Tips and Tricks to Making Your Own Flavorful Salsa at Home
Tony Bueler
There are salsa recipes which get passed on from generation to generation. Each successive generation keeps and preserves their own family 'treasure', and enjoy the flavors their ancestors had many years ago!
It's easy to go to the nearby corner grocery store and pick up a jar of salsa, but making your own at home can be lots of fun and quite rewarding! If you have had a productive garden and have an overstock of tomatoes and peppers, salsa is an excellent way to use them up!
You will discover that making salsa and stocking up each year will be a regular goal of yours! You only need a basic supply of ingredients, a simple recipe and the process of making the salsa.
Typical salsa ingredients are variations of the following: tomatoes, green pepper, Jalapeno, red chili pepper, garlic salt or powder, onion, cilantro, lemon juice. Don't be afraid to experiment!
And salsa is loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. These are necessary for a healthy body and what better way to make sure you get your fill of them?
Personalize to your taste - Adding more jalapenos and other peppers will make the salsa hotter. In the same way reducing the number of peppers and adding more tomatoes will create a milder salsa.
The full flavor and strength of spices deteriorate over time so make sure to use fresh spices. And always use fresh oils. Like spices, oils lose their flavor over time and some can go rancid if kept too long.
To avoid chili pepper irritation wear rubber gloves or even small plastic bags over your hands. Don't touch your face or rub your eyes while handling hot peppers.
You will need all the supplies that you typically need when you are preserving tomatoes. You will need canning jars, lids and bands, a hot water bath canner, a large pot to cook the salsa, strainer, jar lifter, large bowl, and the ingredients from your recipe. Thoroughly wash all the utensils you will be using and boil the jars and bands. Warm the lids but don't boil them. Leave the jars and the lids in the hot water up until the time you are ready to fill them.
You can also store them in your freezer. After making a large batch simply divide it into small containers and freeze them. You'll be able to enjoy fresh-tasting salsa year round!
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