In early September, tomatoes and peppers are likely abundant in your garden. For our monthly recipe, we offer a way of making salsa to can —and an uncommon way to use your salsa when the weather inevitably turns cooler. Master Gardeners Fern and Cleve Campbell have a large, productive garden in Crozet. When they have abundant vegetables, they like to make a large batch of this salsa recipe, which they learned from Fern’s older sister. Quadrupling it gives them 40 pints of the popular condiment to share. The one challenge, Fern says, is to have cilantro, which tends to bolt in the summer heat, ready at the same time as everything else.
Our second recipe is more an idea than a recipe. The secret to this healthy, tasty and quick soup is prepared salsa. It came from my sister-in-law and has been a cool-weather standard at our house for thirty years.
Salsa for Canning
makes 10 pints
14 cups cubed tomatoes (prefer paste type as less watery)
2 cups chopped green bell peppers
3 cups chopped onions
6-7 chili peppers or 2-3 jalapenos—add to taste
¼ cup sugar
3 Tbsp coarse or canning salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 ¼ tsp garlic powder or a handful of real minced garlic
1 cup vinegar (5%)
1 bunch cilantro – chopped
1 cup Clear Jel® (optional)*
- Dip tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds to remove peel then chop.
- Place your chopped tomatoes in a strainer over a bowl where you collect the juice.
- Combine your chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers, and remaining ingredients (except the Clear-Jel®) in a saucepan and bring to a simmering boil for 5-10 minutes.
- Mix half the Clear Jel® with approximately 1 cup of the drained tomato juice and stir to dissolve then add the mixture into the simmering pot. Continue to add Clear Jel ® in this manner to achieve consistency you want.
- Adjust heat to bring to simmering boil again and maintain simmer for 10 minutes. Fill hot salsa into hot pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars clean and place lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Follow USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015
*Clear Jel® is a modified food starch that produces the correct thickening, even after the fillings are canned. Other starches such as corn starch, break down and result in a runny filling. Do not substitute and do not use Instant Clear Jel®
Beans and Greens Soup
4-6 servings
1 bunch kale greens, leaves stripped from stems, rolled, and cut crosswise into ½” strips
2 cooked mild Italian sausages, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup salsa
4 cups unsalted chicken broth (homemade or 2 small cans)
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- Brown the meat in a little olive oil in a large saucepan.
- Add all other ingredients except the beans and cook over medium heat until greens are tender.
- Add the beans and heat through.
- Serve with a sprinkle of shredded Mexican-style cheese on top and tortilla chips on the side.
This recipe is endlessly adaptable for what you might have on hand. Options include:
For kale—Fresh collards, or frozen chopped collards or kale
For sausages—Chorizo, chopped ham, or browned crumbled sausage of any kind
For salsa—any kind, fresh or canned, mild or hot
For chicken broth—vegetable broth or water
For pinto beans—canned navy beans, cannellini, or kidney beans
