Makin' Salsa!

How wonderful the flavor of this salsa!  I love it!  I made it a bit hotter this year than I have in years past, but how wonderful it is!  

I began this year with 2 jars of jalapenos, with the juice and the seeds that my wonderful Mr. G canned for me last year specifically so I can make my salsa.  The flavor is so wonderful coming from our garden instead of store bought, it is amazing!

I use a hand blender because my food processor bit the dust.  I'm saving up for a food processor attachment to my Bosche.  Until then, though, this works fine. :)

Yes, that's a HUGE bowl of tomatoes!  My kids are such wonderful helpers!  Yes, we like chunky salsa!  :) 

When everything is put together it looks like this.  I love making salsa!  The aroma is out of this world!

All the salsa finished.  The white arrows are more tomatoes to be canned in to sauce tomorrow.  The black arrow is green and yellow beans to get snapped tomorrow while the sauce is simmering.  The aqua colored arrow is what I depend upon to make dinner.  LOL  

How did I come upon my salsa recipe?  Why did I choose this particular one?  I loved the addition of cilantro and the flavor is so wonderful.  I did an internet search when we first began canning all these tomatoes years ago for salsa.  I looked at some, but none really impressed me with their ingredients.  I found this one and it originally called for Habanero peppers, Jalepenos and Cerrano peppers.  YIKES!!!  My Mr. G would have liked it, but HOLY MOLY it would have been H.O.T.!!!!!  I toned it down a bit more by just using 3/4 of a cup of jalapenos directly out of the jar, then filling the cup the rest of the way with the juice.  I zapped that with the hand blender/food processor because I don't know about anyone else, but getting a mouth FULL of jalapeno is just not my idea of fun!  LOL  I'd rather have the flavors spread throughout the salsa.  

Everything else is so very simple, it would astound you!

1 Bushel Tomatoes cubed-no need to cut skins off or blanche. 
3 VERY large onions or 6 smaller ones chopped 
6 Cups Vinegar 
4 TBSP Black Pepper 
2 Cups Dried Cilantro (or 2 large heads of fresh cilantro) 
1-16 ounce jar of Jalapenos with juice finely chopped in food processor 
4 TBSP Minced Garlic 
5 VERY large green peppers chopped 
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice 
1/2 Cup dehydrated Parsley (or 2 bundles fresh parsley chopped) 

Prepare quart & pint jars, sterilizing them and lids and rings. 

Heat mixture up to 180*F, fill jars and hot water bath for 10 minutes. 


This year, I added a little bit of the juice with all the wonderful veggies.  That way I don't have jars of just salsa juice.  I love to put that salsa juice in to my chili, but I really love making nachos with my salsa too.  LOL

This is what it has looked like it times past.  It's very much the same as I've made it today. :)