Capsaicin! Holy hotness! Now I’ve been called a lot of things. One is a wuss when it comes to spicey foods. And well, it’s all true! I can’t handle the heat. If I want to enjoy one tablespoon of my friend Rebecca’s chili sauce I have to mix it with a cup of sour cream.

Now despite being a heat wimp, I totally love salsa. Though pico de gallo, fresh salsa, is tasty, I’ve always preferred cooked salsa with it’s tangy, soupy consistency (also good with sour cream). Yummy! So with rain on the horizon, I thought we’d better take advantage of the season’s tomatoes! The San Marzano’s worked well because they had a lot of meat and few seeds.

Now a word of warning, the heat did end up getting me! After peeling and coring the 15 pounds of tomatoes, it was time for the chilis. I finely chopped and seeded the anaheims and jalapeños. That’s when the problem started! Now I’ve chopped chilis before, but not after coring tomatoes. THE BURN! My hands started unpleasantly tingling. I tried pouring milk on my hands. I tried egg whites on my hands. Nothing worked! To avoid my fate, wear gloves or coat your hands with oil.

Sandi’s Spicy Salsa

Print recipe

• Print with all photos
• Print text only

Serves	8 jars
Prep time	45 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 15 minutes
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Condiment

Why buy salsa from the store when you can make it fresh from seasonal ingredients? Plus, it tastes so much better.

Ingredients

• 15 cups tomato (peeled, seeded, and diced)
• 5 cups red, yellow, and orange bell peppers (seeded and diced)
• 7 serrano peppers (seeded and diced)
• 7 jalopeno peppers (seeded and diced)
• 7 1/2 cups red onion (diced)
• 3 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 3/4 cup cider vinegar (plus 1 tbsp)
• juice of 2 limes
• 4 tablespoons kosher salt

Directions

Step 1	Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
Step 2	Combine all ingredients in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Step 3	Ladle hot salsa into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Remove air bubbles and re-measure head space. If needed, add more sauce to meet recommended head space. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
Step 4	Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Note

You will need about 10-15 pounds of tomatoes. To peel, blanch the tomatoes for one minute (depending on size) and plunge into ice water bath. Once cooled, remove the skin. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and remove all seeds. Dice tomatoes and combine with other ingredients.