Salsa Verde

By Hklbrries

Editors write: “This spicy green tomato salsa certainly isn’t a traditional salsa verde, which is usually made with tomatillos, but we think it’s every bit as delicious. Enjoy it with grilled meats and fish or straight from the jar as a dip for tortilla chips.”

Ingredients

• 7 cups chopped, cored and peeled green tomatoes
• 5 to 10 jalapeno, habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and finely chopped (see note)
• 2 cups finely chopped red onions
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup loosely packed finely chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Note: Use a variety of hot peppers to regulate the heat. If you don’t mind heat, leave the seeds and veins in the peppers.

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare canner, jars and lids.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and lime juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot salsa. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process both 8 ounce and pint jars for 20 minutes. Add 5 minutes processing time for elevations of 1,001 to 3,000 feet. Add 10 minutes processing time for elevations of 3,001-6,000 feet. Add 15 minutes for elevations above 6,001 feet.

Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.