Bottled Salsa

I believe I have mentioned on here before how much my husband LOVES salsa. He loves it so much when I found a deal on tomatoes he told me to go ahead and buy 50 pounds instead of the 25 pounds I had planned on.

This is what 50 pounds of tomatoes look like!! 

I think I can go a while without looking at another tomato.

My pepper plants are overgrown with Anaheim and jalapeno peppers, they came in very handy for my salsa making adventure.

Side note, always wear gloves while dealing with peppers, especially ones that have been growing in 100 degree weather. They are extremely hot and the oils from the peppers will burn your hands!

Not that have I experienced this, I'm just guessing that your hands will not be functional for about 5 hours once the burn sets in. And nothing really relieves the pain, even though it was only a handful of peppers. I would suggest that the person that requested the salsa should have to cut up the peppers.

Needless to say, that 50 pounds of tomatoes did not all become salsa. I got about 28 pint bottles of salsa, some I did a little spicier, some are just mild. The rest of the tomatoes either became homemade tomato soup (recipe to come soon, it was awesome) or they got bottled to be able to use at a later date.

The great thing about salsa is you can decided how much of the heat you would like to add. I would start with just a few peppers and taste it and then decided if it needs more heat. You don't want to overload it and then not be able to eat it because it is too hot. Or if you don't want a lot of onion don't add a lot of onion, just up to your preference. 

I also put the tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onions in my food processor to chopped them up really fine. If you don't have one just dice everything finely, unless you want your salsa to be chunky then just chop them the size you would like it.

Salsa

3 to 4 qt. tomatoes, peeled (we do 4 so there is more salsa)

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup vinegar (apple cider or distilled)

3 Tbsp. salt

2 dashes of oregano (I just add this till I think it looks like enough)

2 Tbsp. cumin 

Combine these ingredients in a large pan.

Add the remaining chopped ingredients:

2 large onions

8 cloves of garlic

2 jalapeno peppers

8 Anaheim peppers

3 bell peppers

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking for two hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook the salsa, the thicker it gets. Remove from heat and pour into bottles; seal and process 20 minutes. Makes about 8 to 10 pints.