It's Salsa Time in the Kitchen - - - Fruit Salsa that is.

Many people have the wrong idea about salsa. They think that if it has peppers and a Spanish name, it has to be hot. Boy, are they wrong. I love the taste of all the different kinds we are going to make. I also can think of at least 10 different ways to use each one of them, other than chips & salsa.

I have already published my recipe for Strawberry Salsa. Judging from the number of people looking at that recipe every day, it is time to do more Salsa recipes. When I did the blogs about Peaches, I did not include Peach Salsa because I wanted to include it in this blog. If you missed the Strawberry Salsa blog, here is the link to it http://canucanit.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/strawberry-salsa-and-recipe/ now if you go there you have to promise to come back.

While you are looking at the Strawberry Salsa recipe think of the same recipe, just using Raspberries. Making Raspberry Salsa is very much like strawberry. The only difference is use 1/2 whole raspberries and 1/2 pureed.Salsas is canned in 16 oz. canning jars, unless stated differently. After cleaning the rims of the jars and placing a sterile dome and ring on, you have to put in a boiling water bath. The time will vary. I will let you know on each recipe.

Let's get cooking with Peach Salsa. Peaches used in this recipe are going to have to be cut into bite size pieces or smaller. That goes for Mango Salsa as well. You never want someone to get a big chunk of Peach when they are dipping into the salsa bowl. Peach pulp (any left over peach pieces ) ground up in the blender or Cuisinart and added to the salsa gives it more of a "peach flavor" in every bite. You need 8 cups of peaches (7 cups pieces + 1 cup puree'). You can use canned peaches, but fresh or frozen peaches work so much better. Here is the rest of the recipe.

8 cups peaches, 2 cups diced tomatoes, 1 cup tomato puree', 1/2 cup diced red bell peppers no seeds or membrane, 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers, no seeds or membrane, add 1 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or 2 tablespoons dried, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons cummin powder, 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, 1/2 tablespoon salt (canning, kosher or sea), and 3/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice or lime juice. The choice is yours, but I like lime juice.

Combine all ingredients in a large heavy-duty cooking pot. Mix well, stirring completely. Bring just to a good boil for 1 minute. Make sure you stir while cooking. Salsa sticks very easily. Scorched salsa tastes bad. Also by stirring deeply you will allow everything to "marry". That means the flavors blend together. Ladle into prepared canning jars. After cleaning the rim on the jar place sterile domes then rings. Finger tighten and process jars in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from water and let cool on racks or towels overnight. Check for unsealed jars. Do not reprocess these jars, this will make your salsa soggy. Get out the chips or put into the refrigerator and use first. Cooking such a short time will let your salsa keep a crisp taste.

Mango Salsa is very much like Peach Salsa, So much alike that you can use the same recipe for both. Just put in mangoes every time I wrote peach. If you take a spoon and scrape the pit you will get more mango. Just add this to the mango that is going to be pureed. Process the same way.

Pineapple Salsa You don't have to use fresh pineapple (but it does taste better). A good brand of canned pineapple will work just fine. Drain the juice and save for the next time you are making punch. You will need 6 cups diced pineapple and 2 cups crushed (canned is fine also).

Pineapple Salsa is great to eat with chips, but better to cook with.

8 cups pineapple (6 +2), 2 cups diced tomatoes, 1 cup diced and seeded bell peppers (mix red and green), 1/2 cup seeded and diced jalapeno' peppers, 1 cup corn syrup (or use the drained juice and boil with 1 cup sugar), 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/2 cup diced red onions
Combine all ingredients in a large cooking pot. Mix ingredients well. Bring to a good boil for 1 minute. Make sure you stir all the salsa not just the top part. Salsa sticks very easy and scorched salsa tastes bad. Ladle into prepared canning jars (16 oz. works best). After cleaning the rim on the jar place sterile domes then rings. Finger tighten and process jars in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from water and let cool on racks or towels overnight. Check for unsealed jars. Don't recook the unsealed jars.

