What commercial sauce does this recipe compare to? Is it more Texas style or more New York style?

That is the correct recipe with a couple of additions. The salt measurement is for Kosher salt so finer grains will measure differently so taste it before adding all.

The tomato paste is 8-16 oz. depending on how thick you want it.

It should read cider vinegar not just vinegar and you can sub lemon juice or lime juice for part of the vinegar for a different taste. I do 1/2 and 1/2 vinegar and lime.

Dave

PS: I don't know that it compares to any commercial sauce. Most find it far better than any commercial sauce. I guess if I had to pick one of your choices I'd say Texas. There is literally tons of info here about it that the search will pull up.

thank you so much for the reply! You didn't say anything about the sugar?

You can safely reduce or leave out the sugar. The link below summarizes what you can and can't adjust.

Hope that helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Salsa Notes 2012

thank you so much!

This is absolutely the best! I have made it for several years now. Last year I made 5 double batches, and I am jealously guarding the last 5 jars until I can make more. I use the maximumn amount given in the receipe for Jalapenos, but it always seems to be more spicy when it's fresh, and then it sort of mellows. I have learned to plant my Cilantro at intervals.Last year I had to buy some , because mine had bolted by the time the peppers and tomatoes were ripe.

You can chop fresh cilantro, measure 1/4 c. portions and freeze in snack-size sandwich bags.
Mine actually say "1/4 c. for Annie's salsa recipe" on them.
:-)
I just toss it in the pot still frozen. It's such a small amount when added to everything else, it thaws and comes to a boil along with the other ingredients.

FYI...same with dill heads because they're always ready before the cukes.

Deanna

Annie's Salsa would would be considered closer to a N.Y. style if I had to pick. I mark it Sweet Sissy Salsa and give it to my SIL who likes it. If you want a Texas style, try Ball's Blue Book Zesty Salsa. Balls Fresh Preserving site has one that I will try this year... Roasted Tomato-Chipotle Salsa.

Here is a link that might be useful: Roasted Tomato-Chipotle Salsa

Thanks for the tip, Deanna!
I have been chopping up the blend of herbs I use in my salad dressing and freezing it in ice cube trays for years.That is just the right amount for a bowl of salad. Why did it never occur to me to freeze cilantro ?

The original notes state that the salsa they were trying to imitate is Pace's salsa.

I have a few questions, this will be my first time making this, been reading about for years n now just getting into canning.
Can i use red n orange tomatoes?
Using a 4 cup measure i measure 4 cups then drained now i have about 3 cups do i need to chop n drain more to equal 4 cups?
Also had alot of cherry tomatoes that i chop in a processor n freezed, once thawed do i drain n measure to get the other 4 cups i need?
Thanks for your help.
Terry

Yes to all three questions.

Dave

Thanks Dave.
Does size of garlic clove matter?

Terry

Not as long as you stick with just cloves rather than 'heads' of garlic. Someone did that a couple of years back - 6 'heads' of garlic.

The garlic is optional you can use less or leave it out if you wish as some don't care for garlic in salsa.

Dave

Ok another question, earlier i asked abt cherry tomatoes they were bags in 2 cup measure (4cups total) after draining they are now 2 cup, so i still need another 2 cups of tomatoes right?
Sorry abt all these questions just want to make sure i do it right the first time.
Thanks again
Terry

Thanks Dave i mean clove not heads.
Terry

Thought I answered that above. Yes, you need 4 cups no matter how you get it. So if you only have 2 cups then you need another 2 cups.

Dave

I ended up not making this. Maybe next year.

I freeze cilantro all the time!

I made this salsa a few weeks ago and to me it is like pace picante salsa. I thought it was going to taste similar to my homemade salsa but it doesn't. Cooking and canning does something different to it. It is a very good recipe and I will use this salsa in recipes I cook with. I made mango salsa chicken with it the other night. It was awesome. Next time I make this I will probably go 100% lemon juice and reduce the sugar some. Very good salsa! People who like pace will love this.

I can never make enough Annie's Salsa, friends and family beg for it....I have subbed super hot peppers in varying amounts (small) for the jalapenos. Some batches will make your head sweat, lol. Great recipe!

On monday i made this salsa with the help of Dave. Its came out great, next time i will put hotter pepper in it, this was my first time doing salsa n i also made 12 half pint of peach jam that also came out good.
Thanks again everyone for ur help.
Thanks terry

It must be a "universal" style, as everyone seems to go crazy for it. Tracik3, it's a double blue ribbon winner for me! I won a blue ribbon at the County Fair and another blue ribbon for TOP in the Pickling Group! The Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup won a blue ribbon as well one year. I've been advised to enter it again, as they have different judges each year. Folks loves these two items for sure!

