This recipe is a little time consuming but the end result is well worth the effort!

Every year, in the late summer/early fall, we always spend the day or day and a half that it takes to make an extra large batch of this salsa. As soon as the days start getting shorter and the farmer’s markets fill up with ripe tomatoes and peppers we know it is time to get the salsa simmering. This year we ran out of last years’ batch in June and couldn’t wait until we had this salsa on the pantry shelf again!

The evening before prepare the tomatoes by blanching. Boil water in a wide pot and fill the sink with cold water. In batches of about 5, place the tomatoes in boiling water for 60 to 90 seconds. Remove and place in cold water for a few seconds, just to cool off. Cut out the big stem end and slip off the skin. Cut tomatoes into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Place in a large plastic bowl or pail and mix in the pickling salt. Cover and let sit overnight (8 to 12 hours).

Sterilize about a dozen clean large jars with lids by pouring boiling water over them and set aside to dry. Only use new lids, not reused ones, as reused lids may not always seal.

In the morning, pour off as much water as possible (most of the salt will be poured off with the tomato water). Put the tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar and sugar in a large stock pot and start heating at medium. Place a saucer/small plate in the freezer. Chop all the peppers and 4 jalapenos in the food processor, using everything except the stems, chop very fine and add them to the pot as soon as possible. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer and stir constantly. If you want a chunky salsa, chop the onions and green peppers into ½ inch pieces; for a less chunky final result finely chop the onions and green peppers in the food processor. At about the 30 minutes’ mark of the simmer, place a spoonful of salsa on the saucer in the freezer (taste when cool and add more jalapenos to taste). Simmer for about 10 to 15 additional minutes. Remove from heat, fill the jars, wipe rims and tighten the lids onto the jars.

This recipe can be canned in a canner for 15 minutes. I skip this step but make sure that all of the jars seal right away (from 1 to 6 hours after closing the jars). Your lids will ‘snap’ when they seal so you can be sure that the jars have sealed and stay sealed to avoid harmful bacteria.

Store your salsa in a cool dark place.

1) The original recipe called for barely ripe and 5 under ripe tomatoes. I prefer to use ripe and slightly over ripe tomatoes as they are much easier to peel and are usually less expensive. From late August to September, many farmer’s markets will have at least one vendor who has tomatoes that are over ripe and on sale but you usually have to ask.

2) For sweet peppers I like to use a mixture of colours. The more yellow and orange peppers you use the brighter your salsa will be. The more green and red peppers you use the darker your salsa will be. Buy a mixture of colours according to your preference.

3) Instead of using just jalapenos you can mix in some of your favourite hot pepper varieties and make your salsa as mild or as hot as you like.