2020 has been an interesting year, and I’m sure most of you agree – I’m so over it. I wasn’t able to do my full garden that I wanted to at the start of the season, but was excited to plant a few varieties of tomatoes, banana peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, and cucumber. I also planted my usual herbs like parsley, mint, cilantro, basil, and oregano. My garden started out strong, but then later on this summer it became a bust for a few. We were also battling a few chipmunks from snacking on all the goodies. We actually had 3 of them!
I didn’t get the full amount of tomatoes that I was hoping for, but was able to get enough to make a big batch of homemade salsa. This is the perfect recipe if you are looking to making some to can. I have made homemade pico de gallo before, but not true “salsa”. This is a super easy recipe and turned out delicious. I already shared a few jars with friends – I love making goodies for friends!
I have been getting my son more involved in the kitchen when I can. Cars are his #1 love, so if I can slowly get him some interest in non-car related things makes this momma happy. HAHA. He loved helping me stir the salsa during the cooking process and dumping in the ingredients into the pot as I chopped them!
Now I just need to buy a few bags of tortilla chips to have on hand! This batch made 6 large mason/canning jars full. Perfect for canning and sharing with friends. I went and bought some smaller canning jars so if I am able to make another batch I can spread them out a bit more to others.
- 13 cups chopped tomatoes - all varieties can be used
- 9 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped bell pepper (red, yellow, or green can be used)
- 1½ cups chopped jalepenos (I used all the seeds, if you want spicer you can add additional jalepenos or use hotter peppers)
- 1½ bunches of cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2-3 TBSP kosher salt
- 3 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, add chopped tomatoes, onion and apple cider vinegar. Stir every 5 minutes while you chop remaining ingredients.
- Add chopped bell pepper. Stir.
- Add jalepenos and stir.
- Add tomato paste, salt, and brown sugar. Stir.
- Add chopped cilantro and stir.
- Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until tomatoes and peppers soften to cook down. Stir every 5 minutes.
- Using an emulsion blender, blend salsa to desired consistency. I blended to get rid of all the large chunks, but not to a completely smooth texture. Continue to simmer on low for 5-10 minutes.
- If canning, you can pour hot salsa into prepared cans and seal. Leave out in room temperature to cool until you hear the pop on the cans that they fully sealed.
If you enjoyed this post or tried out this recipe, please leave a comment and rating! Or, share a photo on Instagram and tag #sweetdashofsass or @sweetdashofsass
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