Canning

In my garden this past spring and summer, I had an abundance of vegetables, especially green peppers. I used a lot of them on Sunday mornings for omelet's, and various things during the week. I really gave more of them away than I used. I started looking into preserving and canning. I have had fun making things. One of my favorite's is homemade salsa! My little garden didn't produce enough last year to make anything, so I bought fresh produce from the Farmers Market in Plant City when I would go for Tifton Hay for the horses. The tomatoes over there are beautiful! Hopefully mine will be as pretty this coming spring.

Home Made Salsa

10 cups fresh peeled, seeded, cored tomatoes

5 cups of fresh diced green peppers

5 cups of diced onions

13 fresh diced jalapeno peppers(deveined, and seeded)

1 bunch fresh chopped cilantro

3 stems oregano(just leaves) chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/4 cup cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, with 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust 2 piece caps, and process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Note: When chopping and seeding jalapeno peppers, wear rubber gloves. The more seeds and veins you leave in, the hotter the salsa!

ENJOY!