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condiment Pico De Gallo/Salsa question

LowDrag

LowDrag

I have been wanting to make some salsa that mimic's a local Mexican restaurant.  So far all my attempts have been a "close but no cigar" kind of thing.  I have 6 pints in the HWB right now.  I followed the Ball Blue Book, "Zesty Salsa" recipe on page 82.  A couple of things have me asking questions though.  First, why boil the salsa mixture if you are going to put it in a HWB?  And second, what is a "Long green pepper"?  The only thing I did not do ingredient wise was add the "long green peppers" and the hot sauce.  Oh, and I cut back on the Cilantro a bit because my wife is not a big Cilantro fan.  Anyway, if anyone has any helpful tips I would really appreciate it.  
 
 
Tomorrow or the next say I am going to do a couple of quarts of mixed pickled veggies with Habanero's added in for a buddy of mine who LOVES hot stuff.  I could probably benefit from some tips there too if anyone has any they wouldn't mind sharing.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
LD
 
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Do you plan to make a ton, I NEVER HWB mine because it is a waste and never lasts. I make about 5 to 10 pounds of pico at a time and it never needs saved :) To me it losses something very important when it hits the heat.
 
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Hey LowDrag-  Welcome from your neighbor to the north in Eastern WA~!
 
 
I think the Ball canning websites say to cook the salsa before hot packing to make sure that all the ingredients get up to temp to kill all the Nasties.  They have to assume that some people won't follow the HWB directions exactly, cut the time etc, and then the ingredients in the middle of the jar won't get fully up to temp but the jar as a whole would seal like normal.  That scenario could still allow nasties to grow. 
 
There's lots of reasons for canning salsa...preserving the produce you've grown, convenience....
 
Canned salsa will not have the same consistency as fresh pico, but there's nothing wrong with a canned salsa.  The original salsa recipe we started with was a canned salsa recipe that used green tomatoes as well as ripe tomatoes.  At the end of the season, there's a ton of green 'maters on the vine....no need to let them freeze or rot.  Can 'em up! 
 
 
What's a "long green chile"?  Probably an Anaheim, poblano or similar.  Extension service and canning website recipes usually use common ingredients. 
 
 
The great thing about most of these salsa, pickled peppers, and such recipes is that ingredients are pretty much interchangeable if you are substituting Like-for-Like.  Meaning you can substitute chiles for cauliflower, or carrots for green peppers  (vegetables for vegetables) and you can sub oranges for strawberries and peaches for nectarines....  just use common sense and keep the overall ratios of Pounds of Veggies to Vinegar Brine ratio the same. 
 
I've made a lot of cold packed pickled peppers using the This Recipe.  The recipes call for HWB, but I have the space in the fridge to just pack the jars, add the brine, and then keep them refrigerated.  They are AWESOME!!!   
 
Have Fun!!!
 
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JoynersHotPeppers said:
Do you plan to make a ton, I NEVER HWB mine because it is a waste and never lasts. I make about 5 to 10 pounds of pico at a time and it never needs saved :) To me it losses something very important when it hits the heat.
 
10171228_10201822116458982_1904752321908141847_n.jpg

 
 
No, no tonage here,  just experimenting with canning is all.
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I just thought of one other question.  The recipe called for removing the seeds from the peppers and the tomatoes.  Do either of you do that?
 
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Nope-
 
Most general recipes say to remove seeds from the chiles to "reduce the heat"  :rolleyes: 
 
 
Some people choose to take the seeds out of tomatoes to reduce the water content of the sauce.  Taking the seeds and (slimy stuff where the seeds are) will make for a thicker sauce or chunkier pico style sauce.  For a fresh salsa that may be a concern, but for a cooked sauce.....just cook it down for a few minutes!!! 
 
