The cool fall weather has been calling me to the kitchen once again – it is time for canning. This post is coming a few weeks late because it is past high tomato season, but this year the tomatoes just keep coming. Who ever heard of tomatoes still on the vine in mid-October. Actually, for me, this is the first year that I actually picked tomatoes from my garden! For the past 4 years my tomatoes have gotten the blight so this was an exciting year for sure! I did not have enough tomatoes for canning, so I went to my local farm in Mt. Bethel, PA – Baarda Farms. This is the nicest family owned farm! They are so welcoming and love what they do. They are a no-spray farm and are willing to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with anyone willing to listen.
I made salsa last year and it was delicious. It was so good that my niece couldn’t get enough and wanted my salsa over the store-bought brand. I made about 18 pints last year and we finished it up in August. This year my husband thought that we needed to make a lot more salsa so he ordered us two boxes of tomatoes! What fun we had in the kitchen. It took us all day, but we made and canned a lot of salsa. Here is the recipe that I used:
Annie’s Salsa Recipe
8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2-1/2 cups onion, chopped 1-1/2 cups green pepper, chopped 3 – 5 jalapenos, chopped 6 cloves garlic 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1/8 cup canning salt 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup 5% apple cider vinegar 2 cups (16 oz.) tomato sauce 2 cups (16 oz.) tomato paste
Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into hot pint jars, seal and process in a boiling water canning bath for 15 minutes.
Makes about 6 pints.
I like my salsa cooked and more like a chunky tomato sauce than a fresh salsa, so I cooked mine a lot longer than 10 minutes. I bought a pressure canner last year when I made my salsa and boy does it save time. You don’t have to sterilize your jars, just make sure that they are clean. I had the canner going all day! Here is what I made by the end of the day…
42 pints! I think that my friends will be getting salsa for Christmas this year! There is still a lot more canning to do. Apples are in season now so watch out! Applesauce and apple butter are next! I may try my hand at some pumpkin butter as well. I will keep you posted! Happy fall!
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