Green Tomato Salsa is inspired by a recipe shared with me by my friend Jerri, who is an excellent cook and great neighbor. Thanks!
I don’t do much canning, but when I saw this recipe, I had to try it. Why? Because I had a lot of green tomatoes hanging on my bushes and the first frost was approaching quickly.
While you can pick green tomatoes, wrap them in paper and store them in a cool, dark place to ripen, Salsa Verde is a tasty alternative.
As canning recipes go, it is pretty easy and a good recipe for a ‘canning novice’.
While I feel my directions are thorough, I suggest reading general canning directions at the Ball Jar Preserving site here.
This recipe calls for a mixture of both green tomatoes and tomatillos, though you can use only green tomatoes if tomatillos are unavailable.
And as far as peppers go, if you want it very mild, replace one of the jalapeños with a bit of extra bell pepper. This is your creation.
Enjoy! –Laura
Green Tomato Salsa – Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 2 cups tomatillo peeled (3-4 large), cored and chopped
- 6 cups green tomatoes cored, chopped
- 2 1/2 cups peppers 3 Anaheim, 3 Jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 4 cups sweet onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 cup minced cilantro coarse stems removed
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water canner. Heat clean canning jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Set bands aside.
- Combine tomatillos, tomatoes, peppers, bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, lime juice and vinegar in large pot. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally to mix and prevent scorching. Add cumin, oregano and cilantro.
- Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
- If a smoother texture is desired, puree 3-5 cups hot salsa in small batches in blender until smooth and add back to mixture.
- Ladle hot salsa into jars leaving a 1/2” headspace. Remove air bubbles with spatula. Wipe rim of jars with clean cloth. Center the hot lids on jars. Screw on bands till fingertip tight.
- Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting time for altitude. (Water should be at least 1” above the jars while processing.)
- Remove jars onto counter spread with dry dish towel. Allow them to cool 12-24 hours. Check lid for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when pressed, but simply be down.
Notes
–Wear latex gloves while seeding and chopping up the peppers. This will prevent skin from being irritated or burned by the hot oils in the seeds and peppers.
–Listen for the ping that the lids make as they seal while cooling.
— This recipe calls for both tomatillos and green tomatoes, but substituting only green tomatoes or only (the more traditional) tomatillos will make a tasty Salsa Verde as well.
–To save time, coarsely grate onion in food processor.
–The mix of peppers in this salsa made a mild to medium salsa. Hotness level can be adjusted by using a mixture of hotter peppers or for milder flavor replace some of the peppers with more bell pepper. Remember, you can always add more heat, but you can’t take it out.
–If you can’t find hot peppers, use what peppers are available and add a few drops of green hot sauce to raise heat level.
Our tomatoes don’t seem to ripen on the vine any more so we have tons of green tomatoes! Now I know what to so with them! Yum!
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I love green tomato salsa (so much so that I collect all of my friends’ green tomatoes every year in addition to my own). I made another recipe that I ended up not liking for my first batch, but with the second round of green tomatoes, I used this recipe. It’s absolutely delicious and much better! Thanks for the great recipe.