Personally, I'm too (uhhhmm....economically conscientious ??? ) to throw away perfectly good tomato product.   :D 
 
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LowDrag said:
I just thought of one other question.  The recipe called for removing the seeds from the peppers and the tomatoes.  Do either of you do that?
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For Pico I remove all the guts from the toms and use Roma and like SL for salsa not so much and I NEVER remove seeds from peppers
 
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JoynersHotPeppers said:
For Pico I remove all the guts from the toms and use Roma and like SL for salsa not so much and I NEVER remove seeds from peppers
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What is SL?  So why do you remove the guts?  It seems to me it would add that much more flavor and juice.
 
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SL = the one and only Salsa Lady! 
 
I do not like watery and runny pico. Even after removing the seeds salt and lime pull out enough moisture. Not to toot my own horn but people demand my salsa or pico anytime they visit or I visit them. 
 
If you are going to process it, feel free to do as you wish. I was just providing my approach and I only make it to consume personally not for selling. 
 
I used to leave everything in but I am not a fan of all the juice. To me a tomato flavor resides in the flesh and that is the part I use.
 
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It sounds to me like you have your recipe dialed in then.  That's cool.  I did notice a lot of juice in the Pico after boiling it even though I took out the guts.  I really appreciate all the help.  I am going to try this batch in the next day or two.  I will report back on how it tasted.
 
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Fresca--fresca---fresca.
 
I just make enough there will be no leftovers.
 
Remove the slimy bits, rinse well and shake mostly dry (wash before chopping up too) a bit of lemon and/or lime juice and any dry spices, let sit in the fridge an hour or so to meld.
Done.
 
Difference?
 
Crunchy bits of fresh ingredients, or poured on salsa.
Both have their place, but a pico de gallo should crunch, IMHO.
 
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Gotrox said:
let sit in the fridge an hour or so to meld.
Done.
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I hate when a fresh (pico style) salsa sits. I'm the opposite. Gotta have it fresh. A few things I hate. Everything ends up tasting like onion (even the tomatoes). Tomatoes mush up. If salted, draws out water.

In pico if not eating right away, I chop the onions and leave them separate. Mix in right before eating.

And pico the next day... never a good thing! No melding for me.
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
I hate when a fresh (pico style) salsa sits. I'm the opposite. Gotta have it fresh. A few things I hate. Everything ends up tasting like onion (even the tomatoes). Tomatoes mush up. If salted, draws out water.

In pico if not eating right away, I chop the onions and leave them separate. Mix in right before eating.

And pico the next day... never a good thing! No melding for me.
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A man after my heart. While my mother-in-law and wife love me to make too much, I eat my fill right after making it! 
 
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SavinaRed said:
I use an ultra sharp Japanese knife when making pico and my tomatoes cut up perfectly without the juice going everywhere from a dull knife.  ;)
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I can shave with certain ones of my knives but regardless if you leave all the guts in the roma or worse use a non roma, as soon as you start mixing it they get all over. It is like snot infused pico...
 
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That's why I rinse and shake dry-ish. Gets rid of the juices outside the veggies.
 
Lemon/ lime squeze, maybe a dash of cumin, whatever else I feel like---cool for an hour, and the flavors stay in their respective places and the added juices and dry seasonings infuse.
 
To each their own----if it tastes good, it isn't  "done the wrong way".
 
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Agreed. I've just had such bad pico that "marinated" in its own juices, and everything tasted like onion and I couldn't eat it. So I don't let it sit at all for that reason, even though I'm sure it's okay to sit a bit.
 
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Okay...so I got the first response from a family member on this Pico De Gallo recipe.  My mother-in-law whom I requested to not hold back and any critique said she liked the flavor and that the veggies did not turn to mush which surprised the hell outta me.  She said that for her there was too much juice but the flavors were all good.  Overall she gave it about an 8 even though I had to cook it first (according to the recipe).  I think I will follow everyone's advice for the next batch though and go fresh with no boiling and HWB on a cold pack version.
 
Thanks everyone for putting in your 2 cents...this place is great!!!
 
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