Canning Salsa

My house smells so absolutely wonderful right now! Cumin, roasting peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions...mmm.  Today I'm using up some of the last of my tomatoes and peppers from the garden to can salsa. Making your own canned salsa isn't rocket science by any means, but there are a few rules that you must follow if you want to avoid any foodborne illnesses. Here are a few things that I've learned along the way.



First, use fresh produce! Mushy vegetables don't taste good to begin with, and they're even worse canned. Poor quality tomatoes and peppers can cause your salsa to spoil, even after it's been canned. So definitely, fresh is best!

Second, find a research tested recipe, and follow it! Stick to recipes published by trusted sources such as Ball or an extension service. When you can salsa you are mixing high pH food (tomatoes) with low pH food (peppers, onions and garlic). You need to maintain a higher pH level for the salsa to be safe to can using the water bath method. This is accomplished by adding either vinegar or lemon/lime juice to the salsa. (Lime and lemon juice are interchangeable with each other, but not with vinegar.) If you need to increase or decrease the recipe, be careful to maintain the original ratio of tomatoes and vinegar/lemon juice to peppers, onions and garlic. Changing the amount of the dried spices does not affect the pH level, so feel free to adjust to your taste.

And lastly, please take care when handling peppers, especially the hot ones. Take my word for it. You don't want any of the capsaicin (the compound in peppers that makes them hot) near your eyes, lips, or any other tender area of your body! Wear gloves when cleaning and chopping the peppers, and wash your hands with soap and warm water immediately when you are done.

Got all of that? Good!

As I said, you need a tried and true recipe. I found this one (Tomato Salsa Using Paste Tomatoes on page 11) from the University of Wisconsin Extension. I picked it for a couple of reasons. It was published by an extension service, and the ingredient amounts were all listed in quarts and cups, not pounds. I don't have a food scale, and many recipes I've found use pounds to measure the tomatoes. Also, having all the ingredients using the same measure makes it much simpler to decrease or increase the recipe without messing with the pH level. You just need to be able to do a little simple math!

Now, I'm going to tell you that I did break one of the rules. Well, sort of. Are you ready? Okay, so I changed the recipe up a bit. I know I said you shouldn't do that, so please let me explain. I didn't use the same peppers as in the recipe, and I substituted more peppers for onions since our family doesn't like onions much. But, this is perfectly safe since the onions and peppers have similar pH levels. You can also mix up the hot and mild peppers to suit your family's preferences (I used green, yellow, and orange bell peppers, poblanos, jalapenos, green chiles, and habaneros), as long as the total amount stays the same.

All cut up and ready for the oven!

I also like to slow roast my vegetables all together in the oven (350 degrees for 2-3 hours). I despise the tedious job of removing of the skins from the tomatoes and peppers, and this seems to be the easiest way to avoid that. The skins are not tough at all, and will chop up well in your food processor. I've also tried roasting the vegetables on the grill. That was a hot and time consuming experience I likely won't attempt again soon.

 After a couple hours in the oven

Up close!

I usually fill my canner with water and start it on the stove about 15-20 minutes before the vegetables are done roasting. It takes a while for my electric stove to get all of that water up to boiling.

After the veggies are properly roasted, it's time to send them through the food processor. We don't like chunky salsa, so I tend to process mine more. It's up to you how chunky you want your salsa to be. As you can see below, mine is well-pureed.

Salsa after food processor

When you have your salsa processed to the right consistency, add the vinegar or lemon/lime juice according to your recipe. Simmer the salsa for 10 minutes.  Add the fresh spices (cilantro and/or oregano). Taste test your salsa and add more spices if you want. Remember, the flavors of the vegetables and spices will meld together more after they sit on your shelf, so don't overuse the spices! Simmer the salsa for another 20 minutes. While the salsa is simmering, place your jars, lids, and rings in the boiling water to sanitize.

Jars, lids and rings sanitizing in boiling water

Right before the salsa is done simmering, take the jars out of the canner and put them on the canning rack. Fill the jars with the hot salsa, leaving 1/2 head space. Wipe any salsa off the rims of the jars with a clean paper towel. They need to be clean to ensure a perfect seal. Take the rings and lids out of the boiling water and secure them (hand tight) on the jars.

Ready for a hot bath!

Carefully place the jars in the boiling water. Make sure that the tops are covered by at least 1-2 inches of water.  Add more water if necessary. Bring the water back to a boil, and process for 15 minutes (20 minutes for elevations over 1000 feet). Promptly remove the jars, and place them in a safe place to cool. You want to leave them undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You should hear a distinct "ping" soon after you take the jars out of the water. Check the jars after 12 hours to make sure they have sealed (the top of the lid should be depressed and not move up and down when you press on it). If any jars did not seal, place them in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks. Label your lids with the contents and date (so you don't have to guess later!) Store sealed jars in a cool, dry area that's not in direct sunlight. Always check for freshness before eating. Canned salsa stores well for up to a year.

Finished! Aren't they lovely?

Good luck on making your own canned salsa! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the recipe or my method. Thanks for stopping by!