Yesterday I went out to the garden to pick tomatoes.  I’ve been doing that about every other day these days, and each time I’ve been getting a decent sized harvest of tomatoes.  These heirlooms are doing very well right now, and I’m going to be so sad to see them finish up.  Yesterday though, I picked and picked and picked, and picked more than I thought was out there.  When I brought them in and added them to what I already had, I had some suspicious.  So I pulled out my scale, piled them on, and sure enough, I was just over a pound short to make a batch of salsa.  In my world, that was close enough, so Zander and I headed out to the farmstand to pick up some green peppers, hot peppers, and just a few tomatoes to equal the full ten pounds I needed.  Next, we made a quick stop at the grocery store for tomato paste and cilantro, and everything else I had on hand at home already.

I was beyond excited.  I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to have enough tomatoes to make salsa this year, and I was going to be content with the three batches of green salsa I had done.  I pulled out my trusty recipe, notated a few changed I wanted to make, and set to work.  This salsa is relatively easy to pull together, just time consuming given the quantity.  First of all, I have to say that every time I make salsa, I am surprised that ten pounds of tomatoes is not as much as you would think.  If I fill my largest mixing bowl, I have just over ten pounds- and that’s a 10 quart bowl if it’s filled to the rim with water.  The extra six tomatoes I bought were large and heavy and weighed almost 5 pounds themselves.So the first step was simply chopping up the tomatoes.  I opted not to peel them, as time was a consideration yesterday, and I don’t mind the tomato skins.  If they bother you, obviously you can peel them.

The first portion of this recipe is a chop and drop affair.  You chop 10 pounds of tomatoes and drop them in the pot.  Next for me was the hot peppers.  This time I had 2 large Hungarian Hot wax peppers, 6 jalapenos, and 3 habaneros.  I decided not to chop and add the habaneros, instead, I cut slits into each pepper, and just dropped them into the tomatoes whole.  I would let them infuse the salsa with their glorious essence and then remove the peppers later on.  I also increased the garlic from 6 cloves to 10- mine were on the small side.  The cilantro was also adjusted.  I love cilantro, so I used more like a full cup of cilantro- maybe even a little more than that.  Cider vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, brown sugar, white sugar and lime juice were added next before bring the whole combination to a boil.  The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of lime juice, but since I was using heirloom tomatoes, and I wanted to be sure my recipe was acidic enough for canning, I increased that to a full half cup.  Plus, I love lime juice too, so more was going to be great anyway.

I let this mixture bubble away for about 45 minutes total, and at that point removed my habaneros.  Then, the onions and green peppers were added to cook for another 10 minutes.  The last step before canning was to add tomato paste.  My salsa had already thickened considerably, so I started with 1 1/2 cans of paste and that turned out to be the perfect amount.  Once again, it simmered away for the final 20 minutes, but this time I really had to babysit the pot so the salsa didn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.  I gave the salsa a taste and found out that this salsa is smokin! It has fantastic flavor and a whole lot of heat.  Andy is going to love it.   Of all the things that I can and preserve and freeze and put by, salsa is our hands down favorite.  So to get to make a batch to it, to see those 12 pint jars sitting on the counter is thrilling.

I do want to add one word of caution about working with hot peppers.  Normally, I’m not a glove fan.  I don’t use them for jalapenos, and tend to not be bothered by the oils in the hot peppers.  But yesterday for a good bit of time, my hands felt like they were on fire! I ended up rubbing them with lemon juice and salt, followed by several scrubbings with soap before they stopped blazing.  I had some hot peppers! If you have any sensitivity at all, make sure you wear rubber gloves of some kind when handling hot peppers, and above all, do not touch your face for several hours after handling them either.

The original recipe for Three Pepper Salsa can be found in the Recipe Trove, but below is yesterday’s adaptation.  So, so good.  We’ll be snacking away on chips and salsa this weekend, that’s for sure.

Smokin’ Salsa

10 pounds tomatoes, chopped

6 jalapeno chile peppers,seeded and chopped

2 large Gungarian hot wax peppers, seeded and chopped

3 whole habanero chiles, three slits cut into each pepper

10 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/3 cups apple cider vinegar

1 cup cilantro — chopped

1/4 cup pickling salt

3 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup lime juice

2 large onions, chopped

3-5 cups chopped bell peppers

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2-4 12 oz. cans tomato paste

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot except for the bell peppers, onions, and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, continuing to stir frequently. Add the peppers and onions, simmer another 10 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, one can at a time, stirring well to combine with each one.  Add the number of cans for your desired preference.  Simmer for 20 minutes more, stirring frequently to keep the salsa from burning to the bottom of the pot.

Ladle into hot canning jars and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Makes 12 1/2 pints.