Secrets to Canning Salsa

[Tristan Mitchell]

Why should you tolerate mass produced salsa. Yeah, it is readily
available at the local grocery store with a couple of levels of
intensity. Unfortunately there isn't much variety in flavor and
intensity.
What is salsa? Salsa is a mixture of low acid and high acid foods. The
base is tomatoes. Blended in are onions, peppers, chilies and spices.
The final salsa mixture must contain enough acid to prevent the growth
of food spoiling bacteria and the deadly Clostridium botulinum
bacteria.
Salsa Ingredients
Tomatoes
Depending on the variety of tomato that is used affects the thickness
of the salsa. Large slicing tomatoes produce a watery salsa. Roma
tomatoes and other paste tomatoes make for a thick and chunky salsa.
Only use fresh, ripe and firm tomatoes for canning. Over ripe or
spoiling tomatoes will produce poor salsa that will most likely spoil
in the jar before you open it to enjoy it.
Remove the skin by blanching the tomato in boiling water for about a
minute or until the skin begins to crack. Then transfer the tomato to
a cold water bath. The skin will slip off. Remove the core and seeds.
Tomatillos can be substituted for the tomatoes that the salsa recipe
calls for. Make sure to use the same volume that the recipe calls for.
These tomatoes do not need to be seeded or peeled; however, the dry
outer husk must be removed before using them.
Chilies
Chiles are the main 'heat' component in salsa. Often chilies are
referred to as peppers. Chilies heat range from mild to fiery hot. The
smaller the chili the hotter it is. The small chilies, one to three
inches long, are the hottest, such as the jalapeno, habanero, Serrano,
tobacco and chili piquin. The mild chilies are larger, usually four to
ten inches long, such as the bell pepper, Ancho, New Mexico 6-4,
Anaheim, Hungarian Yellow Wax, Chimayo, and Big Jim.
Wear gloves when cutting and chopping chilies. The capsaicin molecule
which is what makes chilies hot is an oil based molecule and is very
difficult to get off of your skin. The capsaicin causes dire pain when
it is accidentally rubbed into the eye.
You can exchange any chili in a recipe. If the recipe calls for
habanero and you want to cool down the recipe, use Hungarian yellow
wax chili. Always use the same amount of chili that the recipe calls
for. Don't ever increase or decrease the amount of chili peppers
because this will alter the acidity of the salsa and possibly risk
machining the salsa unhealthy.
Spices
Spices are the area where you can 'play' with the flavor and taste of
the salsa. Spices can enhance the flavor, increase the heat.
Acids
Having the correct acidity level is key to preventing spoilage
especially botulism poisoning. Adding additional acid is necessary as
the tomatoes may not be acidic enough.
The commonly used acids are lemon juice (bottled only), vinegar (at
least 5% acid) and citric acid. Lemon juice is more acidic than
vinegar and does not have the taste effect that vinegar has on the
salsa. Don't substitute vinegar for lemon juice; this substitution
will result in a lower acidity level in the salsa.
After processing your salsa, wipe the jars down and clearly label them
with the contents as well as the date canned. Store the salsa jars in
a cool, dark and dry place. Best used within a year.