Resturant types usually add fresh cilantro and thats one of the best flavors in salsa.

Serena, I hope you like it. I only added the paste for texture because I like mine thick and chunky.

Lime is fine in place of vinegar, it's even more acidic than vinegar is, so enjoy that salsa.

Annie

IT turned out really good- but talk about ACIDY. I dont expect this stuff to go back yikes. It has a great flavor but dang near leaves blisters in my mouth.

Serena

If I were to do more salsa, I would either use lime OR cider vinegar. Both tend to make it almost unbearable, unless its loaded with lots of mild peppers and onions, then you need the extra acid.

I just want to pipe up and say I recently defrosted some of my Annie's Salsa frozen from last summer, and IT IS SO AWESOME! Thank you Annie so much for this fabulous recipe! Even though I am months away from fresh tomatoes and fresh salsa, the frozen stuff was almost just as good. I put some salad shrimp in it and ate the whole container for lunch, kind of a ceviche. Yum yum yum!
Carla in Sac

OK, I need this recipe Annie! Can I have it? Pretty please?

Nanahanna

Here it is Nanahanna ... recommend you try it - suspect you'll love it!

Posted by readinglady z8 OR (My Page) on Wed, Aug 9, 06 at 20:39

Annie's at Canning Camp right now, but here's her recipe with her comments. Note her comment there are two amounts of vinegar, depending upon whether you water bath or pressure can.
"Sure I do, here's mine. Please note that it is pressure canned, because I cut the acid ingredients down by half. The original directions were to use 2/3 cup of vinegar and waterbath, but I wanted less of the acidic flavor and so cut the vinegar in half and process according to the Blue Book instructions for non-acidic vegetables. If you want to waterbath it, add that extra vinegar. If you want it mild, use the smaller amount of jalapenos.

ANNIEÂS SALSA
8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
3 Â 5 chopped jalapenos
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar (for BWB or 1/3 cup vinegar for PC)
16 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste
Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process at 10 lbs of pressure for 30 minutes for pints. Or BWB 15 minutes.
Makes 6 pints

Good luck and happy canning. I get a lot of compliments on this recipe, and one of the local attorneys actually paid me $10 a pint for the last jar a couple of years ago (He NEEDED it for a Super Bowl party). Fine by me, I wish I had made more!! Annie"

Posted by Carol

With our move in a few months, I am not gardening and therefore probably won't be making the salsa this year...waaa! I was curious if leaving out the paste in the recipe would alter it in a significant way aside from it being more runny? I kinda like a runny salsa. Lori

Lori, leaving out the tomato paste won't alter the flavor appreciably. It just makes the salsa thicker and that's the only reason I put it in there. I like mine to stick on a chip!

Annie

I have also been using a powdered tomato to thicken some tomato products. It has even less moisture content compared to a paste. About the best tasting tomato paste there is, is the Contadina brand.

Instead of using the paste and tomato sauce, I like to bring to a boil about two quarts of salsa and let it reduce quickly to about one quart. Add to the already cooking salsa pot. This works for me. I also like the lemon juice for the acid.

Shirley