Picante Sauce
5 lbs - tomatoes, diced [or 6 cans of diced tomatoes]
Place diced tomatoes in blender hit it 3 or 4 tines on grind
2 - large onions diced fine
12 - large jalapeno peppers we take the seeds out diced fine
1/2 cup - sugar [a little less is better]
2 - tablespoon salt
1/2 cup - white vinegar
5 or 7 pods - fresh garlic
1 small can - green chili peppers [get the one that is diced]
1 - 8oz can of tomatoes sauce
Bring all ingredients to a boiling, turn heat down low and allow to simmer until thick, stirring often [it may take 2 or 3 hours]
Put in scalded jars and seal

MY FRIEND MAKES THIS SALSA, AND GAVE US SOME. MY HUSBAND JUST LOVES IT:

Mimis MomÂs salsa

6 medium tomatoes (approx. 1 1/4 lb)
3 bell peppers
1 onion
4 to 5 cloves garlic
6 jalapenos
1 small can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
2 t. salt

MimiÂs version

I triple all ingredients except the salt (I use 4 t. salt) and I also add 6 to 10 habaneros and 6 to 10 serrano peppers, and 1/2 seeded and 2 bunches cilantro. Chop all veggies into small pieces cook everything togehrer for 45 mintue to an hour. If too hot add can of tomatoes, chopped in pieces, if too thick add small amount of water. I use pint canning jars and pressure can for 30 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure.

Recipe tripled yields 10 to 12 pints.

8-10-07 Tripled using 6 lbs. home grown tomatoes. Used 4 medium onions, 5 t. salt, roasted small pablanos and added rone tomatoes, jalapenso, garlic and bell peppers, decided not to run bell pepper through salsa screen. Chopped onions, 8 habinaros, 2 serrano (cause jalapens were fairly warm ) rest of bell peppers added, 2 bunches cilantro, very last yield 12 pints.

Dawna, I'm sending you a link to the Harvest forum. Everybody raves about Annie's Salsa, and if you scroll down, the recipe is reposted there.

Those folks on the Harvest forum get really militant when you start talking about canning procedures. They have a fit every time somebody posts a recipe that ends with "Put in scalded jars and seal". They say there are new guidelines and that now you need to boiling water bath the jars for five minutes to make them safe. I've never really had a problem with jars of jam, pickles and things with lots of acid in them sealed "the old way", and the boiling water bath doesn't make for very crisp pickles, so I'm kind of torn. But I wouldn't dare say so on the Harvest Forum because they'd tear me apart and feed me to the local wildlife.

When I make salsa, I have to make it really bland because if I don't, DH doesn't eat it. So my ingredients are simple: tomatoes, green bell pepper, salt & vinegar to taste, lots of onion. No sugar. I buy cut up green chilies to make nacho cheese dip for DGS and me sometimes, and sometimes when I open a jar, I will add a few of these and warn DH so he doesn't accidentally eat anything out of that jar.

Hope this helps. --Ilene

For anyone who is looking for a good commercial salsa, instead of Pace, try Sam's at Walmart, the black bean/corn selection. I just love it! Also, one of the Pace salsas does have extra cilantro in it. I love cilantro! Really got into it when I lived in Texas. They have some of the greatest Mexican restaurants I've ever frequented! There was one we used to go to on Maple Street (don't recall the name), but people used to be lined up outside the restaurant just to get a seat. My fav was their sour cream/chicken enchies, and they had GREAT salsa. It was just a little "hole in the wall" type restaurant, nothing fancy, plastic picnic tablecloths, etc. But, boy was it popular and delicious food.

Susan

Wow, thanks for all the recipes, everyone. I will try every one of them, hopefully. I love having different varieties of salsa to eat all winter. My tomato yield this year has been really low, and I've only been able to make eight pints so far. I usually make 75-150 pints, sometimes even more. But I'm afraid this year I'm just not going to get enough tomatoes. By the time my plants got any size on them this summer, the temps were so high, they quit producing. Now I'm just trying to water them enough to keep them alive for fall tomatoes.

CcecilM,
Your recipe sounds so yummy. I used to make one very similar to this and loved it, but lost my recipe years ago and could never find it. This sounds like one they used to serve at a Mexican restaurant I loved as a kid called Pick's Hot Tamales. I also like a little sugar in my salsa. I can't wait to try it! Thank you!

Jessaka,
Thanks for TWO recipes. Mimi's recipe sounds like one I will love. I LOVE Habaneros, my favorite peppers. I can't use them in DH's salsa as he can't take the heat. If I hot water bath this recipe instead of pressure can it, do you think tripling the vinegar will be enough to keep it safe? I don't have a pressure cooker.

Ilene,
I had seen Annie's recipe for the Pace type salsa on the Harvest forum. I asked DH if he wanted me to make that one, since he likes Pace picante sauce. I'm going to make this recipe for him. I don't care for Pace salsa, but it's DH's favorite store bought brand. That's the one I referred to above as "made in New York City", LOL, even though it's not. I also know what you mean about how militant they are talking about canning procedures on the Harvest forum. But you know, that's good because they won't be poisoning anyone with improper canning procedures. I always worry about that, even though I'm extremely careful with everything I can. I don't boil my jars (do the flats and lids though), but run the jars through the dishwasher and leave them on the heat cycle until I'm ready to use them. Then process for 15 minutes in the HWB canner.

Susan,
I will have to try the Sam's black bean and corn salsa. I LOVE cilantro too. I put up a bushel of corn on the cob in the freezer this year, and have been thinking about making some corn/black bean salsa (fresh, not canned) out of some of it. I saw a recipe for a Southwest salsa that sounded great while I was searching the Internet looking for salsa recipes. Have you ever eaten at Joe T. Garcia's restaurant in Ft. Worth, down by the stockyards? Yummmy, it's my favorite Mexican restaurant in the whole world. They only serve two entrees, enchiladas or fajitas, and are world renowned for their food. It's the greatest (and I even like their salsa they sell in stores)!

Well, since I don't have a recipe to add to this thread, I will add my best time saving tip. When I make salsa - in past years when I've had plenty of tomatoes - I cook my salsa in my electricity turkey roaster. This works so well, and it yields about 30 pints in one batch. It also leaves the stove top for the canner, and extra pots of boiling water. I love using the roaster for making salsa!
Dawna

That was ELECTRIC turkey roaster, not electricity. I wish this place had an "edit" feature.

Again, thank you all for providing me with some new salsa recipes!

Dawna,

How could you possibly mention Joe T.'s and not mention the margaritas? (grinning)

Oh, and the food is great too. I love the enchiladas and DH loves the fajitas. Haven't been there since we moved here, I guess. (sigh)

Dawn

Here's one we picked up while living in Mexico.

Basic Salsa

Ingredients:
2 lb. Green husk tomato (tomatillo) or substitute regular tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
salt to taste
cilantro to taste (preferably fresh)
1/2 cup water
1 habanero pepper or other hot peppers to taste
1/2 medium onion

Options:
1. One can use a chicken bullion cube in place of some or all of the salt. This gives the salsa a different flavor.
2. One can leave out the cilantro or vary the amount of garlic
3. One can use dried and/or smoked peppers instead of fresh.

1. Cube the tomatoes and onion. Mince the garlic.
2. Cut the pepper(s) at least in half
3. Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil
4. Boil about 5 minutes
5. Let cool (This is important! If you try to blend things hot you, and your kitchen will be wearing salsa!)
6. Blend
7. Enjoy!

I tried this salsa for the first time this weekend and it is the best salsa you can buy in the store and the closest to restraunt style. Does anyone have the recipe or the copycat version?