Salsa

The family garden is starting to produce tomatoes.  So I got to take the first batch of them to make some salsa.  My family eats Mexican at least once a week so we go through a lot of salsa.  I just opened our last jar of it a week ago so I was excited to get some more made.  I will make  more batches as we get more tomatoes. 

The recipe I use calls for green peppers and onions.  We have plenty of onions but no green peppers.  Lucky for me I dehydrated a bunch the year before.  So I opened up my jar of dehydrated bell peppers.  The still smell like they are fresh from the garden. 

I bring a pot of water to boil and I put one cup of dried peppers in.  This will rehydrate to about 2 cups of peppers.  Which is what the recipe calls for.  I pour in the peppers and take off the heat.  Put on a lid and let sit for about an hour.  Then drain from the water. 

My rehydrated peppers!!  I chopped them up even finer in my food processor.

I then took my tomatoes with skins on and chopped in the food processor.  I also added onions and put in my stock pot to cook up.  I do cheat some and use a seasoning blend that I bought at a local bulk food store. They come in Mild, Medium, and Hot.  I like spicy but my family likes mild.  So I make the mild salsa.  I put the tomatoes, peppers, onions, salsa seasoning, and vinegar in the stock pot.  Bring to a boil and add 12 oz of tomato paste.  Stir to blend and then put in my pint jars.  This salsa is nice and thick and resembles a picante sauce.  That is why I love this seasoning mix.  I have made salsa from scratch but my family just loves this salsa.

I fill my pint jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Process them in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.  I got 8 pint jars of my picante style salsa!!  Yum!!