Published by tony beuler on 11 May 2008 at 02:09 am
Make Your Own Flavorful Salsa at Home - It’s Easy!
There are salsa recipes which get passed on from generation to generation. Each successive generation keeps and preserves their own family ‘treasure’, and enjoy the flavors their ancestors had many years ago!
It’s easy to go to the nearby corner grocery store and pick up a jar of salsa, but making your own at home can be lots of fun and quite rewarding! If you have had a productive garden and have an overstock of tomatoes and peppers, salsa is an excellent way to use them up!
You will discover that making salsa and stocking up each year will be a regular goal of yours! You only need a basic supply of ingredients, a simple recipe and the process of making the salsa.
Typical salsa ingredients contain more or less of the following: green pepper, Jalapeno, tomatoes, red chili pepper, garlic salt or powder, onion, cilantro, lemon juice. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
As you can see, homemade salsa is full of vitamins and antioxidants that are known to keep your body stay healthy!
Personalize to your taste - Adding more jalapenos and other peppers will make the salsa hotter. In the same way reducing the number of peppers and adding more tomatoes will create a milder salsa.
It is important to know that the full strength and flavor of spices deteriorate with time so make sure to use fresh spices. And always use fresh oils as well. Like spices, oils will lose their flavor over time - some can even go rancid if kept too long.
When making salsa in your kitchen, be sure to put on a clean pair of rubber gloves to avoid skin irritation from the chili peppers. And keep the gloves from your face when handling hot peppers.
You will need all the supplies that you typically need when you are preserving tomatoes. You will need canning jars, lids and bands, a hot water bath canner, a large pot to cook the salsa, strainer, jar lifter, large bowl, and the ingredients from your recipe. Thoroughly wash all the utensils you will be using and boil the jars and bands. Warm the lids but don’t boil them. Leave the jars and the lids in the hot water up until the time you are ready to fill them.
Alternatively you can store them in your freezer. After making a large batch of salsa, simply divide it into small containers and place them in the freezer. You’ll be able to enjoy fresh-tasting salsa year round!