Summer is truly here when the garden produces enough ingredients for a batch of homemade salsa.
What can be better than chopping fresh vegetables, stirring a huge colorful pot full, and relishing the wonderful aroma that fills the kitchen?
Homemade Salsa Ingredients
- 1 gallon skinned, chopped tomatoes
- 3 sweet pepper, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 12 jalapeno peppers or other hot pepper to your heat level
- OR dried crushed red pepper to taste ( 3 T. was right for our family)
- 2 T salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup of clear jell dissolved in ½ cup water (optional)
How to Make Homemade Salsa
Step 1: Peel the tomatoes
The easiest way to peel tomatoes is to drop them in boiling water for about a minute. The peeling slides off easily.
Paste tomatoes are the best for salsa, but we just used what we had, which was about five different kinds of tomatoes including a pink variety.
Step 2: Chop the tomatoes until you have a gallon
Step 3: Chop three peppers
Use green, red or yellow peppers, the color doesn’t matter.
Step 4: Dice two onions
Step 5: Chop about ¼ cup of cilantro
Step 6: Crush two garlic cloves or use 1 tsp garlic powder
Step 7: Chop up a jalapeno or another type of hot pepper
When making salsa you can also just use dried crushed red pepper. Much simpler and safer!
Step 8: Mix all the veggies in a large pot and add salt, vinegar, and sugar
Step 9: Bring to boil and simmer all ingredients for 30 minutes to 1 hour
Removing the lid of the pot while it simmers will result in a thicker salsa.
Stir occasionally.
To thicken even more, you can mix ¼ cup of clear jell with ½ cup cold water, and add to the salsa while cooking.
Step 10: Ladle into jars
Step 11: Seal in jars and boiling water can for 10 minutes
Step 12: Done, you now have homemade salsa
Enjoy the beautiful results, share as gifts, and open up a jar of summertime next Winter!
Cost
If you are growing tomatoes, peppers, and onions, your salsa expenses will be very minimal.
Purchasing organic veggies at a local farmer’s market could be a very economical choice as well.
Even in the grocery store like Costco’s organic, these vegetables will be in season and at their best price and flavor.