Annie's Salsa Review

It's been a couple of weeks since I started making and canning this recipe.  I have been making various salsa recipes for at least ten years and this recipe is the best one I have ever made.  It is so good that I want to have quesadillas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  If you happen to have some ripe tomatoes, this is the recipe to make!

 I have made 3 batches of this salsa.  I pressure can mine for 40 min. at 11 pounds of pressure.  I found that even though I am pressure canning it, I think it tastes better with the full cup of white vinegar.  I also add 1/3 c. of lime juice because I just like the taste.  I do not add cilantro. 

Annie's Salsa
(Source: GardenWeb's Harvest Forum)

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 1/2 cups onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped green peppers or ancho peppers
3 – 5 chopped jalapeños   or you can you a mixture of serrano's, chilies, etc. to make it hotter
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/8 cup canning salt (kosher will work, too, but you might need a little more of it--taste to be sure)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (this is optional if you don't like cilantro)
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar for water bath canning or 1/3 cup vinegar for a pressure canner, but you could use cider or red wine vinegar for extra sweetness
16 ounces tomato sauce
16 ounces tomato paste

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process at 10 lbs of pressure for 30 minutes for pints. Or in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

My alterations:

Since cans of tomato sauce are no longer 16 oz.  I added a 15 oz. of tomato sauce and cans of tomato paste are now 12oz., that is what I added.  I also added 1/3 c. of lime juice and even though I process mine with a pressure canner, I added another 1/3 c. of vinegar for taste.  I used cider vinegar, but next time I may use the white vinegar as it seems a touch too sweet.

I also added 1 more t. cumin, 1/2 t. oregano and 1/2 t. thyme. I processed my salsa for 35 min. at 11 pounds of pressure for my altitude.  I always process my salsa for this amount of time as that's the required amount for peppers.  Yes, there's a lot of vinegar (acid) added to the recipe, but I always like to be on the safe side when I am canning.