Canning Tip - Scortched Pots and Canned Salsa REcipe

[Bill Wight]

We did the last batch of tomatoes and ciles from the garden (I live in
SoCal--80F here today) and thought I'd pass along a tip on preventing
the bottom of your cooking pot from burning. Last year while making
canned salsa and stewed tomatoes, I was always plagued with burning of
whatever I was cooking on the bottom of the pot. I use a 14 qt.
tamale maker pot for cooking all my canning stuff and it is made from
thin enameled steel. So at the beginning of this canning season, I
went to my local metal yard and found some surplus 1/2 inch thick by 5
inch wide bar stock. I had the guy cut me two pieces 10 inches long.
Cost was about $15 for steel and cuts. I put these on top of my gas
burner and the tamale pot with salsa or whatever I'm going to cook in
the pot. The 1/2 inch steel plates even out the heat. I had no
scortching or burning of anything on the botom of my cooking pot this
season. Also works well for large barches of soup.

Bill

Here is the canned Salsa recipe I use. It makes great salsa.

* Exported from MasterCook II *

Canned Red Salsa - Lynn's

Recipe By : Lynn Bartlett (Modified by Bill wight)
Serving Size : 14 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Mexican

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
9 medium onions, white or yellow -- roughly chopped
9 quarts tomatoes, red, ripe, peeled
-- seeded and chopped
106 ounces tomato sauce, large, institutional-sized can
5 quarts fresh green peppers -- seeded and chopped
Mix of Anaheim, Bell, New Nexico
-- Hungarian wax
sweet banana or other mild peppers
1 pint red peppers -- seeded and chopped
Mix of red Bell, Anaheim or NuMex peppers
4 tablespoons salt
3/4 cup vinegar
3 bunches fresh cilantro -- chopped
1 pint Hot fresh peppers red or green
jalapeno or serrano -- seeded and chopped

Chop all the peppers and the onion in a food processor to the desired
size, fine for a smoother salsa, bigger pieces for a chunky salsa.

In a large stock pot add all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce
heat and cook for 2-3 hours.

Take the hotter peppers, Serrano, Jalapeno, Jalapa, Thai, Habanero,
etc. and put them into a blender jar with a little water. Puree. Add
the hot pureed peppers a little at a time to the pot of cooking salsa
at about the one hour point. Adjust the heat to your taste by adding
more of the hot pepper puree.

Cook the salsa until thickened so that when a small amount is placed
on a cool plate, the water runs out slowly. You can also thicken the
salsa by adding 1 or 2 packages of fruit pectin and dissolving it into
the salsa. Cook at least 15 minutes after addition of pectin.

Makes about 12-14 quarts.

You can put this salsa up in pint or quart jars and preserve them by
in a water canner or by freezing. If you use the water canner method,
allow 1/2 inch head space and follow the canning directions for
tomatoes. If you freeze, allow a 1 inch head space.

Note: measure tomato and pepper volume after chopping.
I tired making this salsa with homemade tomato sauce from fresh
tomatoes. The salsa had a 'too tomatoy' taste. The commercial tomato
sauce made a better salsa.

Some batches may be way too watery. In this case, dewater the hot
cooked salsa by scooping it into a strainer and draining off the
excess liguid into another container. DON'T throw away this liquid,
as it makes a great drink. Like "Snappy Tom" only better. We can the
extra liquid just like the salsa.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Chndlrs]

Yup, my only grief with a gas stove is that you can't set it low enough. I
just double stack the burner things, although your way sounds less tippy. Have
to add it to the honey-do list.

-- Suzanne
please remove JunkFree to send e-mail

[Blanche Nonken]

> Some batches may be way too watery. In this case, dewater the hot
> cooked salsa by scooping it into a strainer and draining off the
> excess liguid into another container. DON'T throw away this liquid,
> as it makes a great drink. Like "Snappy Tom" only better. We can the
> extra liquid just like the salsa.

I strain, reduce the liquid 50% by boiling, then I return it to
the batch. Worked great.
---
Blanche Nonken - www.bigfoot.com/~momblanche
Penn State Master Gardener, County Cooperative Extension
Gardening Questions? Just ask.
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