Homemade Summer Salsa

Mindy's Summer Salsa

1/2 bushel tomatoes, peeled and quartered 

(about 30#, I like to use a variety of toms for a better tasting salsa, Cherokee Purples, Big Boy, Romas, Early Girls, etc)

2 red peppers

2 green peppers

6-8 anaheim peppers

 4-6 jalapenos (or less if you would like it mild)

2 med onions (I mix 1 yellow and 1 red)

6 cloves of garlic.

Grind all of the veggies in the food processor and add to tomatoes. 

1/2 to 3/4 cup salt

1 T oregano

4 T cumin

 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 (12oz) cans tomato paste.

Simmer 3 to 4 hours (to the consistency of your liking) some yummy add ins..... I always use.. 4-5 tomatillos, lime juice (about 1/4 cup) and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. 

I'll have to write a separate post on how to actually can this - it's fairly time consuming but well worth the work involved!

Pineapple Pear Syrup

I had some pears on hand so I decided to try a new recipe yesterday called Pear Honey.

It was a fairly simple recipe for canning (love that!) calling for only three ingredients.

It took me about 20 minutes with the food processor to get everything together and then 3 hours later I was canning and done.

You will need:

8 cups pears, peeled and grated (in food processor)

4 cups sugar

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained.

Mix together in large stockpot and let simmer for several hours.

Mixture will become syrup like and golden colored.

  It looked more like syrup than honey - so I renamed it.  It is very sweet and delicious!!  Perfect for a special breakfast topping over french toast, pancakes or waffles. 

When ready pour into warm pint jars, seal tightly and place them in a water bath canner with boiling water for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  You can have these on your pantry shelf for up to one year if they have sealed properly.

 They most likely won't last that long in your home though - look at that beautiful golden color!

I thought that some of these would make perfect little "Hello Fall!" gifts to friends.

 Add a bit of twine and a tag and it couldn't be cuter!

 Linking Up to Show and Share at JAG

Chopped Tomato and Basil Sauce

We still have quite a few tomatoes coming into our garden.  The basil is on its way out so I thought I would take what was left and make my house smell yummy today.

This was about half of the tomatoes we had!

4 medium sized, ripe tomatoes (about 1.5 pounds - I used a lot of smaller Romas from the garden)

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/3 chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp salt (I used course sea salt for no special reason)

salt and pepper to taste

Remove and discard the cores of the tomatoes and then coarsely chop them and put them in a large saucepan.
Add the olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and salt and pepper to the tomatoes. Stir well.
Cover and set aside a few hours to release the tomato juices and let the flavors combine.

Pour over pasta and enjoy!
This tomato sauce will keep for one week in the refrigerator.

Isn't that just gorgeous!  I wish you could smell it - it's that good! 
Linking up to Show and Share Day at Just a Girl.

Fresh Garden Salsa

I made this delicious salsa from a recipe I got from my friend Kari.  After sampling hers, I knew it was going to be a big hit!

Here is the full recipe, although I made a 1/2 batch to test it out and learn the ropes.

28-30 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

(I used a mixture of Romas, Big Boys and Celebrity.  Using a mixture will give you better flavor.  If you aren't sure how to peel a tomato, go here. ) 

4 green peppers, chopped

4 onions, chopped

12-15 Anaheim peppers, seeded and chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

4 big cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

1 can chopped and sliced green chilies

1/2 cup sugar

4 cans tomato paste

I chopped everything in my Cuisinart instead of by hand.  I hate chunky salsa...so if you want a chunkier consistency, I suggest you chop some things if not all by hand.  

Put all together in a large stock pot  and mix together well.  Let stew on low heat for 21/2 hours.  

You will need a canning pot with metal rack and lid as well as canning jars, lids and rims.

While salsa is stewing, make sure jars are washed well.  Place on a cookie sheet in an oven at 225 degrees for at least an hour until you are ready to use them.  Do not let them cool down before filling.

In a separate pan on the stove, boil water and place lids and rims in to sterilize for about 15 minutes.  Take out and dry off.  Set aside. 

Fill canning pot full of water and start to boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat.

Taking one jar out of the oven at a time, fill with salsa leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch head space.  Place lid on and then tighten rim.  Place in wire rack in hot canning water.  Repeat until rack is full.  

Lowering rack full of salsa jars into the canning pot, make sure there is at least 2-3 inches of water covering the top of the jars.  Cover pot with lid and let gently boil - process time is 15-20 minutes.

When done, take jars out and set aside.  Repeat process until all jars have been filled and processed.

Half recipe makes about 7 pint jars of salsa. 

Full recipe makes about 14 - 15.