Safety classification
● Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling-water
canning - Jar size
- Half-pint or pint jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Yield
- About 6 pints
Safety classification
● Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling-water
canning - Jar size
- Half-pint or pint jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Yield
- About 6 pints
Tested source
NCHFP: Choice Salsa. Preserve all tested proportions, preparation, jar limits, headspace, and processing values.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare canner and jars.
- Use commercially bottled lemon or lime juice. The allowed nine-cup vegetable measure may combine onions and permitted peppers.
- Complete the tested hot-pack cooking sequence.
- Fill to 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process for elevation.
- Cool 12–24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner with rack
- Half-pint or pint jars, lids, and bands
- Nonreactive cookware and measuring tools
- Canning funnel, jar lifter, headspace tool, and timer
- Gloves when handling irritating fruit or hot peppers
Visual method guide
- Prepare
- Measure exactly
- Hot-pack
- Fill to 1/2 inch
- Process
- Cool and check
Safety essentials
Use commercially bottled lemon or lime juice. The allowed nine-cup vegetable measure may combine onions and permitted peppers.
Do not substitute vinegar or bottled key-lime juice, change tomato/vegetable/acid proportions, or add untested vegetables.
Refrigerate unsealed jars.
About this recipe
Choice Salsa is a tested NCHFP hot-pack recipe yielding about 6 pints.
Before you begin
Read the complete source procedure, prepare all equipment, and measure every safety-critical ingredient before cooking.
Altitude processing schedule
| Elevation | Time |
|---|---|
| 0–1,000 ft | 15 minutes |
| 1,001–6,000 ft | 20 minutes |
| Above 6,000 ft | 25 minutes |
Choice Salsa — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 6 cups ripe tomatoes peeled, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 9 cups diced onions and/or peppers Any combination of onions and permitted peppers
- 1 1/2 cups commercially bottled lemon or lime juice Do not substitute vinegar or bottled key-lime juice
- 3 teaspoons canning salt
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner
- 6 Pint canning jars Or about 12 half-pint jars for the same batch
- 6 Two-piece canning lids Use about 12 sets if using half-pint jars
- 1 Food-safe gloves For handling hot peppers
Directions
- Wear gloves for hot peppers. Peel and wash onions, then dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Wash and core bell peppers, remove seeds and membranes, and dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Wash and stem hot peppers, retain or remove seeds and membranes as desired, and dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Dip tomatoes in boiling water for 30–60 seconds until skins split, then cool immediately, peel, core, seed and chop into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces. Measure the specified vegetable amounts level in dry measuring cups.
- Combine the prepared vegetables with commercially bottled lemon or lime juice and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Fill hot half-pint or pint jars with hot salsa, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace, wipe rims, and apply two-piece lids.
- Process in a boiling-water canner for 15 minutes at 0–1,000 feet, 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 feet, or 25 minutes above 6,000 feet. Cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve with tortilla chips, tacos, beans, eggs, or grilled foods.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the acid or proportions?
No, except only where the source explicitly permits a named change.
Can I use larger jars?
No. Use only half-pint or pint jars.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly or follow current NCHFP corrective guidance within 24 hours.
Recipe context
Do not combine this record with another preservation formula.
Troubleshooting
Confirm acid, proportions, jar size, headspace, altitude schedule, and seals. If processing is interrupted, do not treat the jar as shelf stable.
Source & provenance
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: July, August, September
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
40–80 lb of Tomatoes per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.