Canning Cherry Salsa Food

ZESTY SALSA RECIPE FOR CANNING

Steps:

• Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands
• Combine tomatoes, green peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro, salt and hot pepper sauce, if using, in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
• Process both pint and half pint jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

GROUND CHERRY SALSA

Steps:

• Mix lime juice and red onion together in a bowl and let stand stand for about 5 minutes, as this mellows the raw onion taste.
• Add ground cherries, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, cucumber, cilantro, vinegar, and salt to the bowl and mix well. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until serving.

FIRE-ROASTED CHERRY TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with olive oil.
• Spread tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeno peppers onto prepared baking sheet.
• Cook under the preheated broiler for 5 minutes. Turn the baking sheet and continue broiling until vegetables are charred, about 5 minutes more. Cool slightly.
• Remove garlic from skins; discard skins.
• Blend tomatoes, onion, peeled garlic, jalapenos, any accumulated juices from the baking sheet, cilantro leaves, lime juice, cumin, cayenne pepper, and oregano in a blender until salsa is smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until flavors blend, at least 2 hours. Season with salt and black pepper.

SALSA FOR CANNING

Steps:

• Prepare the jars and lids:
• Wash all jars and lids thoroughly with soap and water and rinse well. Fill your canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch and bring to a simmer. Using a pair of canning tongs, lower the jars in gently, tilting them to fill with the hot water. In a small saucepan, keep some water warm but not boiling; place the lids in the water. Have an additional kettle of water on to boil.
• Peel and core the tomatoes:
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Have a large bowl of ice water at the ready. Gently lower the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch them for 60 seconds. Remove with a strainer and transfer them to the ice water. Once cool, slit the skins; they should peel off easily. Remove the cores with a small paring knife. Discard skins and cores.
• Chop the vegetables:
• Wearing latex or plastic gloves, chop the jalapenos finely, removing veins and seeds if you wish to reduce the heat. (If you wish to reduce the heat further, replace some with regular green peppers, but do not increase the total weight of peppers in the recipe.) Chop the onion finely. Chop the tomatoes coarsely. Add the peppers, onions, tomatoes, lemon juice and salt to a large saucepan.
• Cook the salsa: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
• Fill and close the jars: Using canning tongs, remove the jars from the canner, carefully pouring the water back into the canner. Set next to the salsa in the saucepan. Turn the heat under the canner to high. Use a ladle to pour the salsa into the jars through a canning funnel, leaving 1/2-inch headspace at the top. Run a clean chopstick around the inside of the jar to dislodge any trapped air. Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel. Place the lids on, and screw on the rings until just finger-tight.
• Seal the jars:
• Using canning tongs, gently transfer the jars to the canner, taking care to keep them vertical. When all the jars are in the canner, there should be at least 1 inch water covering them; if you need more, add water from the kettle until the jars are sufficiently covered. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove and cool:
• Using canning tongs, gently remove the jars from the canner and transfer them to a kitchen towel or cooling rack, again keeping them vertical. Do not set hot jars directly on to cool counter surfaces. Leave to cool, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours. If any of the jars do not seal when cool, reprocess using the method above, or refrigerate and use immediately.
• Label and store:
• Add a label to the lid or side of your jar, noting the date it was canned. Remove the rings and store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Refrigerate after opening.

SOUR CHERRY SALSA

Steps:

• If using fresh cherries, coarsely chop, then stir together with sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. If using frozen cherries, thaw in a small bowl, reserving any juices in bowl, then coarsely chop and stir together with sugar in same bowl. Stir in onion, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes for flavors to develop.

THE BEST CANNING SALSA

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, onions, vinegar, tomato paste, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, banana peppers, sugar, garlic, pickling salt, and black pepper in a large stockpot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Mix cilantro into salsa.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack salsa into hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 35 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

CHERRY TOMATO SALSA

Steps:

• Wash tomatoes and peppers before chopping. Peel onion and garlic.
• Chop cherry tomatoes (I usually cut them in half or in quarters, depending on size), peppers, onion, and garlic.
• Combine all ingredients in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with damp paper towel.
• Cover with two-piece lids. Process in water bath canner for15 minutes.
• Makes about 4 pints of salsa.