Canning Salsa

PS on Feb 26, 2012. I do not like this recipe for canning. it got to lemony tasting. but it was so so good as fresh, so use it as fresh and I will continue on my hunt for a good canning recipe


14 c. diced roma tomatoes
2 c. diced long green peppers (I did anahime and yellow wax)
1 jalapeno finely diced
2 1/2 c. chopped onions
5 cloves garlic
1 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 T. salt
pepper
dash dried oregano
dash dried parsley
1/4 c. cilantro

Dice tomatoes and try to drain off as much liquid as you can. as it sits you may want to keep pouring off the liquid. put drained tomatoes in a large pot with all ingredients except oregano, parsley and cilantro.

Bring mixture to boil then turn down to simmer for 10 min. then add the other spices and simmer another 10 - 20 min depending on your preference for how thick/how cooked you want it.

Pour into pint jars and boil in a water bath for 25 min.

This makes 9 pints of Salsa!

Spicy Pickles

1 bushel of pickling cucumbers = about 40-45 quarts
45 cloves garlic
45 jalapeno peppers
45 red peppers
45 sprigs of dill

Boil:
10 cups water
6 cups vinegar
1 cup pickling salt, kosher salt, or Real Salt

Put garlic, peppers, dill and cukes in jar. Pour brine over everything in jar.

Add:
1/2 tsp. alum to each jar

Screw hot lids onto the jar. Put jars out in the sun for 3 days, turning each jar each day and one day turning them upside down. Bring in the house and put on the shelf. They will be ready in 3 months.

Bottled Peaches

Select ripe firm peaches, remove peel and pits. If peeled fruit is to stand several minutes before packing, drop it into a mild salt solution to prevent discoloration (i.e. a bowl of water with some salt sprinkled in it). Drain.

RAW PACK: Pack, halves or slices into jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Fill to within 1 1/2 inches of top of jar with boiling syrup. Slide a knife down the edges of the inside of the bottle to let out any air bubbles that may be in between the peaches. Add more syrup if necessary. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight.

HOT PACK: Boil for 3 minutes in medium syrup. Pack into Kerr jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Fill to within 1/2 inch of top of jar with boiling syrup. Slide a knife downt he edges of the inside of the bottle to let out any air bubbles that may be in between the peaches. Add more syrup if necessary. Put on cap, screw bank firmly tight.

Process Pints 20 minutes
Quarts 25 minutes
Boiling water bath

Syrup Recipe:
Make syrup according to sweetness desired. Boil sugar and water together until sugar is dissolved. Juice of the fruit may be used in place of water. Keep syrup hot but do not let it boil down.
Sugar Water
(cups) (cups)
Thin 1 6-8
Medium 1 4-5
Heavy 1 1-3

Syrup should be boiling when poured over fruits.

Bottled Tomatoes

Wash tomatoes. Scald in boiling water long enough to remove peel (1/4 minute). Plunge into cold water. Peel, core, quarter and firmly pack into Kerr jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Add no liquid. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice to each quart jar. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight. Process in Boiling Water Bath.

Process: Pints 35 minutes
Quarts 45 minutes

NOTE: Open kettle Method of canning should not be used for canning tomatoes. This method seldom sterilizes tomatoes. Without sufficient heat to sterilize the food, or if the food is contaminated while transferring it from kettle to jar, spoilage will result. Getting a seal on jars and caps will not prevent this spoilage. There is considerable loss of Vitamin C when the Open Kettle Method is used.

Scott's Homemade Marinara Sauce

Saute in pan:

4-5 cloves crushed garlic

1 onion, chopped

with about:

1/8 c. olive oil

1 T. sugar

splash of white cooking wine

Cook until onions are slightly tender.

Add:

3 cans tomatoes or 3 - 5 c. chopped fresh tomatoes

2 cans tomato sauce

1 1/2 tsp. salt

pepper

2 - 3 T. of fresh basil

1 - 2 T. of fresh oregano
optional: a few red pepper flakes

Simmer as long as you want. Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, or vegetables. You can use this with any Italian recipe as well as for pizza sauce.

Yummm!!!

*** For Canning***

For 20 LBS of tomatoes (half a bushel), times above recipe by about 10.
20 lbs of tomatoes gives you between 45-50 cups of finely diced tomatoes.
I like to peel my tomatoes. to do so, just add to really hot water (not yet boiling) for about 1 -2 min.
To make the tomatoes more acidic, add 2 T. of bottled lemon juice per batch.  If I had 10 batches, I would add 20 T. of lemon juice.
Pour sauce in hot bottles and process for 45 min. in hot water bath.
You will get about 18 quarts from 20 lbs of tomatoes.

Notes:

I like it better w/o skin.
Have as big of pots as you can for simmering.
For ease of pouring the marinara into the bottles, a funnel is very helpful.

Aug 2015: I did 60 lb of tomatoes which gave me 28 quarts of sauce (because that's all that could fit in my 2 pots) plus 7 pints of diced tomatoes.