Annie's Salsa

I know tomato season is over for most, but some of you are just getting started. When I lived in Florida, we had two tomato growing seasons, spring and fall. So, I had two opportunities to put up as much of this salsa as I could.

If you’ve ever hung out for a while on my beloved Harvest Forum or any well-administered canning forum, you will know that Annie’s Salsa is a legend in its own right. Hundreds, and I mean hundreds of posts have been dedicated to this delicious salsa. I can honestly say you will not find a more delicious salsa recipe in any canning book out there.

Annie is a farmer in Michigan who has been canning since before I was even able to walk. The story goes that she was trying to find a recipe similar to the salsas you find in the store and she tried several variations before she came up with this one. She sent her recipe to her local extension agent to have it tested and ensure it was safe to process and can from home. From what I understood, this was not an easy process and it took a long time (and $$) to get a green light for home canning.

Since then, it’s become a rock star in the canning communities. If you don’t believe me, just Google “Annie’s Salsa” and see what comes up!

The best compliment I ever received for this salsa was from my tree removal company. Since we have moved to the country, we’ve had probably 30+ trees removed from our property. Every time they come out, I give them jars of canned goods as thank you tokens and they ask for this salsa EVERY TIME. And these gentlemen are good ol’ boys from the country whose families have been canning for generations. They’ve tasted it all and they ask for and love this salsa.

I have made 5 cases of this salsa this year! As a comparison, this salsa tastes very much like the Pace's brand sold in the store.

*One note to understand for this salsa is that it has been safely tested to can for pints and half pints ONLY.  Processing for quarts is not recommended by the extension agents for safety reasons. Pints are the limit and quarts are unsafe to process due to their density.

Annie's Salsa
Makes 6 – 7 pints 

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2-1/2 cups onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups green pepper, chopped
3 - 5 jalapenos, chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup 5% apple cider vinegar
2 cups (16 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cups (16 oz.) tomato paste

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into hot pint jars, seal and process in a boiling water canning bath for 15 minutes.