I’ve always wanted to learn how to can fruits and veggies.  I even went so far as to buy the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.

 Reading through it though made the task seem incredibly daunting.  Well to me at least.  I tend to do better with a hands on approach.

 Yesterday I got my chance at hands on tutoring.  Thanks go out to Ellen for giving me a crash course in canning fresh salsa.

We started out by rough chopping onions, red and green sweet peppers, and red, green and yellow hot peppers.

Then they got a whirl in the food processor. 

We dumped the pepper/onion mixture into a pan and moved on to washing the tomatoes.

Each tomato got a little x cut in the bottom in preparation for their “hot tub experience”… otherwise known as blanching.

Blanching for 1 minute lets you pull the skins off easily.

 After their little dip in the hot tub….ok, pot of near boiling water…they get a shock in a cold bath.

Next step, removing the peels, cores and rough chopping.

The chopped tomatoes were combined with the pepper/onion mixture along with tubes of pre-prepped cilantro and packages of Salsa Seasoning.

Oops, almost forgot the pre-chopped garlic also.

You can find the cilantro at Kroger near the packaged herbs.

 I did take several pics of the seasoning packets but they just look blurry.  My apologies.

The seasoning packets contained dehydrated peppers, onions, jalapenos, garlic and salt.  Just an extra  boost of flavor in addition to the fresh veggies.

At this point we took a break to eat while the salsa simmered for about 45 minutes.

Ellen already had the jars sterilized and waiting in the dishwasher and the lids and rings boiling in a saucepan on the stove.

We used a wide mouth funnel and a ladle to fill the jars with hot salsa and wiped the rims to be sure they were clean.

Then added the hot lids and rings.

(I keep hearing ….Feelin’ hot, hot, hot…in my head, of course)

 Tighten the rings finger tight. 

Once the water came to a boil, the jars processed for 15 minutes.

The jars were place on cutting boards set on the stove and allowed to cool.  Ellen turned off the ceiling fan to reduce any drafts.

It was pretty fun listening for the pings as the jars cooled.

And here is our final product!

We used a little less than half a bushel of tomatoes and got 18 pints of  yummy salsa.

 So yummy that the hubby and I ate half a jar (of the 4 we brought home) after we got home last night.

Might have to ask Ellen for a couple more jars.  At least until I pick up the things I need to make my own

Or…you can help me win my own set up at http://alattewithotta.blogspot.com/2011/08/canning-week-2011-linky-party.html

My entry is #39 — The entry with the most likes will win  a Ball Discovery Canning Kit.  Can I get a little help here? Pretty Please with Sugar on Top?

Thank You =)

So, have you ever canned?

Please take a minute to scroll down and leave a comment.  I would love to know what you think.  Did this inspire you?  Will you use this as a jumping off point for your own project? Or just to say Hi I was here.  Comments are the only way to let me know what you are thinking.  If you enjoyed, please share with your friends or followers.  Thanks =)

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