and water

Just like it sounds: wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds.  You don't need to get fanatical about it; removing just most will do.

Step 5 - Drain and dice the tomatoes

Toss the squeezed (Squozen? :) tomatoes into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off.  You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking!

Next chop them up - I like 1/2 inch size cubes.

Step 6 - Get the jars and lids sterilizing

The dishwasher is fine for the jars.  I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars. 

Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!

 Lids:  Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes. 

Note: everything gets sterilized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!)

Step 7. Mix or your own seasoning?

Either works equally well. The salsa mix for canning has the advantage of being tested and easy. It's basically corn starch, onion powder, salt and seasoning. It doesn't have any preservative to improve the canning, so the advantage is only that it is easier.  However, I like my custom-made from fresh seasonings better, so here is the recipe for that:

I use an electric chopper (food processor) to dice the seasonings fairly fine, about 1/8 inch cubes.

Either works fine!

Step 8 - Mix ingredients in the pot and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer

<-- Start with the chopped tomatoes in the pot...

Add the seasonings and bring to a gentle simmer, just to get it hot - there's no need to cook it; only to get it hot enough to ready it for water bath processing to kill any bacteria and enzymes..

Taste it as it cooks. If you like the sauce hotter, add 1 Teaspoon of chili powder.

And if you like your salsa thick, add 4 Tablespoons corn starch, dissolved in the vinegar before adding to the mix.

Step 9 - Fill the jars with sauces and put the lid and rings on

Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.  

Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal! 

Step 10 - Boil the jars in the canner

Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes for 8 oz and pints and 20 minutes for quarts. If you have a pressure canner, use it and process the sauce for 10 minutes for pint jars and 15 minutes for quarts, at a pressure of 10 to 11 pounds. Remember to adjust the time if you are at a different altitude other than sea level!  

I prefer a pressure canner or a taller water bath canner, shown at right - To order one, see the bottom of this page or Canning supplies!

Step 9 - Done

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)  You can then remove the rings if you like.

Other Equipment:

From left to right:

1. Jar lifting tongs 
           to pick up hot jars
2. Lid lifter 
           - to remove lids from the pot 
           of boiling water (sterilizing )
3. Lid 
          - disposable - you may only 
          use them once
4. Ring 
         - holds the lids on the jar until after
         the jars cool - then you don't need them
5. Canning jar funnel
         - to fill the jars

Home Canning Kits

This is the same type of  standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce!. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids! To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!For more information and current pricing:
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