Homemade Chunky Salsa

 

My mother never taught me to can or preserve anything, however, her sister Greta was the canner in the family, but she lived in Brooklyn NY, so I wasn’t able to learn from her, but always envied her for her ability to preserve food the way she did. Every quarter my father would venture into Brooklyn and come home with Aunt Greta’s assortment of amazingly tasty canning items. I later learned that my father would slip some cash to Aunt Greta for her troubles and supplies. What a deal I thought.

When I grew up and owned my own home, I planted a garden filled with veggies, herbs, fruit, and spice plants for my own use. I loved gardening and picking my own crops, then preserving the stuff I picked for eating during the winter. Talk about saving money!

For me, canning was the most fun to do at the end of the summer and into the fall. Although I had gone to college to earn a degree in Horticulture, I was lucky enough to have a neighbor named Peggy and her husband  Leonard to help me learn when to harvest, where the local farmer's markets were, and where to buy produce and fruits in bulk if my plants were not producing enough to preserve. Then I had Ms. Lola, the mother of a business partner who taught me the ins and outs of true canning and preserving foods. From all three, I was taught the proper way to can, preserve, and with what equipment I needed to have on hand. Plus they shared their amazing recipes for specialty items such as chunky salsa.

Ms. Lola always said that canning starts with the freshest produce you can find and when it came to salsa she said, the freshest ripe Roma tomatoes are the best for any salsa or tomato sauce recipe.  Choose tomatoes that have no blemishes or rotten spots anywhere on them.

For the best results, opt for ripe, juicy tomatoes such as Roma or San Marzano varieties. These types of tomatoes are known for their rich, sweet flavor and low acidity, making them perfect for sauces and stews. When selecting tomatoes, look for ones that are firm with a deep red color and a slight give when gently squeezed. Avoid tomatoes that are overly soft or have blemishes, as they may be overripe or spoiled. Additionally, consider roasting or grilling the tomatoes before adding them to the dish to enhance their natural sweetness and depth of flavor. By using high-quality tomatoes and tomato paste, you can elevate the taste of your dish and create a rich, flavorful sauce that will impress your taste buds.

For this recipe, don't skimp on the fresh peppers, onions, and garlic - they're essential for maximum flavor. But the real star of the show? The tomatoes. Make sure to choose top-notch tomatoes and splurge on a high-quality tomato paste. Trust me, using cheap tomato paste can ruin the whole dish with its unpleasant acidic or metallic taste. Don't let subpar ingredients sabotage your culinary masterpiece - opt for the best and savor every bite.

This hearty salsa recipe is just what you need for canning. Packed with large, juicy chunks of tomatoes, onions, and peppers, it's a feast for the taste buds. Don't worry if you like your veggies chopped finer - it'll still be delicious!

This recipe is a mild salsa since I don’t like spicy salsa with way too much jalapeno or cilantro. Instead, I prefer to use Cholula sauce instead of jalapeno or Cilantro in my salsa. 

Ingredients

Don’t let the list of ingredients scare you! This is an easy salsa recipe – the most time-consuming part is the chopping, and you can speed that up with a food processor.

• 7 cups (1750 ml) skinned and chopped tomatoes (about 10-12 Roma tomatoes)

• 2 cups (500 ml) coarsely chopped onions

• 1 cup (250 ml) coarsely chopped bell pepper. I use 1/2 cup of yellow bell pepper, and 1/2 cup of green bell pepper to add color.

• 4 tablespoons Cholula Sauce

• 3 cloves garlic, minced.

• 1 can (156 ml) tomato paste

• 3/4 cup (175 ml) white vinegar

• 2 tbsp commercial lemon juice

• 1/3 cup white sugar
•  

Canning equipment you’ll need

If you are just starting out, consider picking up a home canning starter kit, that will have the following in the kit that you will need.

• 5 (16 oz) mason jars

• 5x SNAP LID® sealing discs

• 5x screw bands

• Canning pot and canning rack

• nonmetallic utensil (to remove air bubbles)

• jar lifter, canning funnel, and magnetic wand (for putting hot sealing discs on jars). These are all optional, but helpful, and you can get them, plus a helpful nonmetallic bubble remover/headspace gauge and of course the Ball Canning Guide Book.   

In a pot of hot boiling water drop your destemmed tomatoes into the pot and boil for 10 minutes. This will allow the skin to peel off easily. Remove from the pot and peel off the skin. Place peeled tomatoes into an ice bath and set aside until ready to chop.  

Let's get chopping! Cut the tomatoes into big chunks - you can leave the seeds in for extra flavor. This salsa is all about those chunky tomato pieces, so don't be afraid to make them nice and big.

Now, chop up the bell peppers into coarse chunks, along with the garlic.  If you're sensitive to spicy peppers, wear gloves.

Add tomatoes, onions, green pepper, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, lemon, white sugar, and Cholula sauce to a large stainless-steel saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until the salsa is at the desired thickness (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, fill your canning pot with water to half full and bring to a rolling boil. Both the Salsa and water should arrive at the same time.

Place salsa into the hot canning jars and remove any air bubbles then place lid on top, making sure to clean off lip of jar before putting the lid on top, then place a ring on top and place into the boiling canning water.

The key to canning success is to make sure that all jars are covered by at least one inch of water. Then boil the jars for 20 minutes. Once the 20 minutes are up, remove the pot cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Be sure to turn off the burner.

Next, remove the jars from the canning pot and set aside to cool. Use a can lifter that came in your canning kit

After the jars are fully cooled, check the jar seals.

If the sealing discs are sealed to the glass jar, the sealing discs will curve downward and will not move when pressed with your finger.

Label your canned chunky tomato salsa and store the jars in a cool, dark place.

Important: Jars that are not sealed should be popped into the fridge and used within a few days.

 

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Pheonix University in Business Management, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology, her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. In her spare time, Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, Gouache, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.