Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 15 lbs tomatoes peeled and chopped or 3 quarts of prepared tomatoes
3 cups chopped onions
6 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 12-ounce cans tomato paste
Equipment:
1 Water bath Canner
Pint (or smaller) canning jars
Lids
Rings
Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
Lid lifter
1 large pot.
Large spoons and ladles
Jar funnel
2 cups bottled lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon salt (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin (optional)
2 tablespoons oregano leaves or chopped cilantro (optional)
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Directions: |
Directions:Place tomatoes in a large pot. Add the seasonings and bring to a gentle simmer, just to get it hot (180 F, if you have a thermometer) 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.. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste it as it cooks. If you like the sauce hotter, add 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Fill the jars with sauces and put the lid and rings on. Fill them to within ¼-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! Boil the jars in the canner. Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes. 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. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok. |
This recipe for Michi's Salsa is from