tomato salsa

Start with a sink full of clean jars, rings and lids.

Add a little love:

And a few tomatoes:

the last of the Romas

And with a few variations in the recipe, a few 2 a.m. mornings, and lots of boiling water, you have about 60 jars of three kinds of salsa ready for dipping and eating.  We should be good for a few months at the very least.

My favourite salsa recipe:

Prepare canner and five 500 mL jars and lids. Prepare all ingredients and place in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until salsa reaches desired consistency (about 30 minutes):

7 c tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped (about 6 lb, or 24 medium)
2 c onions, coarsely chopped
4 jalapeno peppers
3 garlic cloves
1 can (156 mL) tomato paste
3/4 c white vinegar
1/2 c cilantro, chopped and lightly packed
1/2 tsp cumin, ground

Ladle salsa into hot jars to within 1 cm (1/2 inch) of top rim. Remove air bubbles, wipe jar rim, apply lids and place in water bath. At altitudes up to 1000 feet, boil for 20 minutes (add 10 minutes for Alberta). Remove canner lid, wait five minutes, remove jars and cool.