Basic Tomato Salsa For Canning
This fresh garden salsa is easy to make and the perfect salsa for canning, particularly if you're new to cold pack canning for vegetables!
When we find ourselves with a glut of tomatoes, one of the first things we make is salsa.
And, while we love fresh salsa, there is only so much you can eat in one summer.
Canning to the rescue!
How To Choose Hot Peppers For Fresh Salsa
I don't know about you, but I've come across some very heated (pun intended) debates over the amount of spice in salsa.
It's a very personal choice.
We have used both jalapeno and Caribbean hot peppers in this salsa recipe.
Do take a look at this article we put together about how to choose hot peppers, when making your decision. It will walk you through some common types that you may be growing or find easily available at your farmer's market or grocery store.
If you are just starting out making homemade salsa, we would highly recommend starting with jalapenos.
Jalapenos will give your salsa a flavor that is similar to a lot of store-bought brands. And, they can be anywhere from mild to spicy, depending on how much veining appears on the skin of each individual pepper.
Keep in mind too that the flavor and spice of the chiles will mellow over time.
A salsa that was quite hot when we packed it became more of a medium salsa when we opened a jar about a year later.
Tasting your vegetable mixture (always with a clean spoon) will give you a good idea how hot your salsa will be. Ideally, you want the vegetable mixture a smidge hotter than the heat you desire from your finished canned salsa.
The Straining Method For Making Fresh Salsa For Canning
We have adapted our salsa method from Well Preserved. What is special about their method is the straining of the tomatoes before packing them.
This sweating and straining of the tomatoes is the same concept for pulling the moisture out of zucchini or eggplant slices before cooking. (Like if you're making eggplant Parmesan.)
By pulling the moisture out of the tomatoes, you allow the fruit to keep a more crisp texture when canned.
Also, by separating the juice from the tomatoes, you can heat the juice separate from the fruit. This allows you to use the tomato use from your tomatoes as your canning liquid. It will reduce some as it heats, creating a canning liquid with an intense tomato flavor.
How To Can Tomato Salsa: Fresh Pack or Hot Pack
There are two methods for canning salsa: "fresh pack" and "hot pack". And this recipe is a bit of a combination of both.
Fresh packing means that your vegetables and fruit are put into the jars without cooking. The, a hot brine is poured in the jar to fill the air pockets, season and preserve the vegetables.
Hot packing means that the vegetables and brine are cooked together, so everything is nice and hot when it goes into the jars.
We like the texture of a fresh packed salsa, since the vegetables stay a bit more crisp.
However, you can fit a lot of those cool diced vegetables into a jar, which means that there isn't much room for the hot brine. Only a little hot brine means that the inside of the jar isn't always warm enough to go into your hot water canner. (Which could result in shattered jars.)
To prevent this, we give our vegetables a very short simmer in the hot brine. Just enough to warm them up, so they are packed hot. But, they're not really cooked, so they don't lose their fresh crispness.
Can I substitute lemon juice for vinegar when canning?
In our recipe we call for a combination of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar has a pH of around 3.10 and white vinegar's pH is 2.40-3.40.
Lemon (or lime) juice has a pH of around 2-3 (depending on the variety).
Lower numbers are more acidic on the pH scale, so yes, you can substitute lemon or lime juice for vinegar in this salsa recipe, because it is a more acidic ingredient. (You never want to substitute a less acidic ingredient when canning.)
In canning, it is best to use bottled lemon juice, since the acidity is standardized and won't vary like it can between types of fresh lemons.
Before you start canning, be sure to check our Canning Basics article for a refresher on the process. For additional reference, here is the USDA safe canning guide from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Basic Tomato Salsa For Canning
Ingredients
- 9 lbs tomatoes
- 2 lg green peppers, diced (approx 2 cups diced)
- 2 med white onions, diced (approx 2 cups diced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Hot pepper (of choice)*
- ⅓ c white vinegar
- ⅓ c apple cider vinegar
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 6 oz tomato paste
Instructions
Prepare the Veggies
- Dice tomatoes and mix with diced peppers, onions and salt in a large strainer placed over a bowl. (This will pull the liquid from the tomatoes, helping to give you an end result that is not overly liquidy.)
- Dice your hot peppers and add to the tomato mixture.* Let the vegetables strain on the counter for 6 hours. (You will want to check your mixture every so often to be sure your bottom bowl is not overflowing with juice. Keep the juice! We’ll be using it later.)
Preparing Your Salsa For Canning
- About one hour before you want to start canning, bring your water bath canner to a boil and wash and sanitize your jars.
- Mix the liquid that has been strained from the tomatoes in a large sauce pan with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 min.
- Add the diced vegetables and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Canning the Salsa
- Carefully ladle the hot vegetables and liquid into the jars, leaving ¼" head space from the top of the rim. (Use a clean butter knife to move the contents of the jar around so that the liquid flows all the way to the bottom.)
- Wipe the rims with a clean, damp towel. Place the lids and bands on the jars. Place jars in the canner, so that they are not touching, and process for 20 minutes. (Your processing time starts when the water returns to a boil after the jars have been added.) If necessary, process the jars in batches.
- When the processing time is up, remove the jars from the water bath and let cool on a wire rack for 24 hours. Once the jars are cool, remove the bands and check the lids for a seal. If the lids are tight, return the bands to the jars (loosely) and store them for up to a year.
Notes
Nutrition
This is one of the recipes from the early days of Curious Cuisiniere. We make it every year to preserve our tomato harvest and we've updated our pictures since we first shared it. But we've left some originals here, in case you've found us in the past and are looking for that old, familiar image.
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Do you take the skins off of the tomatoes?
Hi Colleen. We do not. It is much easier that way, and we like a chunky salsa, so we don't mind the texture. If texture is an issue for you, you may want to consider removing them.
