Easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa made using homegrown purple tomatillos and preserved in water bath canner with step-by-step instructions.
I did not grow up with canning food for the winter. We made some refrigerator pickles and that was about it. The first time I ever tried water bath canning was 3 years ago when we were still living in Colorado. I was very intimidated but after some huffing and puffing, I managed to can 4 jars of strawberry jam. It wasn’t perfect but we did not get sick. In fact, we enjoyed the jam and I felt encouraged. That was a trial run for more canning in the future. 😉
Canning Homegrown Produce
I knew I was going to have many more opportunities to can our own food when we moved to Wyoming. That finally materialized with the last harvest from our 2023 vegetable garden. Apart from today’s Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, I will be sharing more canned recipes in the days ahead.
So far, I have already prepared 47 jars of pickles and salsas…woohoo! Not much but it is a start. I have a few more jars of spaghetti sauce to make and I am done for this year. Hopefully, next year I can start canning earlier with more vegetables to work with.
There is something very satisfying about preserving and canning your own food. It is hard work but something I believe is really worth doing. Here is a peek at my storage shelf down in the basement. That corner is cool and dark, perfect for those precious jars of canned food for the months ahead.
What is a Tomatillo?
It is a small green, firm, spherical fruit that looks like a small tomato covered in a papery husk. It is native to Mexico and its name in Spanish means “little tomato”. Sometimes, it is also called husk tomatoes. Tomatillo has a more acidic and bright flavor as compared to tomatoes. The texture is denser and less watery. The husk must be removed and discarded prior to cooking. The fruit does feel a little sticky but it will come off when you rinse it.
Most tomatillos sold at the grocery stores are green in color and I do buy them occasionally to make this Green Chili Pork and Tau Cheow Bak. When I was ordering seeds for our vegetable garden, I came across purple tomatillo seeds and I went with it. Unfortunately, our growing season here is very short and most were barely purple when I had to harvest them. I was delighted to discover that the insides of ripe fruits are a deep purple but they turn a greenish brown when cooked, similar to purple beans.
Salsa Verde
Tomatillo is the main ingredient in Salsa Verde (green salsa), although sometimes green tomatoes are used. I could have made this into a green salsa had I used jalapeno peppers but I went with red Anaheim peppers to give it flecks of red. I still have some green tomatoes which I will attempt to make some Green Tomato Salsa Verde if I have the time.
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Red Peppers
Like I said earlier, this could be a Salsa Verde if jalapeno peppers were used instead of red Anaheim peppers. I think the salsa looks very appetizing and quite pretty this way. That said, please use jalapeno peppers, if preferred.
I also used roasted Colorado Pueblo peppers in this recipe. You can buy fire roasted peppers when they are in season in July and August. Otherwise, you can easily roast them under the broiler until they blister and peel off the skin when cooled. I will have a tutorial on how to roast peppers and store them in the freezer for later use coming up soon.
Ensuring Safe Canned Foods
Since I am a newbie in food canning, I needed to make sure that my jars of food are wholesome and safe for us to consume. Growth of the bacterium clostridium botulinum in canned food may cause botulism, a deadly form of food poisoning. As such, I purchased these two books to refer to for safe food canning practices. Here they are with my affiliate links.
1. The Complete Book of Home Canning
2. Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Altitude Adjustment
Please pay heed to processing time with altitude adjustment. Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes and so more time is needed to ensure the destruction of heat-resistant microorganisms in canned foods. Since our home is 6,600 feet above sea level, our processing time for this recipe is 15 minutes plus an additional 15 minutes. That is a total of 30 minutes from the time the water bath comes to a rolling boil. The water must remain at a rolling boil for the duration of the processing time.
Similar Tools Used in This Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
20 Quart Stainless Steel Canning Pot Set
8 Piece Enamelware Water Bath Canning Set
Ball Regular Mouth 16-Ounces Mason Jar with Lids and Bands, 12-Pack
Ball Regular Mouth Pint 16-oz Mason Jar with Lids and Bands (Pack of 24)
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
The Complete Book of Home Canning
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5½ lbs tomatillos (2.5 kg)
- 1 cup white vinegar (5% acidity) (240ml)
- 4 roasted Pueblo peppers (peeled and chopped)
- 4 red Anaheim peppers (seeded and chopped)
- 2 cups chopped onions (180g)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp pickling & canning salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Husk and quarter tomatillos. Divide them into 2 baking pans.
- Place them under a broiler and roast until they are softened and slightly charred. This will take between 12 to 15 minutes depending on your oven. When done, you should get about 7 cups of roasted tomatillos.
- Wash jars in warm, soapy water. Place a rack at the bottom of a boiling-water canner and washed jars on the rack. Fill the jars about 2/3rd full and the canner up to the same level as the jars with water. Cover the canner and bring water to a simmer (with small bubbles).
- Wash lids and bands with warm soapy water. Drop them into the canner together with the jars. When ready to use, take them out from the canner with a pair of tongs. Dry them with a clean towel.
- Transfer roasted tomatillos into a stainless steel pot. Discard excessive liquid. Add white vinegar, roasted peppers, and chopped peppers.
- Also, add onions, minced garlic, and cilantro. Place on the stove and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Add salt and sugar. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Turn off stove.
- Carefully remove jars from canner with jar lifter, pouring hot water from each jar back into canner and place them on a towel. You can also remove and fill them one at a time.
- Place a funnel in the jar. Ladle prepared hot salsa into the hot jar leaving ½ inch (1 cm) headspace. Slide a non-metallic utensil between the hot salsa and inside the jar to release any air bubbles. Adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding more hot salsa.
- Wipe the rim clean with a paper towel. Center a warm lid on jar and screw on the band until fingertip tight. Repeat with the remaining jars.
- Carefully lower jars with jar lifter back into the canner. Make sure jars are completely covered with about an inch of water above the lids. Bring water to a rolling boil and process jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. The water must remain at a rolling boil for the duration of the processing time.
- At the end of the processing time, turn off heat, and remove the canner lid. Allow the canner to cool for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars with jar lifter without tilting them. Place jars upright on a clean towel. Do not worry about the water on the lids. It will evaporate during the cooling period.
- Check lids after 24 hours. Remove the bands. Lids should not flex up and down when pressed. You can also grasp the edges of the lid and lift the jar while supporting the jar with your other hand. A sealed lid will stay firmly attached to the jar. Jars that have not sealed properly must be refrigerated and content consumed within a few days.
- Label and store sealed jars in a cool, dark place, and consume within 12 months.
Notes
| Feet | Meters | Increase in Processing Time |
| 1,001-3,000 | 306-915 | 5 minutes |
| 3,001-6,000 | 916-1,830 | 10 minutes |
| 6,001-8,000 | 1,831-2,440 | 15 minutes |
| 8,001-10,000 | 2,441-3,050 | 20 minutes |
Nutrition
Salsa is delicious served with tortilla chips but I almost never get store bought salsa because it is so easy to make at home. Before this, I have shared three refrigerated salsa on this blog. Please do check them out.
1. Strawberry Nectarine Salsa
2. Mango Peach Salsa
3. Roasted Green Tomatoes and Sweet Peppers Salsa
If you prefer not to can this Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, you can make a small batch and store it in the refrigerator instead.
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