As TPS fellow Katie D’Amico previously alluded to in her blog post about mental health, it is important to set aside time for yourself during graduate school. Hobbies are a great way to recharge, and research has shown that they can improve both physiological and psychological health¹. 

For me, gardening is how I cope with the anxiety that often accompanies graduate work. Pulling weeds and getting my hands dirty clears my mind and helps me start the next day with a fresh perspective (and the occasional sore muscle).  

Gardening also has a second benefit – homemade salsa. In my opinion, salsa is its own food group and one can never have too much salsa in the pantry. If you agree, here are some instructions on how to can your own salsa to enjoy all year long.

I used the following recipe²:

10 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (about 6 lbs)
5 cups chopped seeded green bell peppers
5 cups chopped onions
2-1/2 cups chopped seeded hot banana peppers
1-1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tsp hot sauce (optional)

Yields ~6 pints

To peel tomatoes, cut an ‘X’ on the base of the tomato (Figure 1A), place in boiling water for 1 min (Figure 1B), and let cool in ice water before peeling. 

Figure 1. Peeling tomatoes with flash steaming. 

Cut peeled tomatoes to remove the core and squeeze excess juice and seeds before chopping in a food processor. If you prefer chunkier salsa, place chopped tomatoes in a strainer and let sit for 10 min to remove additional juice. Next, remove seeds from bell and hot banana peppers and chop in food processor. (Make sure you wear gloves while seeding hot peppers). Chop the onion and garlic and combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and simmer for 15 min or until the salsa thickens. Place a canning funnel on top of clean pint jar, and ladle hot salsa into jar, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe the rim, center canning lid on jar, and tighten band.

If processing with a pressure cooker, remove the pressure regulator and overpressure plug; place canning rack on bottom of cooker; fill cooker halfway with water and heat to 180°F. Then place jars in canner with a jar lifter (Figur e 2). Make sure the water is 1-2” above the jars (add more water as needed). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and seal the pressure cooker. Set your timer for 15 min and decrease the heat to a gentle boil. After 15 min, turn the heat off and let sit for 5 min. Then remove jars and cool on a clean towel or cooling rack. Check lids for seal after 24 hrs. The lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed. Last but not least grab your favorite chips and enjoy! 

Figure 2. Processing using boiling water method in a pressure cooker

Written by TPS Fellow Stephanie Karhoff

References

¹Pressman, S. D., Matthews, K. A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Scheier, M., Baum, A., & Schulz, R. (2009). Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities with Psychological and Physical Well-Being. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71(7), 725–732. http://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181ad7978

²Hearthmark, LLC. (2018). Zesty Salsa. https://www.freshpreserving.com/zesty-salsa-%7C-spicy-salsa-recipe---ball-fresh-preserving-br1131.html.