Super Simple Summer Salsa

Try saying that three times fast!

Farmer's market season is upon us lovies! Now is the perfect time if you haven't to try your hand at canning some of the goodness of the season, Look at this beeeeeeautiful corn salsa, you know you want some, don't deny it your love...




4 ears fresh corn, cut from the cob. If you can't find fresh you can use canned or frozen, I guess
1 big ol' red onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
cilantro (optional, I love it though, so it goes in pretty much everything I make)
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin (if you can find the roasted kind it is worth the extra few cents, trust me)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Before you start chopping all your stuff up, start to sterilize your jars and metal screw rings. It is easy, you put them in a big pot of hot water taht covers the jars until they are all steamy. I like to do the lids in a small sauce pan of hot water, that way they stay warm until I am ready to put them on. Now your jars are ready to go!

Throw all your ingredients in a big honkin' bowl. Now is the hard part: not eating it all before you actually get a chance to can it! Put it in the hot jars. Before you put the lids on wipe the tops of the jars with a damp rag, that way no nasty mean bacteria can grow there and ruin your happy corn salsa. Put the lids on, then screw the metal rings. You don't have to go all crazy here and be all He-Man like, so don't overdo how tight you screw the rings on. Now put your jars into the big pot of water again and put the lid on the pot. When the water starts to boil cook for 15 more minutes. After they boil take them out of the water. That's it! You will want to see if they seal, this can take 10 minutes or 10 hours. If they do seal you will hear a little suck and pop noise (technical canning term....when you hear it you will know though, and then when you can in the future you will be giddy with delight when you hear it. My husband thinks I am a nerd when I get excited about it).

This makes about 3 to 4 pint size jars of salsa, depeding on how much you eat before you actually can it. It is great just with chips, or try it on chicken or corn. In the middle of winter it is amazing to open up a jar of this summer-in-a-jar goodness, especially here in the Midwest when the snow and cold starts sucking the very life out of your soul.

Happy canning!