Make this easy Cherry Tomato Salsa with your favorite varieties of vine-ripen cherry tomatoes. It is deliciously sweet and zesty.Makes 6 pint (16 oz/473ml) jars
Chop all the cherry tomatoes yielding approximately 10 cups of chopped cherry tomatoes. Place them in a large stainless steel pot.
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.
Place pot with chopped cherry tomatoes on the stove. Add apple cider vinegar, roasted peppers, and chopped peppers.
Also, add onions, minced garlic, and cilantro. Stir to combine. 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
Altitude Adjustment for High-Acid Foods Processed in a Boiling-Water Canner