McKinney Salsa

Have you ever thought about making your own salsa?

We love to make a batch of salsa with fresh tomatoes at the end of summer. It will usually last all the way through the winter. We get to enjoy summer goodness all winter long! We love Mexican food and have it quite often. If you are looking for inspiration, check out my Mahi Taco and my Steak Fajita recipes. 

My mother-in-law shared this recipe with me many years ago and we have made it a family tradition to make salsa on Labor Day weekend when we have an extra day off from work. This year we are a little behind schedule, but tomatoes are still in abundance so the timing is right! 

20240917_232636942_iOS.jpg
20240918_225543273_iOS.jpg
20240921_192257930_iOS.jpg

If canning intimidates you, I promise this method is foolproof and easy. There is no need to use a pressure cooker or process the jars. I like to use a hot pack method and I rarely have a jar that doesn’t seal. If, by chance, I do have one that doesn’t seal then that’s our first jar that we are going to eat or share. 

Pro Tip:

Hot pack method is when all of the components are hot: the salsa is hot, the jars are hot from being sterilized in the dishwasher and the lids and bands are hanging out in hot water after being sterilized. 

McKinney Salsa

Ingredients:

  • 8 lbs. Tomatoes, peeled and chopped

  • 2 Green Peppers, seeded and chopped

  • 5 c. Onions, chopped

  • ½ c. Jalapeno Peppers, chopped

  • ½ c. Pickled Jalapenos, chopped 

  • 1 c. Cider Vinegar 

  • 2-½ Garlic cloves, chopped 

  • 1 Tablespoon Salt or 1 package Mrs. Wages salsa seasoning

Directions: 

Before I start chopping anything, I send my jars, lids and bands through a cycle in the dishwasher with the heated drying setting, so the jars are nice and hot when I’m ready to jar the salsa.  

I like to blanch my tomatoes so I can easily get the peeling off. 

Pro Tip:

To blanch a tomato, gently place clean tomatoes in boiling water. Remove after 3 minutes and put in ice bath in a large pan. Once they’ve sat in the ice bath for a few minutes, the skins should come right off. 

Chop the tomatoes and be mindful of how chunky you want the salsa to be if you eat them with chips. You could at this point, do a coarse chop in the food processor or chop by hand. I usually chop by hand to have more control over the size of the chunks. Repeat with the onions and peppers. I chop the onions in the food processor and the green peppers would be good to chop this way as well, but don’t turn them into soup! Just pulse so it’s a rough chop.  You can use fresh jalapenos if you have them on hand and I usually use pickled jalapenos too.  

Add each ingredient to a large stock pot as they are chopped. Turn on medium heat. Add spices and vinegar and allow to get hot so it’s bubbling a little but not boiling. While this is happening, add your seasonings and vinegar. 

When the salsa is spiced the way you want it, lower the heat.  You need to get your jars ready but before that, get a pot of hot water ready so you can put your lids and bands in. 

The jarring process:  I like to ladle the salsa in the jars using a wide mouth funnel. I leave about ½ to 1” of headspace in the jar. I then wipe off the jar top, take a lid and band out of the hot water, wipe those dry with a paper towel and place them on the jars. I then sit the jar to the side on a towel. The heat of the salsa, the jar, the lid and band, all work together to seal the jars. It may take them 30 minutes to an hour to seal, but they will seal.   

This recipe makes approximately 9-10 pint jars of salsa. I sometimes use a few different size jars depending on what I have on hand.   

This salsa is great to eat with chips or serve with tacos, enchiladas, nachos, eggs and well, just about anything!  Enjoy!!! 

 
 
Next

Gluten-Free Bread in the Bread Machine