Ingredients
- 5 lbs of tomatoes
- 1 lb large Anaheim green chiles (5-6 chiles)
- 3 jalapeno chilies, seeded and stems removed, chopped (I left the seeds because I wanted it spicy)
- 1-1/2 cups chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro (including stems)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar or more (to taste)
- Canning jars, with rings and new lids
- A very large stockpot or canning pot (16-qt)
- A flat steamer rack on which to place the filled jar for the water bath canning, so that they don't touch the bottom of the pan and crack from excess heat
- Canning tongs to make it easy to lift the jars in and out of boiling water
- Rubber or latex coated gardening gloves to make it easier on your hands for handling hot jars
Method
1 Prepare for canning. Put jars in dishwasher on "sterilize" to heat, start boiling water in canner, heat jar lids in a separate pot.2 Chop up peppers and cilantro and add all ingredients into a bowl. I used the easy way for this and just pulsed everything in my food processor a few times.
3 Prepare the tomatoes. To blanch them, score the ends of the tomatoes and place them in boiling water for a minute. Remove and discard the peels. Cut away any cores if you haven't done so already. Chop the tomatoes taking care to save any juices that may come out of them. Starting with 5 pounds of tomatoes you should end up with about 8 cups of chopped tomatoes and juices. (You must use at least 7 cups of tomatoes.) Place them in a bowl and set aside.
4 Put all of the ingredients into a large (8-qt) stainless steel pot. (Do not use aluminum or the acidity of the sauce will cause the aluminum to leach into the sauce.) Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.
5 While the salsa is cooking, place the jar lids in a bowl and cover with hot (not boiling) water to sterilize.
6 If you want your salsa to be more smooth than chunky, use an immersion blender to pulse it a few times, or working in batches ladle about half of it into a blender and purée.
7 Adjust seasonings. If too acidic to taste, you can balance it with a little more sugar. If too sweet, add a bit more vinegar.
8 Ladle salsa into canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Wipe the rims with a clean, dampened paper towel so that there is no residual food on the rims. Place canning lids on the jars. Screw on the lid rings. Do not over-tighten or you may not get a good seal. Air does need to escape from the jars during the next step, the water bath.
9 Place the filled and lidded jars back onto the rack in the large stock-pot of hot water you used to sterilize the jars in step one. You may need to remove some of the water from the pot to prevent it from overfilling. Cover the jars with at least 1-inch of water. Bring to a rolling boil and process for 15 minutes (20 minutes for altitudes 1000 to 6000 ft, 25 minutes above 6000 ft). Then turn off heat and let the jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes. Remove jars from the water bath and let sit on a counter for several hours until completely cool. The lids should "pop" as the cooling salsa creates a vacuum under the lid and the jars are sealed. If a lid has not sealed, either replace the lid and reprocess in a water bath for another 15 minutes, or store in the refrigerator and use within the next few days.
Remember to label the cans with the date processed. (I use a Sharpie on the lid.) Canned salsa should be eaten within a year.
