Tracie

My favorite hasn't been posted. It's easy and healthy. They're always a huge hit (especially the sweet potatoes/yams) and are devoured with no leftovers. Roasted Autumn Veggies Peel and cut into 1 inch cubes an assortment of any or all of the following veggies: (you can use only sweet potatoes and it's just as good) yams or sweet potatoes parsnips carrots turnips or swedes or rutabegas pearl onions (peeled, but whole) jerusalem artichokes (interesting flavor, like an earthy potato) butternut squash or pumpkin Toss the cubed veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and a few peeled garlic cloves (these may be sliced into 2 or 3 pieces if desired). Spread in a large roasting pan or jelly roll pan. Roasting: There are many options -- lower temp for longer time or higher temp for shorter time. You can cover with foil for the first 20-30 minutes. the time it takes to roast depends on many factors, including how full your pan is. I like to roast the veggies the day before, and then put them in an ovenproof serving dish to heat up in the oven once I take the turkey out. That helps eliminate guesswork. A single layer of veggies not too crowded should take about 45 minutes to roast at 400 degrees (20 minutes covered, 25 not covered). I like to add whole brussel sprouts to the mix after I remove the tinfoil. Remember to stir every 10 minutes or so after you remove the foil.

Deb, double check your grocery stores. My usually way overpriced store had nice looking tomatoes today for $1.49/lb. I know the original recipe said to use drained tomatoes, but Violet said not to drain them so I didn't drain mine. The salsa was wonderful.

Another batch, coming up to a boil. This time the changes I made were: ANNIE’S SALSA 8 cups plus 1/4 cup tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper used poblano 3 – 5 chopped jalapenos used 3 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp pepper 1/8 cup canning salt used 1 T instead ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/3 cup sugar didn't use sugar 1 cup vinegar used 1 c commercial lime juice 16 oz. tomato sauce 16 oz tomato paste Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process in BWB for 15 minutes. hoping to get a perfect 8 pints of (hot) salsa!

Thank you so much Darlene!!

Yay Vlynn!! Just don't want my question lost, plus I have another... Violet: since it seems fairly consistent that this recipe yields 7.75 pints, do you think it would be safe to increase the fresh tomatoes by 1/4 cup in order to make the last pint full? I would think that it wouldn't affect the acidity, but wanted to ask to be sure. Also, is it safe to use 1 cup lime juice instead of vinegar? It's commercially bottled lime juice from concentrate. (Real Lime) Thanks!

Violet, since it seems fairly consistent that this recipe yields 7.75 pints, do you think it would be safe to increase the fresh tomatoes by 1/4 cup in order to make the last pint full? I would think that it wouldn't affect the acidity, but wanted to ask to be sure. Thanks!

Would the frost kill them? Can you take them inside to ripen on the windowsill? I hope your harvest makes it!!

7.75 pints in the water bath canner. That stuff took forever to bring up to a boil (or so it seemed) :-) It's really yummy!! I'm going to bring a jar to the neighbors later.

Thank you so much for the encouragement Violet and Stephanie! It's simmering now. Jars sterile. Water boiling to cover lids. Whee!!!

Okay, everything is in the pan, waiting for the dishwasher to count down to 15 minutes left. Then I'll turn on the burner to simmer it for 10 minutes. It looks amazing!!! I used 2 T sugar instead of 1/3 cup. I used 1 T salt instead of 2T salt (1/8 cup). I used cider vinegar (1 cup). I figure I'll taste-test it before I put it in the jars and can add more salt and sugar if I feel it needs it. I used 3 jalapenos and 1/2 poblano for my hot peppers. I used the other 1/2 poblano as part of the 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper. Should be nice & spicy. A good friend of mine grew the garlic (german - amazing flavor). Tomatoes are from my garden, my neighbor's garden and a favorite farm stand (all the peppers & cilantro are from that stand as well). So yay! 25 minutes or so until I turn on the pot.

Okay, jars are in the dishwasher. Veggies on the counter. I'm getting ready to go....

They way it's been explained to me before is that we have stronger bacteria and bugs than there were a long time ago. So a canning recipe that may have been safe in 1960 might not be safe now. They recommend using only safely tested recipes from trusted sources such as the Ball Blue Book or the USDA. I had a canning book that my mom used when I was a child, but I tossed it (on the recommendation of the ladies here) because I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'd say it's especially important to listen to the precautions with items that are meant to be eaten out of the jar (like pickles and salsa).

Thanks Steph!!!