How to Make Homemade Garden Salsa

For the first few years of our marriage, my husband and I relied on store bought salsa. I do not remember ever having a complaint about the salsa we ate, but then, I've never been a salsa connoisseur. Then, one day two summers ago, my husband brought home a recipe he had received from a gardener friend of his. He gave it to me and I debated over whether or not I should put the work into making it. I avoided the job the first summer, but by the time the next fall rolled around, my garden had produced wonderfully and I was ready to give it a try.

I canned 12 jars of salsa, and though we tried to ration how much we ate, it was gone within a few months. We tried to go back to store bought salsa after that, but found it sadly lacking in flavor and freshness.

If you like mild, hearty salsa and try this recipe, you will never go back to buying salsa in the store!

You can use ingredients fresh from your garden or farmer's market, or you can purchase them in the store.

Here's what you'll need:

10 cups chopped tomatoes

2 cups chopped green peppers

½ cup chopped red bell peppers

½ cup chopped sweet peppers

2 cups chopped onions

¾ cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon each: black pepper, salt, sweet basil and cilantro

3 or 4 cloves minced garlic

½ teaspoon each: chili powder, oregano and paprika

2 tablespoons sugar

1 chopped hot pepper-optional

The process is very simply once you have all of your ingredients chopped and ready to go. I highly recommend using a Pampered Chef chopper if you have one, it will save you a half hour of chopping by hand.

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large pot on your stove top. Heat the mixture to boiling, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. You will notice that the salsa will cook down and some of the juices will evaporate while it simmers. The salsa can be canned in pint or quart jars.

If you like salsa, I recommend doing a double recipe the first time around. You will save much time by doing all of the work up front and you will be able to enjoy this salsa throughout the winter months. This recipe is great for using in breakfast burritos, haystacks or with tortillas. Enjoy!