Racing Jack Frost

I canned four quarts of tomatoes yesterday, which seems a pittance. I have another big bowl of partially ripened tomatoes, which I will can once they are ready. I’ve given up — at least for this year — on making salsa and spaghetti sauce. They are too much work for too little results.

I now understand why those products are so expensive in the store. The tomatoes cook down to almost nothing, so making a jar of salsa requires lots and lots of tomatoes.

We have lots and lots of green tomatoes still on the vine. Our lows have hovered around freezing the last few days, so I’ve been covering them with blankets nightly. Supposedly, temps are supposed to stay above the 40s through Tuesday, then drop into the 20s. I’m not bothering to cover them when the temps fall into the 20s. By that time, I figure that whatever we’ve harvested is what we’re going to get.

I just hope we have enough light and warmth to ripen more tomatoes. Jack Frost, stay away!

Chunky Tomato Salsa

Salsa is expensive so I try to make our own. The recipe I made last year was too vinegary and thin for our taste, so I tried a different one yesterday.

Chunky Tomato Salsa

For a step-by-step explanation of the salsa canning process, including a tip for easy tomato deskinning, see Pick Your Own’s recipe, on which this one is based. Mine is a halved from what theirs is.

Printer-friendly PDF

Ingredients:
10 lbs. tomatoes, preferably Roma, skinned, deseeded and drained
1½ C. onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ T. fresh oregano, chopped
½ C. diced fresh mild peppers such as Bell or banana
¼ C. diced fresh cilantro
1/8 C. diced fresh celery (about two large stalks)
2 jalapeno peppers, diced (1 if you want milder salsa)
1 T. salt (optional)
¼ t. ground black pepper
2 cans tomato paste
½ C. 5% apple cider vinegar
½ T. ground cumin
1½ t. turmeric
½ t. lemon juice
1 t. chili powder (omit for milder salsa)
2 T. corn starch (omit for thinner salsa)

Method:
Chop tomatoes into approximately ½-inch cubes. Dice, chop or mince all other ingredients in food processor. Put tomatoes in stock pot. If thicker salsa is desired, mix corn starch into vinegar before adding. Add all other ingredients and bring just to boiling.

Fill jars, allowing ¼ inch head space. Process in boiling hot-water bath for at least 35 minutes, depending on altitude.

Yield: About 5 pints