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 very convenient to drive to your nearby grocer and purchase a jar of salsa off the shelf, but making your own at home can be quite rewarding! If you have had a productive garden this year and have an overstock of peppers and tomatoes, salsa is the perfect way to go!

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 are variations of the following: tomatoes, green pepper, Jalapeno, 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!

Modify the ingredients to your taste - Adding more jalapenos and other peppers will make for a hotter and spicier salsa. Alternatively, for a milder salsa, reduce the number of peppers and add more tomatoes.

It is important to realize that the full strength and flavor of spices will deteriorate with time. Therefore make sure to use fresh spices. Also, always use fresh oils as well. Like spices, oils will lose their flavor over time and if kept too long can even go rancid.

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. Leave the jars and the lids in the hot water up until the time you are ready to use them.

A freezer is also a good place to store your salsa. After making a large batch simply divide it into smaller containers and put them in your freezer. Imagine being able to enjoy your fresh and tasty salsa year round!

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 6:12 am and is filed under Cooking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.