After seeing tomatillos at the farmer’s market recently, I wanted to find a way to use them in a canning recipe. I found a salsa verde recipe in Liana Krissoff’s “Canning for a New Generation” that looked delicious and quite easy. I adapted this slightly to my own taste and spice preference. After making one batch about a month or so, I loved it and knew it would be really useful to have more of in the winter as a sauce to make enchiladas so I added another batch to my collection. My first batch yielded 4 pints but the second batch only resulted in 3 pints. Feel free to vary the amount of jalapenos based on your spice preference; 5 peppers made it just a little too spicy for me so 3-4 would the the right amount of spice for a mild to medium heat.

Salsa Verde

Makes 3-4 pints

• 3.5 pounds tomatillos (husks and stems removed)
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped in chunks
• 3-4 jalapenos, halved with seeds and ribs removed
• 8 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup bottled lime juice
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Place 4 pint jars in a canning pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°. Put the tomatillos, onion, jalapenos and garlic on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatillos start to blacken in spots and break down and release their juices.

Remove from the oven and, working in two batches, transfer the roasted vegetables and juices to a blender. Make sure to remove the cap in the lid to make sure the hot mixture does not explode and cover the hole with paper towels. Add the cilantro and puree the mix.

Transfer the mix to a 6-8 quart preserving pot, add the lime juice and salt and bring to a boil.

Remove the boiled canning jars with a jar lifter from the canning pot and ladle the hot salsa in to the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel, and finger tighten a ring on each jar. Return the jars to the canning pot, ensuring the water covers the top of the jars by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Boil the jars for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit for 10 minutes to ensure a proper seal. Remove the jars and let cool. After 12 hours, check the seal by removing the ring and pushing your thumb up on the edge of the lid. If the lid comes off, put the jar in the fridge and eat within a few weeks. Store the sealed jars in a cool, dry place for up to a year.