Heirloom Tomato Salsa Canned

A treasure trove of two pounds of heirloom tomatoes.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Yields: 7 quarts

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  heirloom tomatoes, of various colors and sizes cored and diced (the more variety the prettier the salsa)
• 3 1⁄2-4  lbs beefsteak tomatoes
• 1 1⁄2  white onions, finely diced
• 1⁄2 red onion, finely diced
• 1  green bell pepper, diced
• 5  hot bell peppers, very finely minced
• 3 -4  garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2  bunches cilantro, coarsely chopped
•  salt and pepper
•  bottled lime juice (2 tbsp per pint jar, 4 tbsp per quart jar)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except for lime juice in a large stock pot (or in our case two smaller pots).
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.
3. Colors should still be bright.
4. Prepare jars and lids.Sterilize jars in the dishwasher and keep warm on the heated cycle. Boil lids in in water for 5 minutes to sterilize. Use tongs (to move hot jars out of dishwasher and into the simmering water bath), and canning funnel for these steps.
5. Add 2 tbsp of bottled lime juice to each pint jar. Use your funnel to fill jars with salsa, then set the sealing lid on top and screw the ring on until it is “fingertip tight” (i.e., don’t use all of your upper body strength to tighten the sucker).
6. Place into a large stock pot filled with simmering water. It’s helpful to have a wire rack on the bottom – available with most home canning kits – so that the water can circulate all aroud the jars. The water level should be about one inch ablove the lids.
7. Let simmer for 20 mintes then remove and let cool on a wire rack or other heat-proof surface.
8. I always use a Presto 21 quart cooker/canner. You can process 7 quarts or 10-11 pints at one time. Pressure should be 5lbs for 10 minutes,let the pressure gauge go back to zero,remove the weight and lid. Remove jars and set on a wire cooling rack.
9. After a few minutes you should hear a “pop” when the lids suck down and are sealed. Allow jars to cool for 12 to 24 hours before storing in a cool, dark place.