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Making and Canning Homemade
Salsa from Fresh Tomatoes!
Click here for a PDF
print version!
Making and canning your own salsa is
something families remember years later. No store bought salsa, even if it
is shipped from Texas,
compares with the taste of that made from your own tomatoes from your garden or
fresh-picked from a local farm! In the middle of the winter, you can have
tortilla chips and your salsa and taste the summer flavor of fresh tomatoes.
Here's how to do it, in easy steps and
completely illustrated. This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this! It's a great thing
to do with your kids!
Ingredients and Equipment
- Tomatoes - about 15 lbs (yes, quite a few - you remove the skins, seeds and a lot of the water, so
it takes a lot to start.) You'll need about 3 quarts of prepared
chopped tomatoes. This makes about 8 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 step 7 below for seasonings.
- 2 cups Lemon juice (if you make your own seasoning) or
vinegar (if you use the Ball or Mrs. Wages mixes)
- 1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars
after
filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores. 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
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- Pint canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can
be found at Publix, Kroger, Safeway and local "big box" stores - 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 mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
- 1 large pot.
- Large spoons and ladles
- Jar funnel ($3-Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores; sometimes even hardware stores)
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Process - How to Make salsa from Fresh Tomatoes
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 |
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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 skinsHere'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....
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. You'll need about 3 quarts of peeled, cored, chopped
tomatoes
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Step 6 - Get the
jars and lids sterilizing
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sterilize" cycle.
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!
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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!)
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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.
- 3 cups chopped onions
- 6 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 12-ounce cans tomato paste (adds body)
- 2 cups bottled lemon or lime juice (if you are using a mix, be
sure to follow their recipe; the packet mixes often use vinegar
instead of lemon juice)
- 1 tablespoon salt (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional - you use Splenda if you are on a
sugar-restricted diet)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin (optional)
- 2 tablespoons oregano leaves (optional)
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Either works fine!
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Step 8 - Mix ingredients in the pot and bring the sauce to a
gentle simmer
<-- Start with the chopped tomatoes in the
pot... |
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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. |
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Step 9 - 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! |
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Step 10 - 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:
| Recommended process time for
Tomato/Tomato Paste Salsa in a boiling-water canner. |
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Process Time at Altitudes of |
| Style of Pack |
Jar Size |
0 - 1,000 ft |
1,001 - 6,000 ft |
Above 6,000 ft |
| Hot |
Pints or 8 oz jars |
15 min |
20 |
25 |
IMPORTANT:
The USDA says the only change you can safely make in this salsa recipe
is to change the amount of spices and herbs. Do not alter the
proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the
salsa unsafe. Do not substitute vinegar for the lemon juice.
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! |
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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. 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.
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Adapted from the USDA/UGa
National Center for Home Food Preservation's recipe |
Other Equipment:
From left to right:
- Jar lifting tongs
to pick up hot jars
- Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the
pot
of boiling water
(sterilizing )
- Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once
- Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need
them
- Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars
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Summary - Cost of Making Homemade Salsa - makes
9 pints
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| Item |
Quantity |
Cost in 2009 |
Source |
Subtotal |
| Tomatoes |
15 to 20 lbs (to make about 12 cups
(3 quarts) of prepared tomato) |
free
from the garden, or $0.50 cents at a PYO |
Garden |
$0.00 |
| Canning jars (pint
size, wide mouth), includes lids and
rings |
9 jars |
$8.00/dozen |
Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores; sometimes Big Lots and even hardware stores |
$6.00 |
| seasonings |
See
step 7 |
$2.00? |
Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores |
$2.00 |
| Salsa mix |
1
packet |
$4.00 per
package |
Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores; sometimes Big Lots and even hardware stores |
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| Total |
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$8.00 total
or about $0.95 per pint INCLUDING the jars - which you can
reuse! |
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* - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and
reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars! Many
products are sold in jars that will take the lids and rings for
canning. For example, Classico spaghetti sauce is in quart sized
jars that work with Ball and Kerr lids and rings
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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:
Click here for
a larger photo, more information, pricing, ordering, etc.
Average Customer Review:
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What did I do wrong if my jars
spoil?
Tomatoes are a low acid fruit - adding lemon juice
helps, processing at least 35 minutes in the water bath canner, or better still,
using a pressure canner almost eliminates spoilage. If you don't have a
pressure canner, you must boost the acid level of the sauce, by adding 2
tablespoons of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of
sauce. (or half that, for pint jars)
Can I can my own salsa recipe?
Probably not. According to the USDA's National Center for Home Food
Preservation:
"Salsas are usually mixtures of acid and low-acid ingredients; they are
an example of an acidified food. The specific recipe, and sometimes
preparation method, will determine if a salsa can be processed in a boiling
water canner or a pressure canner. A process must be scientifically
determined for each recipe. "
The USDA does accept that if you take an approved, tested recipe and make
minor alterations to ingredients that does affect the preserving properties,
that should be ok. But there are a lot of if's in that statement.
For example, substituting 1 teaspoon of ground chili spice for 1/2 teaspoon of
ground black pepper is probably fine, but substituting 1 cup of apple juice for
1 cup of lemon juice would not be. Unless you really know what you're
doing, you should probably stick to the approved recipes. The preserving
recipes I publish, like the one above, are all from the USDA, universities or
established canning authorities.
Here are some Salsa Guidelines from Penn State University:
- Do not substitute vinegar for lemon juice, but you can substitute lemon
juice for vinegar. Lemon juice is more acidic.
- Do not reduce the amount of lemon juice or tomatoes.
- Do not add extra peppers, onion, or garlic. You can reduce the amount of
peppers, onion, or garlic.
- Canned chilies may be used in place of fresh.
- You can substitute one type of pepper for another. For example, hot
jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, yellow peppers, banana peppers, chili
peppers and cubinal peppers may all be susbtituted 1 for 1.
- The key is not not increasing the amount of low acid ingredients in
relation to the amount of high acid ingredients
My question is about salsa. I was going to borrow a pressure cooker to
make salsa this year (for the first time). My grandma told me that I didn't
need the pressure cooker, I could just make salsa using the "inversion" method
like I did the blueberry jam. Can I do this?
Well, Grandma may be sweet, but a lot of her generation died of cancer from
smoking, heart attacks from eating too much saturated fat... And food poisoning!
:) Jam should get 5 minutes in the boiling water bath, too.
Tomatoes have enough acid to require only a water bath for processing; but by
the time you add the other ingredients which have no acidity, you've got a food
that can spoil easily. That's why most salsa recipes include a couple of cups of
vinegar or lemon juice (both very acidic).
Even so, a pressure canner affords greater safety that a boiling water bath, and
is more versatile. But if you follow my recipe and use vinegar or lemon juice as
stated in the recipe, the boiling water bath will work fine.
And let Grandma make the cookies rather than the preserves! :)
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