Oh! I'm Back...and I brought some Salsa to share...

I can't believe the last post I wrote was way back in April! I didn't think it was that long ago...but it was  :o( The good news is I'm back and I brought a yummy craft to share! I scored a great deal on tomatoes (thanks Sara). So, I decided to try my hand at canning salsa. There are tons of canning recipes on the internet so, that made my craft real-super easy. ☺

So, let's get started!

Stuff you'll need:

Canning Salsa Recipe (google and find your favorite)
mason jars--with the metal 2 piece lids
canning stuff (jar funnel, large canning stock pot)

Salsa Ingredients

← Alrighty then. See my jar. See my funnel. It's not just a regular funnel with a tiny opening. It's a canning funnel with a large opening--for filling the jars with yummy things. Yummy things.



And over here on the right → is a picture of the salsa mixture. But, look again. Do you see the yellow-y stock pot with the wires sticking out?  You need one of those for this job.  Now my stock pot is special to me. My Grandma Grace gave this pot to me when I first got married. She called me over one day to show me how to make sweet-garlic pickles. (they're an acquired taste--but that's for another post--remind me later to tell you about sweet garlic pickles...) Anyway, after a day-long lesson on garlic pickles, Grandma Grace gave me her canning supplies. She said she had to pass along the 'know-how' of canning to someone that was interested. So she felt safe giving me her treasured supplies, knowing that I'd take care of them. I would use them. I would always remember her when I use it. And I would pass a piece of her along to my daughter when the time came.  I love that woman. She is everything I hope to be when I'm her age. ♥ Aliright then, on with it...

Hello? Can you say YUM?  I picked a salsa recipe that had few ingredients, but also got high reviews. Because tomatoes are what they are, you have to bring the salsa up to a boil. That was a new one for me. I'm used to make salsa fresh. But in for a penny, I say. So, in my salsa I have tomatoes (duh ☺), red, orange and yellow sweet pepper, a bunch of green onions, garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes.  When you mash it all up, it looks that. You could be finished with it now, but don't stop now. Keep going. The picture on the right shows where you need to stop filling the jar.  Always leave a little wiggle room at the top. About 1/4 inch.

↓ Down there on your left. These are just a couple of jars before I put them in the water bath. You always have to finish your jars in a boiling water bath. The heat helps to seal the flat metal lid to the jar. Suction power.  Screw on the screw-y lids--not super tight, just enough to hold everything together. And over here on the right are the jars--out of the water bath and chillin' upside. I read on another blog to turn the jars upside down--to make sure they seal proper. That tip really works! My jars are sealed tighter than a drum! you have to use the end of a knife to pry open the jar. I did good. 

It's nice to be back in bloggyland. I'm sorry to have stayed away for so long! Thanks for reading my stuff!