A Hot Tomato and Pepper Salsa

When it is hot on the sand and hot on the grass, it is hot in my kitchen.  So I made a hot tomato and pepper salsa.  The growing season for tomatoes are quickly coming to an end but they are still producing more than we can eat.

To Do:  I used the yellow and red cherry tomatoes that I halved. Any kind of tomatoes will do fine.  It is up to you if you want to remove the skin and the seeds.  I didn't.  The peppers are also maturing in the garden and I used medium green bell peppers that I seeded, sliced and diced.  I minced a medium sized yellow onion to make 3/4 cup and I also minced 3 large cloves of garlic.

These are the ingredients that I put in a large pot, let them come to a boil, reduced it to a simmer for 20 minutes and stirred once in a while:

3 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 and 1/2 to 3 cups diced bell peppers
3/4 cup minced yellow onion
3 large minced cloves of garlic
1 and 1/2 cups of vinegar (white, apple cider, or mix)
1 and 1/2 tsp Kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
2 tsp dried oregano leaves (optional)

Crushed red pepper to be used at your own peril.  I was a little heavy handed and the end result was a hot but good salsa.

At the conclusion of the simmering, I filled two (2) Mason jars, 2 cups each, with the salsa and had about 1/2 cup left for tasting.

I put the the two jars in the stock pot, covered them with water and let it come to a slow boil for 15 minutes, turned the stove off, and let the jars cool in the water bath.  I made sure that I had not tighten the lids too tight, but when removed from the water bath, I checked the seals and no movement indicated that the jars were sealed.  I tightened the lids and put the jars into the cupboard.

In my blog, one (1) cup is 2 dl.

I am also thinking how colorful this salsa would be with the addition of corn kernels and black beans.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Stay hydrated.