Salsa-thon 2021
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2021 12:08 pm
Salsa-thon 2021 is complete! Finished up with 57 pints sealed.
I grew big beef and estiva, both hybrids, 27 total plants, specifically to replenish the salsa supply that was finished off early this summer. They are both fairly round and blemish free, making them easy to skin and squeeze.
I had waited until they were pretty ripe, both for sweeter tomatoes, and as a delaying action - the hot peppers were not ready. Finally, I could wait no longer and picked a few days ago. Seven 1020 trays filled to bending. There was some loss from the delay - probably lost another tray's worth over the course of waiting. I had avoided picking ANY of these, except obvious splits/goners, because I wanted them all at once for a salsa cook. The night of picking I milled any damaged or suspect tomatoes, and used peroxide spray (thanks [mention]GoDawgs[/mention] ) on the better ones, and stashed them in 15 gallon grow bags in the kitchen. I figured they would hold in breathable grow bags. It was two days ago that I got back to the tomatoes, and all were still fine except for two on outside edges that looked looked like they were struck by bumping feet, not tomato weight. It took almost two hours to skin them all, with a two stage/four active tomato process. Two at a time in the pot, then those two staged to the cool water and two replacements in the hot pot, the cool ones slipped, cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and put in colander. Repeat for 20 gallons worth! (I specify because previous years I would try 4-5-however many in the pot and that varied greatly the heat transfer. Two at a time was very efficient.) Then during the long delay while they drained, we had buy to onions, some tomato paste, and lime juice, but all the sauce, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic were garden grown.
Fifty-seven of sixty pints sealed. One jar did not seal from batch#1, that I only BWB for 10 minutes. I crushed the ring (cheap insurance), upped to 12 minutes, used the both the jar and lid separately in batch#3; both sealed. I tossed 3 jars total that I noticed nicks or chips on the rim, before their BWB. After the first nonseal, all went smooth until two from batch#6 failed at the end. I thought I would have 59/60, but 57/60 is still pretty good. I put their contents back in the pot with the excess, so about 3 quarts total that I may yet can.
There are plenty more to pick, or will be next week, but I'm not sure if I should make anymore salsa. Maybe some hotter stuff. Ripe habanero hot... The last salsa cook was 2018. The last can from it was used in June, still good, but I can't recall how many were made in 2018, probably 3-4 dozen. Salsa gets eaten in bunches here, and then none for months at a time.
I grew big beef and estiva, both hybrids, 27 total plants, specifically to replenish the salsa supply that was finished off early this summer. They are both fairly round and blemish free, making them easy to skin and squeeze.
I had waited until they were pretty ripe, both for sweeter tomatoes, and as a delaying action - the hot peppers were not ready. Finally, I could wait no longer and picked a few days ago. Seven 1020 trays filled to bending. There was some loss from the delay - probably lost another tray's worth over the course of waiting. I had avoided picking ANY of these, except obvious splits/goners, because I wanted them all at once for a salsa cook. The night of picking I milled any damaged or suspect tomatoes, and used peroxide spray (thanks [mention]GoDawgs[/mention] ) on the better ones, and stashed them in 15 gallon grow bags in the kitchen. I figured they would hold in breathable grow bags. It was two days ago that I got back to the tomatoes, and all were still fine except for two on outside edges that looked looked like they were struck by bumping feet, not tomato weight. It took almost two hours to skin them all, with a two stage/four active tomato process. Two at a time in the pot, then those two staged to the cool water and two replacements in the hot pot, the cool ones slipped, cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and put in colander. Repeat for 20 gallons worth! (I specify because previous years I would try 4-5-however many in the pot and that varied greatly the heat transfer. Two at a time was very efficient.) Then during the long delay while they drained, we had buy to onions, some tomato paste, and lime juice, but all the sauce, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic were garden grown.
Fifty-seven of sixty pints sealed. One jar did not seal from batch#1, that I only BWB for 10 minutes. I crushed the ring (cheap insurance), upped to 12 minutes, used the both the jar and lid separately in batch#3; both sealed. I tossed 3 jars total that I noticed nicks or chips on the rim, before their BWB. After the first nonseal, all went smooth until two from batch#6 failed at the end. I thought I would have 59/60, but 57/60 is still pretty good. I put their contents back in the pot with the excess, so about 3 quarts total that I may yet can.
There are plenty more to pick, or will be next week, but I'm not sure if I should make anymore salsa. Maybe some hotter stuff. Ripe habanero hot... The last salsa cook was 2018. The last can from it was used in June, still good, but I can't recall how many were made in 2018, probably 3-4 dozen. Salsa gets eaten in bunches here, and then none for months at a time.