Tomato Salsa

It’s September, and that means an abundance of succulent, savory-sweet, drip-down-your-chin tomatoes.

One of my favourite pleasures is to be in the garden, weeding, harvesting, and to pick a tomato from the vine, bite into that wonderful fruit warm from the sun, and just let all that flavour burst in my mouth. It feels sinful. And isn’t.

Among my many tomato strategies is to make salsa, which I often ended up using not just as a dip or additive for any number of Mexican-inspired dishes, but also added to pasta or rice, even heated and eaten as a chunky soup.

So without further ado, here’s my concoction for salsa.

Ingredients

8-10 cups chopped tomatoes (I use a plum tomato, but use whatever you have in abundance)

4 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 large white onions, peeled and chopped

2 bulbs garlic, peeled and finely minced

6 lemons or limes or both, zested and juiced

1 cup chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley

8 jalapeno peppers finely chopped (I leave mine with the seeds, but you may want to remove them for a mild salsa)

Preparation

Combine all ingredients into a large pot over high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Ladle into sterile pint jars. Cap tightly and process in a water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from bath and let cool. If you’re using metal lids, they should snap, which indicates a good seal. When the jars are cool, wipe down and store in a cool, dry, dark place until ready to use. Keeps about 10 months. Yields about 7 pint jars.