Hi - I plan on trying this recipe as my first attempt at canning salsa. Can I substitute the green peppers with sweet yellow or orange peppers?
Hi Junie. Yes, you can switch yellow or orange for the green peppers, as long as you keep the same quantity. Happy canning!
As a first time salsa maker, could I leave out the jalapeno s. We really don't like the heat and I don't want to have problems with that acidity that is talked about.
Hi Marlene. Yes, you can safely leave the jalapenos out when making this salsa. For acidity concerns, you just really don't want to add any other ingredients or reduce the amount of tomatoes. Enjoy!
In an effort to keep home canning safe, I am bringing this peer-reviewed research article to your attention. Please contact me for additional assistance as we all share a passion for preserving and desire to help people learn the best practices for safety and success. http://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/sep-oct-19-savoie.pdf?fbclid=IwAR36t6hxbzSSLfr7YsO4sol6Wj3wF9GFdG3aHII19QvZRHvueT931-WSsNU
Hi Kathleen. Your article gives an interesting look at your data. Was this done as a part of a University project? Did you also follow your same analysis steps for top general (non-canning specific) recipe books that include canning recipes? (I would think that would be a necessary control for comparison.) We would be happy to discuss your findings. Please email us at sarah@curiouscuisiniere.com.
Could I instead of white onions use chopped red onions? Would it be okay to add more ingredients such as chopped green onions, carrots and cilantro, along with serrano & green chiles? Would a red wine vinegar instead of white? be okay if the apple cider vinegar is still used? Is it okay to add additional seasonings like oregano, etc?
Hi Caliandra. You could use red onions for the white onions. And it is ok to add additional dry seasonings, like oregano. You should not, however add other ingredients like green onions, carrots, cilantro, other chiles, etc if you are planning to can the salsa. These extra fresh ingredients will change the acid balance in the recipe and it will no longer be safe for canning. You also should not substitute red wine vinegar for the white vinegar if you want to can this recipe, because its acidity is lower and would make the recipe unsafe for canning.
Can I use Lime juice instead of the White vinegar?
Hi Terri. Lime juice should be a fine substitute.
I want to try this recipe for my husband. He is allergic to onion. Will removing the onion change to acidity content so I wouldn't be able to can it? Also, the recipe doesn't' say to remove the skins. Do you need to as I would prefer to leave them on.
Hi Leilani. You could remove the onion and be just fine with acid content. It would actually increase the acid contend by removing bulk. And we do leave the skins on our tomatoes. Enjoy!
I know they say be careful and not to adjust the green peppers onion or garlic in the recipes for canning salsa, how much green peppers and onion do i use with this recipe?
Thanks
Hi Teri. We make this recipe using 2 medium sized green peppers and 2 medium onions. Enjoy!
Looking forward to trying this recipe. It’s simple One thing I should comment on is you should never use a metal butter knife when eliminating air bubbles or for any reason Ina mason jar. Metal in a mason makes the jar more susceptible to cracking and breaking.
Great tip Jennifer. Thank you!
Can I add more salt to the recipe? I love your recipe! My son says it needs more salt
Hi Jill. Yes, adding more salt should not be a problem with this salsa. Glad you like the recipe!
I have been looking for a salsa recipe that leaves the salsa crispier. Yours sounds great. I really don't want green peppers in my salsa. I prefer it to be closer to a pico de gallo. And I want to use lemon juice instead of vinegar. Will that make a difference in the acid content of my recipe?
Hi Andrea. Removing the green peppers in this should be fine. Using lemon juice instead of the vinegar should be fine as well for the acid content. I might encourage you to replace only one of the vinegars in the recipe for the lemon juice, for flavor's sake. But, if you like your salsa to have a bit of lemon brightness, then using all lemon juice would be a fine way to go.
why did you strain the liquid out of the tomatoes if you just add it back in later?
Simmering for 5 minutes can't possibly reduce the amount of liquid by much.
Hi Cheryl. Thanks for your question. The reason is two-fold. First, you want to salt your veggies to pull some moisture out and help them to stay more crisp after canning. (You'd do something similar if you were pickling cucumbers.) Second, you need a hot liquid to can your salsa in. We hate to throw away the flavorful juice. So, instead of using water or a store-bought can of tomato juice to create the liquid, we just recycle the juices that were already in the tomatoes.
Some recipes do have you skip the salting step and just toss all the diced veggies into the pot and bring to a boil. While this does work, it creates a salsa where the veggies have a softer, more cooked, texture. So, it's all about how you like the texture of your salsa!
Being the first time salsa maker with my electric pressure cooker how long should I strain my tomatoes I skinned
Last night.
They are in the refrigerator ready for releasing the extra juice.
Your help is needed
Hi Tressa, Six hours should be enough to get some good moisture from the tomatoes. Longer is fine too. Happy canning!
Have you ever used cherry tomatoes for your salsa? I have an abundance this year that I need to use up. Thanks in advance!
Hi Hannah. We have used cherry tomatoes in the past. (Same 'problem' with an over-abundant garden harvest. 🙂 ) We just diced the cherry tomatoes like we would have the regular tomatoes. They do give more skin than a larger tomato, but we didn't notice that that negatively impacted the texture of the salsa. Also, the cherry tomatoes have less juice to strain out, so you might find that you want to add a little extra tomato juice (try to find some without added salt or seasonings). But, it will all depend on how juicy the tomatoes are and how much liquid you like in your salsa. (We like ours thick, so it wasn't an issue for us at all.) Enjoy!
You didn’t peel the tomatoes first?
Hi Nana. We typically don't peel our tomatoes. At a small dice, we don't really notice the skins. If skins are something that bother you in salsa, then feel free to peel yours! Enjoy!