Food: How to make Zesty Salsa Tutorial

I've had these photos on my computer forever, but I just keep forgetting to share this tutorial. Better late than never, I suppose. 

So here we go..

REMEMBER I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I AM LEARNING TOO AND CAN'T BE RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR SALSA FLOPS. LOL.  {This is a tried recipe, so I am pretty sure it won't.}

My boys made Zesty Salsa with our local 4-H group and Tessa from Doty Creek Crafter. I thought I'd take photos and share the how-to with all of you. Many thanks to the 4-H leaders for allowing me to take photos. I omitted all the photos of children other than mine for privacy reasons.

First you have your adorable children wash, wash, wash their hands and remove the lids and rings from the new jars. 

Toss the jars in the dishwasher. Don't forget the detergent. Put that sucker on HOT water and a heated dry. 

Now put your jars, lids, and rings in your water bath canner. The water just needs to be simmering. This will reduce the risk of the jars breaking when you put hot food into them.

Gather your ingredients. 

Tomatoes

Green Peppers

Onions

Hot Peppers (We didn't use those.)

Garlic (We used Garlic Powder.)

Cilantro

Salt 

Vinegar

Hot sauce (We omitted that also.)

 Cut the peppers in half, clean out the insides. 

 Dice. You will need 5 cups. 

 Clean and dice your onions. 5 cups of those also.

 Peal, core, and dice up your tomatoes. 10 cups! 

 Mix all your vegetables in a cooker with the garlic (3 cloves or you can substitute garlic powder. 1/8 tsp = 1 clove), cilantro (2 Tbsp), salt (3 tsp), and cider vinegar (1 1/4 cups).

*You can add in your 2 1/2 cups of seedless hot peppers and your hot peppers sauce here if you wish to have really zesty salsa.*

 Bring mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Ladle into hot jars. Be CAREFUL, it is HOT!

 Leave 1/4 inch of head space. 

Add lids and rings, and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. 

Tada! It should make 6 pints or 12 half pints.

I am sharing this post at From the Farm Blog Hop , Homestead Blog Hop, and Farmgirl Friday.

Food: Canning Tomato Juice Tutorial

Opal, Missy, and I went to Mom and Dad's house today to can tomato juice. Missy's friend had picked up 3 big boxes of tomatoes for her in Tennessee. Most of the tomatoes in one box weren't ripe enough to can, so we only ended up canning two boxes. Still, we ended up with 21 quarts of tomato juice.

The amount of juice you make totally depends on how much you use tomato juice. Do you make a lot of your own sauces, soups, chili, etc? 

So here we go..

REMEMBER I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I AM LEARNING TOO AND CAN'T BE RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR TOMATO JUICE FLOPS. LOL. 

{Mom's been making this for at least 50 years so I am pretty sure it won't}
Mom doesn't follow exactly what the USDA suggests, but like I said, she has been canning many years. So I will share their recommendations as well as her way. You make your own decision on how to do things. Wash, wash, wash those jars...

 Be sure to sterilize them.

There are several methods... you can sterilize them by running them through your dishwasher I've heard or by boiling them in a canner.  Someone even suggested heating them in the oven at 250. However, using the dishwasher would probably be the quickest and easiest. Keep them on heated dry until ready to use them.

To process the lids and clean the rings, put them in hot water (not boiling), and let them sit for at least 5 minutes.

Now to prepare your tomatoes... First, make sure your tomatoes are ripe and wash those babies real good. (You don't want any green on them at all.)

Then, you will want to cut off the top (stem) and bottom. Cut into 1/4's.

Cut out the hearts (white part) and any spots on the tomatoes.

Put them into a blender.

Blend!

Pour the pureed tomatoes into a Foley food mill. 

Turn, Turn, Turn. This will separate any skin or seeds from the juice.

Your juice will look more like watermelon juice than tomato juice.

Your seeds and skins should pretty much be a paste by the time you get all the juice out of them.

Now you want to sprinkle in some salt (she doesn't measure) and boil for 20-25 minutes.

Stir often!

Mom covers her cookers while it boils. Be careful and don't let it boil over, because it will.

Now, your tomato juice will look like tomato juice instead of watermelon juice. Mom says it is because it boils out the green.

You are ready to put your juice into your jars.

Ball Canning suggests:

ADD ½ tsp Ball® Citric Acid or 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot quart jar, ¼ tsp Ball® Citric Acid or 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot pint jar. 

Why?

Tomatoes have a pH (acid) level that is just above the line dividing high-acid foods and low-acid foods. It is important for the safety and quality of tomato recipes that the proper acid level is maintained. Since many factors can decrease the natural acidity in tomatoes, the addition of bottled lemon juice or citric acid helps ensure the correct acidification. Bottled lemon juice must be used because its acid level is consistent, unlike fresh lemons.

Recipes that include an adequate amount of vinegar (5% acidity) do not require additional acidification, such as salsa, tomato chutney, and pickled tomatoes.

Always follow a tested recipe. Do not alter the type of ingredients in the recipe or the amount used. 

Ball Q & A's.

Mom does not add the Citric Acid or Lemon Juice, but use your own judgement about that. I'd advise it.

Please be careful. It is very HOT! Mom uses a jar funnel and a water dipper. 

Wipe off the rip, add your lid and ring. Tighten. There ya go. Done! 

Once they have sealed, just store your jars in a cool and dry place. She puts hers in her underground basement where there are no windows.

Once you have your lids and rings on, instead of going ahead and storing them,

Ball suggests that you:

PROCESS filled jars in a boiling water canner 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Enjoy!

I'm sharing this post at Farmgirl Friday!

A tomato of my own!

Late in the afternoon around the beginning of August I went out to water my tomato plants and lo and behold I had a tomato hanging on the vine. I about jumped up and down. Of course, I ran in the house, grabbed my camera, and snapped a picture. It was about the size of a quarter when I took the photo below.

Now I have 7 tomatoes on the vine and the one picture above is about the size of a baseball. I can't wait to eat those suckers. Yum!

My strawberries didn't do bad this year either. I planted a single plant last year and I bet this year I had 5 plants come back and then about 15 runners so far. I have picked around 30 strawberries. Granted they aren't huge berries, but they were there and the boys have loved every minute of it.