AS, there is no "science" behind that particular ingredient, it's simply a matter of trial and error to get the texture my family likes. The juice and goo inside the tomato is much more liquid than the sauce is. I could cook it down for a long time and eventually get a similar texture, but then it tastes more "cooked", if that makes sense. I found that draining the watery portion of the juice and getting rid of some of the "goo" and seeds made the texture better for me. I don't like a lot of seeds in the salsa, so I remove some of them, that makes it more palatable for me, other people might not even notice. I do want the salsa thick enough to stay on a chip, so I add the sauce and I don't have to boil it for hours to make it thicker. Annie

Did you do a search on this forum or on GardenWeb? Here is a link that might be useful: Questions About Annie's Salsa Recipe

I agree with Dave. If there is any doubt about whether you added the vinegar, into the fridge it goes, it cannot be canned safely without it. I pressure canned the first batches, but my ultimate goal was to make a salsa that was safe to waterbath can. So, although I am/was confident in using the pressure canned version, it was not tested and declared safe like the water bath version was, and even that had some vinegar in it. Better safe than sorry, I'd definitely refrigerate the stuff and use it up, or freeze it. I know someone did that, but I'll be darned if I remember who. And you certainly can use the food processor to chop up the vegetables. I do mine by hand because I can't seem to get nice sized pieces. Either it's puree or the pieces are too big, and my knife skills are pretty good, so I just chop 'em. Manic, I'm glad you like it! Annie

Tyffanie, I use sweet green bell peppers. You can use any kind of peppers you have, those are just commonly available here. As for the serranos, the batch KatieC and I made at Canning Camp had three jalapenos and two serranos. It was a hit. I've also added habanero, cayenne, something called a "salsa" pepper, scotch bonnet and/or hot banana peppers. I use whatever is available, just don't change the ratio of acid to vegetables. I'll also caution you to taste the salsa before adding sugar or salt. Sometimes the tomatoes are really sweet and the added sugar is too much. Some people like less salt, or less cilantro, substitute parsley for the cilantro, use less/no cumin. Taste and then season, all those items are simply for flavoring and can be adjusted to suit your taste. Have fun, and happy canning! Annie