Basic Tomato Salsa

Name: Basic Tomato Salsa
Yield: Makes 4 (1-pint/500 ml) jar
Ingredients: 6 cups chopped Roma or paste tomatoes (about 3 pounds/1.4 kg tomatoes); 2 cups/320 g chopped yellow onion (about 2 medium onions); 1 cup/150 g chopped red bell pepper (1 large pepper); 1 3/4 cups/420 ml cider vinegar; 1/4 cup/50 g granulated sugar; 3 jalapeno peppers, minced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons bottled lime juice; 1 tablespoon sea salt; 1 cup/16 g chopped fresh cilantro

Getting reviews...

One of the hardest things I frequently have to tell people is that they can't just put their beloved fresh salsa recipe in a jar and preserve it. Because salsa contains so many low-acid ingredients, you've got to balance them out with plenty of acid to ensure a safe product. I offer up this salsa recipe as balm to that particular disappointment. Though it's cooked and not fresh, it manages to retain some of the same bright, fiery flavors and is miles better than any cooked salsa you'll find on your grocery store shelves.

Yield: Makes 4 (1-pint/500 ml) jar

Yield: Makes 4 (1-pint/500 ml) jar

Ingredients

6 cups chopped Roma or paste tomatoes (about 3 pounds/1.4 kg tomatoes)

2 cups/320 g chopped yellow onion (about 2 medium onions)

1 cup/150 g chopped red bell pepper (1 large pepper)

1 3/4 cups/420 ml cider vinegar

1/4 cup/50 g granulated sugar

3 jalapeno peppers, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons bottled lime juice

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 cup/16 g chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Combine the tomatoes, onion, chopped red pepper, vinegar, sugar, jalapenos, garlic, lime juice, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the salsa no longer looks watery. Stir in the chopped cilantro.
Taste and add additional jalapeno, lime juice, or salt if necessary.
Ladle the hot salsa into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch/12 mm of headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes (see process below).
When the processing time is up, remove the canning pot from the heat and remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the pot for an additional 5 minutes. This helps to prevent the salsa from reacting to the rapid temperature change and bubbling out of the jars.
How to Process:
If you're starting with brand-new jars, remove their lids and rings. If you're using older jars, check the rims to make sure there are no chips or cracks.
Put the rack into the canning pot and put the jars on top.
Fill the pot (and jars) with water to cover and bring to a boil. I have found that this is the very easiest way to heat up the jars in preparation for canning because you're going to have to heat up the canning pot anyway. Why not use that energy to heat up the jars as well?
Put the lids in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring them to the barest simmer on the back of the stove.
While the canning pot comes to a boil, prepare your product.
When your recipe is complete, remove the jars from the canning pot (pouring the water back into the pot as you remove the jars) and set them on a clean towel on the counter. There's no need to invert them; the jars will be so hot that any remaining water will rapidly evaporate. Remove the lids with tongs or a magnetic lid wand and lay them out on the clean towel.
Carefully fill the jars with your product. Depending on the recipe, you'll need to leave between 1/4 and 1/2 inch/6 mm and 12 mm of head space (that's the room between the surface of the product and the top of the jar). Jams and jellies typically get 1/4 inch/6 mm, while thicker products and pickles get 1/2 inch/12 mm.
Wipe the rims of the jar with a clean, damp paper towel or the edge of a clean kitchen towel. If the product you're working with is very sticky, you can dip the edge of the cloth in distilled white vinegar for a bit of a cleaning boost.
Apply the lids and screw the bands on the jars to hold the lids down during processing. Tighten the bands with the tips of your fingers to ensure that they aren't overly tight. This process is known as "fingertip tight."
Carefully lower the filled jars into the canning pot. You may need to remove some water as you put the jars in the pot. A heat-resistant measuring cup is the best tool for this job, as it won't transfer heat to your hand.
Once the pot has returned to a rolling boil, start your timer. The length of the processing time will vary from recipe to recipe.
When your timer goes off, promptly remove the jars from the water bath. Gently place them back on the towel-lined counter top and let them cool.
The jar lids should begin to ping soon after they've been removed from the pot. The pinging is the sound of the seals forming; the center of the lids will become concave as the vacuum seal takes hold.
After the jars have cooled for 24 hours, remove the bands and check the seals. You do this by grasping the jar by the edges of the lid and gently lifting it an inch or two off the counter top. The lid should hold fast.
Once you've determined that your seals are good, you can store your jars in a cool, dark place (with the rings off, please) for up to a year. Any jars with bad seals can still be used -- just store them in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.

Properly handled sterilized equipment will keep canned foods in good condition for one year. Making sure hands, equipment and surfaces in your canning area are clean is the first step in canning. Tips: Jars should be made from glass and free of any chips or cracks. Preserving or canning jars are topped with glass, plastic or metal lids that have a rubberlike seal. Two-piece metal lids are most common. To prepare jars before filling: Wash jars with hot, soapy water, rinse them well and arrange them open-side up, without touching, on a tray. To sterilize jars, boil them in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 10 minutes. Jars have to be sterilized only if the food to be preserved will be processed for less than 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath or pressure canner. To sterilize jars, boil them in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 10 minutes. Follow manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and preparing lids and bands. Use tongs or jar lifters to remove hot sterilized jars from the boiling water. Be sure the tongs are sterilized too: Dip the tong ends in boiling water for a few minutes before using them. All items used in the process of making jams, jellies, preserves and pickles must be clean, including any towels and especially your hands. After the jars are prepared, you can preserve the food. It is important to follow any canning and processing instructions included in the recipe and refer to USDA guidelines about the sterilization of canned products. Find Information information on canning can be found at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website: http://nchfp.uga.edu/.