Fragrance is a better indicator of a good tomato than color. Avoid tomatoes that are overly ripe and soft.

Select tomatoes that are firm, glossy, smooth, plump, heavy for their size, and free of bruises. Selecting tomatoes: Choose vine-ripened tomatoes, preferably locally grown, because the less the tomatoes have to travel, the more likely they were picked ripe. Roma tomatoes are a paste tomato which are great for canning and making salsas and sauces.

This makes them more suitable for processing. Paste tomatoes are seedless (or nearly so) and have a higher solid content. * What is a paste tomato? Any tomato that is generally oval or cylindrical or with plum or paste in it’s name. After you open a jar to use, you may pour off some of the liquid or thicken with cornstarch.ħ quarts peeled, cored, and chopped paste tomatoes (we used Roma tomatoes)*Ĥ cups seeded and chopped long green chile peppers**ġ/2 cup seeded and finely-chopped jalapeno chile peppers

Do not thicken salsas with flour or cornstarch before canning. If you still want to alter your salsa recipe, then store the salsa in the freezer or refrigerator instead of canning. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe by reducing the acidity. The only changes you can safely make when following a salsa recipe are to substitute bottled lemon juice for vinegar and to change the amount of spices and herbs. Add the amount of vinegar or lemon juice listed. Use the amounts of each vegetable listed in the recipe. Important: To avoid the risk of botulism or food poisoning, follow the directions exactly for each recipe. Please take a moment to review the following Washington State University guide on safe recipes for home canning: Salsa Recipes for Canning, by Val Hillers and Richard Dougherty. In all the recipes, red tomatoes, green tomatoes and tomatillos may be used interchangeably and safely. Check out Linda’s Butters, Condiments, Sauces, Relish and Jelly Recipes for more great ideas.īoth the Oregon and Washington State University Extension Service offers a 16-page booklet, “Salsa Recipes for Canning,” (PNW 395) full of tasty, safe and tested recipes for green salsa, red salsa, tomato and green chili salsa and straight chili salsa, plus taco sauce.

Canning salsa