Tips and Tricks to Making Your Own Flavorful Salsa at Home
April 26, 2008 – 5:22 pmFamilies have passed from generation to generation their favorite homemade salsa recipes. This tradition of passing on to successive generations this ‘family treasure’ allows them to be able to taste the flavors their ancestors enjoyed possibly hundreds of years before.
It’s easy to go to the nearby corner grocery store and pick up a jar of salsa, but making your own at home can be lots of fun and quite rewarding! If you have had a productive garden and have an overstock of tomatoes and peppers, salsa is an excellent way to use them up!
When you do this once, you may find that stocking up your pantry with homemade salsa will be a regular goal of yours! You only need a basic supply to make salsa, a simple recipe and the process of making the salsa.
Typical salsa ingredients are variations of the following: tomatoes, green pepper, Jalapeno, red chili pepper, garlic salt or powder, onion, cilantro, lemon juice. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
And salsa is loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. These are necessary for a healthy body and what better way to make sure you get your fill of them?
Modify the ingredients to your taste - Adding more jalapenos and other peppers will make for a hotter and spicier salsa. Alternatively, for a milder salsa, reduce the number of peppers and add more tomatoes.
It is important to realize that the full strength and flavor of spices will deteriorate with time. Therefore make sure to use fresh spices. Also, always use fresh oils as well. Like spices, oils will lose their flavor over time and if kept too long can even go rancid.
To avoid chili pepper irritation wear rubber gloves or even small plastic bags over your hands. Don’t touch your face or rub your eyes while handling hot peppers.
You will need all the supplies that you typically need when you are preserving tomatoes. You will need canning jars, lids and bands, a hot water bath canner, a large pot to cook the salsa, strainer, jar lifter, large bowl, and the ingredients from your recipe. Thoroughly wash all the utensils you will be using and boil the jars and bands. Warm the lids but don’t boil them. Leave the jars and the lids in the hot water up until the time you are ready to fill them.
You can also store them in your freezer. After making a large batch simply divide it into small containers and freeze them. You’ll be able to enjoy fresh-tasting salsa year round!
Tags: Cooking
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