Next is one that I bet you have never heard of. Cranberry/Orange Salsa. You need all fresh fruit for this one, no canned or bottled. Fresh is needed to make this the best possible. You will be glad you did not substitute when you taste the flavor.

2 pounds fresh cranberries, wash well, 2 apples cut into pieces with no seeds, 2 oranges, (cut whole oranges into pieces, yes you use the rind and peel),, 4 cups sugar and 4 jalapeno' peppers seeded and minced. Using a food processor or cuisinart chop together the cranberries, apples and oranges. Combine your chopped mix with the peppers in a large cooking pot. Bring to a boil, then cut the heat and simmer for 5 minutes more. Stirring all the time. Put into canning jars (8 ounce or 16 ounce) clean rims and put on sterile domes and rings. Process 10 minutes. Check for unsealed jars. This salsa may be reprocessed.

When you are ready to eat this, it goes great as a side dish for ham, chicken or turkey. Mixed with sour cream it becomes a killer dip. Use on crackers with small bites of chicken, ham or turkey. I am sure that you will love this one. Our customers went crazy when we sampled it.


Mixed Fruit Salsa is our last recipe but not the least. Mix 1/2 cup mild peppers, Serrano or canned green chilies or any other mild pepper you might like, 1 cup chopped orange segments (no seeds, peel or membrane), add 1/2 cup lime juice, 1 1/2 cups pineapple chopped into small bits (fresh or canned, no juice), 1 cup diced cantaloupe, 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or 1 tablespoon dried cilantro, add 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (chopped real fine), and finally 1 cup corn syrup. Mix all ingredients in large cooking pot. Bring to a boil for about 1 minute.Then ladle into prepared canning jars and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool over night. Check for unsealed jars, they can be reprocessed. This salsa is great on many foods and great on pound cake as a dessert.

I have run out of space for this blog, but still have more recipes. If you are interested in recipes for: Lemon Garlic Salsa, Lemon Salsa (killer on fish), Lime Salsa, Watermelon Salsa or Wine/Mint Salsa (for lamb) just e-mail me for a copy.

A note about Salsa. Just this weekend I had another person's Pineapple Salsa at a party. It was all blended smooth, with no chunks of tomato or pineapple, no pieces of pepper. It was a good tasting salsa, but I missed the taste this recipe gives you. If you prefer a smooth salsa, puree or blend til smooth before cooking. The difference is huge. But you decide according to your families' tastes. You should try to make a different type of salsa occasionally. There are so many things to pick from and so many ways to cook them.

My blog about traditional tomato types of salsa will be following soon.

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Blackberry Time, at last

Blackberry Jam, Jelly and Preserves maybe the number one jelly or jam flavor that we sold in our business. So let’s head over to the nearest blackberry patch and pick as many as we can carry. We will also eat about the same amount while picking. Be careful of the briars, they hurt. Don't be afraid of anything you think you might see while picking. The story about snakes being there is just a story, maybe just a story.....maybe.

Something of a personal note. I won the Best of Show and a Gold Medal for Excellence at the Georgia National Fair with my Blackberry Jam. I was quite proud of myself. It is something not many people win.

Everywhere we went people would always ask if we had Blackberry products. Most wanted jam, jelly and preserves. I have never figured out the lure of this fruit. It is great tasting, but I have trouble with the seeds. I bet I am not the only one that has seed problems with both blackberries and raspberries. There is a solution for this, either stick to jelly or make seedless jam. Seedless jam from blackberries or raspberries takes plenty of berries and plenty of time, along with a couple of kitchen gadgets to remove the seeds. I will cover the process for you later in this blog. I will also cover freezer jam; that is jam you make and store in your freezer. This jam doesn't have to be processed, but does need time to thaw.

Let's get started with Blackberry Jam made without pectin

You need 9 cups berries that have been washed and crushed. 6 cups cane sugar (make sure you use cane sugar, look on the bag it will say cane sugar).

