Yields 5-6 pints
• 10 cups Tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped • 5 cups Bell peppers, seeded and chopped • 5 cups Onions, chopped • 2½ cups Jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (for medium-hot salsa) • 6 Garlic cloves, minced • 2 tbs Fresh cilantro, minced • 3 tbs Sea salt • 1 tbs Cumin powder • Juice of three limes (optional) • 1¼ cups Cider vinegar, subtracting lime juice volume if using • 6oz can Tomato paste (optional)
Combine all ingredients except tomato paste in large sauce pot. Simmer until desired thickness. [optional] Stir in tomato paste. Ladle hot salsa into hot mason jars leaving 1/4 inch head-space. Seal tightly. Process jars 15 minutes in a hot water bath.
To gauge the salsa's heat, start with a cup of chopped jalapeño peppers (quite mild heat) and add more to taste as the pot simmers. You can use other peppers, e.g., serrano, but be sure to adjust for their relative hotness. You can also use habañero hot sauce, sparingly, to adjust the heat.
I canned a batch that was purposely very mild, more pickle-sweet than hot. Now I can add hot sauce(s) of my choice to bring it up to a taste that suits my mood.