Welcome to the Canning world! It's work, but so rewarding!

June

If you don't can is there anyway to use this recipe or modify it? Can salsa be frozen? Or can salsa be made successfully from frozen tomatoes?

If you don't can is there anyway to use this recipe or modify it? Can salsa be frozen? Or can salsa be made successfully from frozen tomatoes?

Absolutely love ANNIE'S SALSA!!!

Can salsa be frozen? Or can salsa be made successfully from frozen tomatoes?

The answer to both questions is yes.

Dave

Thank you!

I am going to try this recipe soon and I have a question about flavor. I have been reading posts about this recipe and some people have said that using all vinegar makes it too vinegary. And in the modifications, it says that you can substitute lemon or lime juice for the vinegar. What have you found to be the best combination of lemon juice, lime juice and/or vinegar(s)? I was thinking about using all lime juice so I wonder if anyone has tried this and whether you liked the result.
Thanks!

It is a personal taste thing. Many like the straight vinegar. I always use 1/2 cup cider vinegar and 1/2 cup bottled lime juice.

To me lemon juice just doesn't seem to go with salsa as well as lime juice does but the 1 time I tried all lime juice it just had too much lime bite for my particular taste buds.

Dave

Thanks! I tried it the way you suggested.

Is it possible to roast my vegetables first then place in a high powered blender? If so, do I use the measurement's before or after roasting as roasting them tends to reduce amount of product?

Can I intermix tomatillos with tomatoes, since they are not really a tomato?

Is it possible to roast my vegetables first then place in a high powered blender?

You'd be making a substantial change in the recipe. Making changes in approved recipes turns them into do-at-your-own risk endeavors. This is especially true when messing around with salsa recipes as they are very carefully pH balanced and eaten fresh from the jar with no fail-safe follow up cooking.

Roasting would be safe only if you measured before roasting them. Otherwise the volume is changed far too much. 4 cups of chopped roasted would be a great deal more than 4 cups of chopped un-roasted.

But blender/puree them, no. It would change the density far too much to know if the processing time was sufficient. Very few canning recipes can be pureed until after the jars are opened because of the effect on density.

Can I intermix tomatillos with tomatoes, since they are not really a tomato?

Again it would probably be safe as long as the measurements are kept the same since tomatillos are a bit more acidic than tomatoes but the flavor and texture would be changed substantially.

Why not make the recipe as it is written instead? You may find it is great just as it is. If you want a tomatillo based salsa there are recipes available.

Dave

I don't have enough tomatoes to make the salsa as written so I was hoping to add some tomatillos to make up the difference. I am not looking for an all tomatillo recipe but one that uses both.

As far as the blender, any idea why the Ball Book recommends to puree with a blender for their Roasted Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa which also has Romas in it? Why would it be safe for one recipe and not another?

I would prefer to use the Ball recipe, but it calls for 24 dried peppers, which is much more than this salsa -- and much more heat than I would prefer.

any idea why the Ball Book recommends to puree with a blender for their Roasted Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa which also has Romas in it? Why would it be safe for one recipe and not another?

I'm sorry but in canning you can't generalize from one recipe to another with any degree of safety.

The Ball recipe has a totally different density than Annie's Salsa does. The Ball recipe does not include either the tomato sauce or the tomato paste, and much less onion. So it is thinner density to begin with when compared to Annie's Salsa and much more tolerant of pureeing.

Plus like most salsa recipes, Annie's Salsa isn't really intended for Roma tomatoes - they are too dry and have too little flavor. And those who have made it using them report being disappointed in the results - both taste and consistency.

But the primary reason is that the Ball recipe's safety has been lab tested - as written. Annie's Salsa has been lab tested - as written. You change the recipe and you invalidate the safety testing.

You can use the tomatillos if you wish as I said because of their acidity and the other tomatoes will provide the needed liquid to keep the right consistency. However if you are using Roma tomatoes and tomatillos then you'll end up with a VERY thick salsa that should probably be frozen rather than canned. And if you roast them first it will be even thicker.

Salsa, and salsa, needs to be a little sloshy, soupy when it goes into the jars. If it is so thick it can't move around freely in the jar then it is too thick to be canned and needs to be frozen instead.

Dave

Thanks Dave. My family prefers a more blended salsa, not like a Pace or Pico type salsa. Would it be possible to pressure can it instead of freezing if the salsa is thick?