Salsa Bravo

Salsa Bravo
16 or so fresh tomatoes, cored and skins removed, diced
6 fresh Jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped fine
2 medium size onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 banana peppers, seeded and diced
2 Ancho Chilies, seeded and re-hydrated, chopped
1 Chili Cascavel, seeded and re-hydrated, chopped
3 Chipotle Chilies in Adobo sauce, chopped
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 heaping Tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
1 small can Tomato Paste

To begin, I set the fresh tomatoes in boiling water for one minute and then plunged them in cold water so that I could easily remove the skins.  Next, dropped the dried chilies in the water to re-hydrate them.  Then I cored and diced the tomatoes.  I wasn't worried about a perfect dice since I planned on using my stick blender towards the end.  I proceeded by dicing the remaining ingredients, dumping it all in a large mixing bowl.  I would suggest wearing disposable gloves while handling the Jalapenos and other Chili peppers.  I added the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and salt at the end and dumped it all into my stock pot to simmer for 45 minutes.  While this was simmering, I prepared my jars and lids. **A website to learn more about Chilies.

Here's an image of the salsa simmering away...

 I got 5 wide mouth pint size jars out of this recipe.  After blending until I reached the desired consistency, I ladled the salsa into the sanitized jars.  After washing the lids, I put them in hot water for a few minutes and set them to dry, then I wiped the rims of the jars to ensure that they were clean and ready for a good seal. Finally I screwed the lids on (not too tight) and plunged them in their water bath.  I heated these for 20 to 25 minutes.

and here's a picture of the first batch of sealed jars.

As a side note about sealing:  I tested the seal by pushing on the lid and it popped back up.  That had never happened to me before so I thought, "uh oh", but after they were cooling for a few minutes more, I began hearing the little popping sound of the lids sucking in and creating their vacuum so don't panic right off if this happens with your lid.  Let them continue to rest on the counter top before checking them again.  If they never sealed, I've read that you should eat it within three days, keeping it refrigerated.

I'm excited to serve this salsa made from home grown tomatoes and bell peppers over the holiday weekend.  I hope y'all enjoy the 4th!  Tell me what you will be serving ; )