Homemade Canned Salsa

We live in a very rural area of the county on a one lane gravel road quite a ways from the highway. During the winter, we like to stock up on food items in case we get snowed in. We are always the last road to get plowed after a snow. I'm off from work today and thought it would be a good time to can some salsa. It's the middle of winter and if you buy fresh tomatoes at the store this time of the year, it's going to cost a fortune, not to mention not being very flavorful. So, when I don't have fresh tomatoes from the garden, I used canned tomatoes, which I did today.

 The cooking time will vary depending on how thick you like your salsa, as will how big or small you chop the vegetables. We like thick salsa, so the veggies were chopped just a little bigger than normal and I cooked it for about an hour. The recipe also calls for 12 cups of tomatoes. I use 4-28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes which is actually 14 cups. The measurements  for the vegetables can vary, depending on how much you want make. With the four cans of tomatoes, I came out with seven pints of salsa.

For this recipe, I don't use in a canner. Most will tell you that is dangerous to can that way. I heat the lids and jars and put the lids on tightly and wait to hear the dink indicating that they have sealed. My disclaimer here is that it is totally up to you whether you use a canner or not. My jars have always sealed just fine without it, but you be judge for your own.

Lastly, you never know how hot the hot peppers are going to be, so I actually take a bite of a small piece of the pepper after chopping. I bought four peppers, but only used two of them. If you like really hot salsa, you may want to add more, or less for a milder. It is entirely up to you.

Homemade Canned Salsa

12 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped

6 green bell peppers, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

3 T. minced garlic

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup white vinegar

3 T. canning salt

3-4 hot peppers

Put all ingredients into a large pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring often. When it reaches desired thickness, put into canning jars and seal.