Adventures in Canning: Salsa

A while back, I decided to try my hand at making and canning salsa since the pickles turned out well. 

I chopped five tomatoes, a jalapeno, an onion and two cloves of garlic, then mixed everything with lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

I then put the salsa in my canning jars, ran a knife around the sides to get air bubbles out, put my sterilized lids and rings on, then let them sit in the water bath for about 15 minutes. Finally, I took them out of the water and let them cool before storing. Here's a tip: don't use a hot pad to grab them out of scalding water! Either dump some of the water out before grabbing the jars with a hot pad or use tongs. You can buy special ones just for canning if you want. 

There's a debate on whether it's better to use a pressure cooker or a water bath. I use a water bath because I really don't have the money to go out and buy a pressure cooker right now. It works just fine but only for jams/jellies/preserves, pickles and other things with vinegar and tomatoes because of the high acidity. If you want to can green beans or other foods with low acidity, I would invest in a pressure cooker. I know it's the thing to hate on her at the moment, but Paula Deen knows her stuff.

That's it for today, have you tried canning? What all have you canned?