Bring the mixture slowly to a boil stirring constantly til it reaches a jelling point. Dip a metal spoon into the boiling mixture. When the liquid breaks from the spoon in a sheet instead of drops, you have reached the jelling point. If you use a candy thermometer the temperature will be 8º above the boiling point of water, 212° at sea level. It will be higher in higher elevations. I have seen that even the barometric pressure has an effect on the boiling point of water. Low pressure makes water boil at a lower temperature and vice versa.

Check out the foam from cooking

That is why we say 8º above your boiling point; it varies with all the above reasons. To find out your water temperature before cooking your blackberries, put your thermometer in boiling water and write down the temperature. That is the point you start from with your blackberries. I had to look all this up to make sure you had the correct information. Mary Lynn wrote it down for me in a note. she knew all this about altitude and pressure making a difference in cooking. Someday I will do a blog and introduce Mary Lynn to you. She is a special person, and I am glad I married her. She always seems to have a surprise up her sleeve, even when she doesn't have sleeves. After all that is done, skim and ladle into clean jars. Clean the rims, place sterile domes and rings on. Process in boiling water bath 15 minutes.

If you want Seedless Blackberry Jam, you will need to heat your berries in a microwave for 90 seconds until they are soft. Press the fruit thru a food mill or sieve. This seems like extra work, but as far as I know there is no other way to get the seeds out.

Push thru a sieve to get out seeds.

I never really thought about removing seeds from a berry when making jam. The first time I tasted the seedless and then the regular jam I knew why the extra work was needed for me to really enjoy blackberry jam. It will take at least 10 cups of berries because you will end up with at least 1 cup of seeds. Cook and process in the same way as above.

Blackberry Jam, using pectin

5 cups washed and crushed berries, 7 cups cane sugar, and 1 package of pectin.

Bring your berries and pectin to a boil, add your sugar and bring back to a boil for 1 minute. All this while stirring constantly. Skim and ladle into jars, add sterile domes and rings. Process in boiling water bath 15 minutes.

Blackberry Jelly takes a little longer to get ready to cook, but I think it is time well spent. I do love jelly on so many things. One of the places I like blackberry jelly is a good toasted English muffin. I think the jelly made from blackberries has a stronger fruit taste than all the other fruits we make jelly from.

To make the juice for your jelly start with washing and draining your fruit. Crush the berries and measure your volume. For each quart (4 cups) of berries add 1/2 cup water. Add your mixture to a pot and heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until your berries have gotten real soft.
Strain thru damp muslin or a damp jelly bag to extract the juice. Do not push the mixture thru the strainer. Just leave it until there are no more drops failing. This can take a while, probably at least 2 hours depending on how much you are working with. If you have a large amount, consider splitting it into more than one strainer. When you have you juice it is now time to start cooking jelly.

3 1/2 cups blackberry juice, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 5 cups cane sugar, 1 package of powdered pectin. (I say powdered because someone asks me if it was OK to use the liquid kind). We never had good results with liquid pectin.

Combine juice, lemon juice and pectin in a large heavy-duty cooking pot. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, add your sugar and continue cooking til it comes back to a rolling boil (a boil the you can't stop by stirring). All the time stirring your jelly mixture. Boil the sugar liquid mixture for 1 minute then remove from heat or turn off the gas. Skim any foam and ladle into processed jars, clean the rim and add domes and rings. Then in a boiling bath for 5 minutes. This makes five 8 ounce jars. That is why you really need to consider doing large batches of fruit to get enough liquid. You can double your batch and make 10 jars at a time with no problem.

Blackberry Jelly without pectin

Use 4 cups juice (as above) and 3 cups cane sugar. Boil the mixture until a metal spoon "sheets", just like it did if you made the jam.

Don't forget to make corrections based on altitude where you live and the weather. (All explained above also) After the sheeting appears skim and ladle into prepared jars, process 5 minutes.

