Food, Nutrition, & Health

SALSA

Information taken from publication FN-584 "From the Garden to the Table: Salsa"

Americans have grown to love salsa on everything from scrambled eggs to the more traditional Mexican dishes. While many types of salsa are available in supermarkets, you can tailor homemade fresh salsa to suit your own tastes.  By following research tested recipes, you can safely process salsa in a water bath canner for later enjoyment.

TIPS FOR CANNING SALSA SAFELY

• Follow the formulation exactly and measure/weigh ingredients carefully.  Use bottled lemon or lime juice or vinegar as indicated.
• Handle hot peppers carefully: wear plastic gloves and wash your hands before touching your face.
• In canning recipes calling for spices, you may safely decrease the amount of spice (cumin, oregano, pepper, etc), but do not increase the spice amounts.
• To alter the "heat" in salsa, you can safely substitute one type of pepper for another, but keep the total amount of pepper the same.
• Do not thicken salsas with cornstarch before canning.  If the salsa appears thin, it can be heated and thickened with cornstarch or some of the excess juice may be strained away, after opening the jars.
  
• Unsealed jars may be safely re-processed within 24 hours, or the jars of salsa may be refrigerated for fresh consumption.  To reprocess, empty salsa into a pan, heat to boiling and ladle the mixture into clean, hot jars.  Use new lids and process for the full recommended time.  The quality and nutrient content of twice processed food may be lower, but the product will be safe to consume.
  

If you have more questions on Salsa - call 701/794-8748 for your copy of  "From the Garden to the Table: Salsa".