Homemade Salsa for Canning Recipe (2024)

Duet, Folk/Indie, Sauce/Seasoning, Vegetarian | 2 comments

The food:This year, we planted a pretty largeraised-bed garden (it’s about 6 x 18-feet) andoursix tomato plants yieldeda decent crop. There was no way we could eat them all while they were fresh, so wehad to learn a thing or two about canning. We decided to make several batches each of salsa and pasta sauce. Turns out, canning isn’t difficult–just a bitcumbersome and time consuming–and it makes me feel liketheThe Pioneer Woman. This homemade salsa recipe for canning delivers a sauce that’s full of veggies and fairly mild. If you like more kick, add even more jalapeno peppers or use onlyHabanerochilis.

The music:Canning is such an old-school act, that it only seems natural to listen to music that reminds me of America’s roots. Lost Highway Records, a Universal Music Group imprint, started in 2000 to promote alt-country looks being overlooked by mainstream record companies.The label releasedthe O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, distributes Johnny Cash and Hank Williams records, andishome tofamous veterans like Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, and Lyle Lovett as well as new talent like Ryan Adams. Lost Highway released this sampler of its actsto celebrate its10th birthday. With that sort of pedigree, there’s no way this album can go wrong. It’s the perfect gritty, homegrown music to accompany you while you can like a seasonedhomesteader.

This recipe makes about 8-108-oz. jars of salsa. You can buy new canning jars, rings, and lids at the grocery (usually in the baking aisle) for about $1 ea. Or, hit estate sales or garage sales often enough and you may be lucky like us; wefoundboxes full of jars for just $.25 ea. If you buy used, it’s smart to buy new lids rather than washing and reusing the old ones.

We’ve made two batches of this salsa this summer.We left one chunky and runny (below) and used an immersion blender to make the other thicker. It’s really a matter of taste. I prefer the thickerversion for dippingand the thinner one for adding to taco meat.