I absolutely love homemade salsa and it is so easy to make and put up. My problem is that no matter how much I make, I am always wishing I had made just a little bit more!

By making it myself I have complete control over the ingredients that I grow in my garden. I also know there are not any pesticides anywhere near them. When I plan my garden, I just make sure I have enough plants to make the salsa and for other things I make like relishes.

I begin by heating and peeling the tomatoes. Just heat up water on the stove and then put 5 or 6 tomatoes at a time in and wait a minute. I then ladle them out and dip in cold water. The skins will split and are therefore easy to remove. I prefer Roma tomatoes because they are meatier and super easy to peel. I cut them up along with onions, green peppers, and jalapenos into a large pot and simmer for a few hours stirring occasionally. The amount of jalapenos depends on hot you want your salsa!

Once the salsa has thickened a bit and simmered, I then can it using the hot water bath method. I ladle the salsa into hot sterilized jars (boil them 10 minutes) wipe the rim of the jar to ensure a good seal and screw the band on. That done, I put the sealed jars back in the canner and boil for 10 minutes with the water 1 inch over the jars. When finished, I set the jars out on the counter spaced an inch apart and let cool. You will hear the jar lids popping and you know you got a good seal. Now just enjoy! Hint: add a jar to your favorite chili recipe!

*Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.