hey, green tomato friends...

Here is a photo of 14 jars of a new batch of Salsa Verde, made from more green tomatoes and based on the recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which I mentioned before.

I am getting a ton of google traffic from folks searching on Green Tomato Salsa so I'll post my tweaked version here.  Mind your health!  I have modified the original recipe substantially, and I don't have a ph meter.  Okay? 

Cathy's Salsa Verde Recipe

• 7 cups chopped green tomatoes

• 10 mixed sweet and hot peppers, chopped.   (Choose the peppers wisely because you might like a variety of heat "notes" in the final version.  The tomatoes can't provide the complexity or depth of taste you're used to because they're green...  depend on the variety of peppers and the garlic to give the depth to the sauce.  The original recipe called for 5 - 10)

• 1 large red onion chopped

• 1 large yellow onion chopped (the original recipe called for two cups of just red onion, but I think my onions were large enough to give a little more in total, and I wanted the flavor of both kinds of onions.)

• one whole head of garlic, finely chopped (instead of the 2 cloves in the original recipe)

• 3/4 cup lime juice (1/4 cup more than called for in the original recipe)

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pepare canner, jars and lids.

Combine tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and lime juice.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper.  Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, for five minutes.  Remove from heat.

Ladle salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Wipe rim.  Center lid on jar.  Screw band down.

Place in canner, making sure jars are covered with water. Rolling Water Bath for 20 minutes.

I am using the garlic and the peppers to achieve complexity of flavor.  I also found that a version with a mixture of lemon and lime juice tasted really nice, and I might use a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of lemon and lime juice next time.

You must be careful with these things.  Use this recipe at your own risk because it has been modified somewhat.  However, the variety of peppers and the increase in garlic (and acid from the extra lime juice) have made this recipe quite feisty.