Next on the menu Freezer Blackberry Jam

For this you have to use special jars or containers made for your
freezer. Do not use your regular canning jars!!!!!

Combine 3 cups crushed berries with 5 1/4 cups cane sugar. Mix and let stand for at least 15 minutes, a little longer might be better. Meanwhile bring 3/4 cup water and 1 package of pectin to a boil. Boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Add the water/pectin to the fruit/sugar mixture. Stir for at least 3 minutes.

Ladle into freezer jars or freezer containers leaving 1/2 inch head space. Apply domes and rings on cleaned rims of jars. Let the jam set in the fridge until it sets up (6 to 24 hours). Store in fridge for up to 3 weeks or freezer for up to 1 year. Many people like this method as opposed to the other more traditional method. I have never had any type of freezer jam, so I can't tell you which one is better. I suppose that the traditional people will tell you their method tastes best and the freezer people will say the same. I will leave it up to you to decide. Let me know which one you pick as best.

Not many things better on a hot bisquit

Blackberry Preserves this is the godfather of all the blackberry recipes. When you ask someone about their favorite blackberry memory, I'll bet it was at their grandmother's house. They will say that they were eating fresh hot biscuits with real butter and blackberry preserves that their grandmother had made. Well I don't know about the biscuit part but you can make preserves that will taste very similar to yourgrandmother's. I say similar because no one can cook like your grandmother. The love that she always added is the big difference in the flavor.

 

 

Take 2 pounds blackberries and add 4 cups sugar then let stand for 1 hour or covered overnight in your fridge. It is OK to double this recipe and make double the number of jars at the same time. After the mixture has set for the needed time pour into a cooking pot and bring the mixture slowly to a boil; stirring gently.After it comes to a boil watch the mixture carefully, stirring often. When the liquid reaches jelling stage (check with metal spoon), remove from heat, skim and ladle into jars. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Bringing our cook fest to a close will be Blackberry Syrup.

Blackberry Syrup pretty to look at, better to taste!

Great on pancakes or waffles. Even better on ice cream with a slice of pound cake under the ice cream. This soaks up the melting ice cream and the syrup,making  his the most fun way of eating cooked blackberries.                                                                                                                                                                                       

In a large saucepan add 2 quarts crushed blackberries and add 2 cups water; bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Do not forget to stir all the time. When the liquid has cooled strain thru a jelly sack or damp muslin. This will take at least 2 hours or more. Do not try to hurry the process you want the best. Best is not fast. Now you are ready to make syrup from the liquid. Combine 3 cups sugar and 4 cups water; boil for 5 minutes, until the simple syrup (that is what you call sugar and water mixture) starts to thicken. You can use 2 cups corn syrup and 2 cups sugar instead of all cane sugar. Add the blackberry juice to the sugar syrup and boil for 1 minute.

Skim, ladle into jars or use syrup bottles that have been sterilized. If you use jars process 5 minutes in boiling water bath. If you don't want to process, store in your refrigerator til needed.This recipe makes about 3 pints of beautiful blackberry syrup.

This wraps up our trip to the briar patch to pick blackberries. Take them home and make all different types of goodies. I hope you try to make something we covered. If you can't get fresh berries, you can always use frozen ones. The frozen ones doesn’t work well for preserves, but will work for all other recipes. Just remember always use fresh any time you can. The flavor is worth it!

Something I thought about while working on the above recipes. I have never heard of Blackberry Ice Cream. If any of you have a recipe, please let me know. I will give you full credit for the recipe in a future blog.

Please subscribe to my blogs. I enjoy getting ideas for future blogs from you. Also be sure and check out my other blogs, you might have missed one.

Don’t keep my blogs a secret. Pass the word on to your friends, neighbors and family members. They just might make something and share with you.

Don’t forget, if someone asks you if you can can it. 

Say Yes I Can Can It!