By DAVE KESSLER
Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted 

Making your own salsa is a fun project that can yield enough salsa to last through the winter months. When you make it yourself you can adjust the ingredients to make it hotter or cooler, as you like it best.

Almost everybody likes salsa, and a jar of homemade salsa makes a nice gift for holidays or birthdays. It’s said that more salsa is purchased each year than ketchup. Making your own can lower the cost and also gives you a sense of accomplishment.

This is my daughter, Ellen’s, recipe and of course since she lives in Florida she has access to the best fresh produce almost year-round.

I’m not an accomplished canner, so she gave me a couple of tips I will share with you.

She recommends self-sealing canning jars. Ellen says to wash them in your dishwasher and sterilize them in boiling water. After you have filled the jars, turn them topside down so the self-sealer will work.

She also gave me a tip on peeling tomatoes: Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato, boil them 1 minute and the skin will easily peel right off.

1/2 bushel of tomatoes

3 cups chopped green bell peppers

3 pounds of onions, chop small

2 jalapeno peppers chopped

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup salt

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons oregano

2 tablespoons basil

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

3 tablespoons cilantro

4 large cans tomato paste

Optional: Lime juice or bottled hot sauce

Ellen has a big 12-quart pot in which she makes her salsa. Combine all the ingredients in the pot, including the lime juice or the hot sauce.

Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Stir every 15 minutes and simmer for 1 hour.

Put this into the hot jars as mentioned above, turn upside down and let cool. When at room temperature, put the jars in the refrigerator to chill before you start enjoying your creation.

Readers with questions or comments for Dave Kessler may write to him in care of this publication.