Salsa de Las Chicas
 
 
24 quarts    Tomatoes, one level bushel, not heaping  
6 quarts    Onions (10lbs)  
4 quarts    Green Peppers (22)  
3 Each    Orange & Yellow Peppers  
2 quarts    Aniheim Peppers (20)  
1 cup    Red Fresno Peppers (8)  
1 cup    Serano Peppers (Hot) (10)  
1 cup    Jalapeņo Peppers (Hot) (8)  
1 head    Garlic cloves (about 24 cloves)  
1/2 cup    Lime juice  
1/2 cup    Lemon Juice  
1/2 cup    Sugar or none depending on the sweetness of the Tomatoes that year  
8 Tbs    Salt  
2 Tbs    Oregano  
2 tsp    Cumin  
3 bunches    Cilantro  
 
1 Use rubber gloves when you cut or dice hot peppers, they cause extreme irritation to the skin. Do not touch your face, or near the eyes.
2 Separate the seeds from the jalepeņo and serano peppers. Use half of the seeds or add a little at a time for heat to your tasting.
3 After you chopped vegetables, drain off juices of tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. Use a slotted spoon to fill jars. When the juice is drained off, this recipe makes 20 pints otherwise it makes 60 pints.
4 Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat to a boil and simmer 1/2 hour or until salsa cooks down.
5 Follow manufacturer's directions for preheating lids. Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp paper towel. Put on lids and screw on metal bands.
6 Use a rack to keep jars from touching canner bottom. Put jars into a canner of boiling water 1-2 inches above jar tops. Cover and process in a boiling water canner 15 minutes. (15 minutes at 0-1,000 feet altitude; 20 minutes at 1,001-6,000 feet; 25 minutes above 6,000 feet). Keep water boiling gently. Add boiling water to keep jars covered.
7 Remove when time is up. The food could spoil later if jars are left in hot water too long
8 Put jars on a rack or cloth so air can circulate freely around them. Do not retighten screw bands after processing.
9 Test each jar for a seal the day after canning. Jars with flat metal lids are sealed if: Lid has popped down in the center, lid does not move when pressed down. If a jar is not sealed, refrigerate the contents and use soon or reprocess. Reprocess within 24 hours. When reprocessing, the salsa must first be heated to a boil before packing in hot jars. Wipe jar rims clean. Use a new lid and process for the full time listed.
10 Wipe jars. Label with the date and the contents of the jar. Remove the screw bands to avoid rust. Store jars in a cool dark place. For best eating quality and nutritive value, use within one year. Heat, freezing temperatures, light, or dampness will decrease the quality and shelf life of canned food.
 
Yield: 33 pints
 
 Cooking Tips
Do not thicken salsas with flour or cornstarch before canning. After you open a jar to use, you may pour off some of the liquid or thicken with cornstarch.
The acid ingredients used in salsa help preserve it. You must add acid to canned salsas because the natural acidity may not be high enough. Commonly used acids in home canning are vinegar and lemon juice. Lemon juice is more acidic than vinegar, but has less effect on flavor. Use only vinegar that is at least 5% acid and use only bottled lemon juice.
You may safely substitute an equal amount of lemon juice for vinegar in recipes using vinegar. Do not substitute vinegar for lemon juice.
Spices add flavoring to salsas. The amounts of spices and herbs may be altered in these recipes. Cilantro and cumin are often used in spicy salsas. You may leave them out if you prefer a salsa with a milder taste. For a stronger cilantro flavor, add fresh cilantro just before serving the salsa.
 
 Recipe Source

Author: Stacy & Angie
 
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