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bananastand

Salsa recipe for canning similar to Green Mountain Gringo?

bananastand
10 years ago

Hi everyone,

I canned my first batch of salsa using the popular Annie's recipe earlier this summer. I agree with comments that it is quite similar to Pace. I'm just curious if anyone's found a recipe that would be closer to a Green Mountain Gringo flavor? That's my favorite jarred salsa.

Thanks!

Comments (9)

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Hadn't ever heard of it. Website reads like it is a regional/local product. I see from the website that it has several different flavors of salsa and the ingredients in their basic 3 seem to only differ in the amounts of hot peppers used.

    For example, their medium lists: Ripe Tomatoes, Fresh Onions, Fresh Tomatillos, Fresh Jalapeño Peppers, Fresh Pasilla Peppers, Apple Cider Vinegar, Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Parsley, Fresh Garlic, Sea Salt, Spices

    So the ingredient differences are primarily the type of peppers used and the unknown "spices".

    There is no reason why you can't use the Annie's Salsa recipe, or any of the few approved canning salsa recipes, and sub some tomatillos for some of the 8 cups of tomatoes. The tomatillos are more acidic anyway. And you can sub some of the Passilla peppers for some of the peppers in Annie's recipe as long as you keep the total amounts of all ingredients called for in the recipe the same. so the density and pH aren't affected.

    Of course then it won't be Annie's Salsa any longer. It would be a GM Gringo copy.

    As to the spices they use - no way to know.

    Personally I can't see the comparison of Annie's to Pace. Annie's is far superior IMO but taste is a very personal thing.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: Green Mountain Salsa

  • malna
    10 years ago

    The biggest difference I see is the addition of tomatillos. You could substitute a portion of the tomatoes in Annie's Salsa and use tomatillos instead. The pH of tomatillos is lower (more acidic) than tomatoes, so no worries about the substitution.

    Fresh pasilla peppers are really poblanos, so you could use that variety.

    Except for the parsley, everything else is in Annie's. You could always do 1/2 cilantro and 1/2 parsley, but I don't know if that would make that much of a taste difference.

    What strikes you as the big difference in the Green Mountain flavor? Never having tasted this brand (or Pace for that matter), I'm curious.

    Green Mountain Gringo's INGREDIENTS: Ripe Tomatoes, Fresh Onions, Fresh Tomatillos, Fresh Jalapeño Peppers, Fresh Pasilla Peppers, Apple Cider Vinegar, Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Parsley, Fresh Garlic, Sea Salt, Spices.

  • malna
    10 years ago

    Dave types a lot faster than I do.

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the tips, all! I think to me Green Mountain Gringo tastes less like tomato paste/cooked tomato and more like that bright, fresh flavor you get when you make salsa on the spot.

    Another one that is similar (and very good) is Frontera. Both the Jalapeno Cilantro and the Tomatillo flavors are very good.

    I will try subbing some of the tomatillos for tomatoes and do poblano peppers, we'll see where that gets me! Thanks.

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    One more question:

    Annie's recipe has 6 cloves of garlic. Is that an ingredient that can be increased or would it mess with the acidity?

    Thanks!

  • malna
    10 years ago

    You can't increase fresh garlic, but you could add garlic powder or dehydrated minced garlic. One year I ran out of fresh garlic, and used dehydrated garlic partially reconstituted in the vinegar (not water).

    As a general rule, dried spices and herbs are OK to increase to taste.

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Have you checked out the other approved salsa recipes? Link below. Even though many find it to be the best, taste is a very subjective thing and nothing says you have to use Annie's Salsa as the base recipe. One of the other recipes may be more to your liking.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Canning Salsas

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you Dave, will check it out!

  • bananastand
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's the recipe I ended up making. I ate some of the cooked salsa when I ran out of jars, and I can already tell this is going to be closer to my preferred taste than the original Annie's! Worth trying for other fans of Frontera and/or Green Mountain Gringo varieties.

    7 cups roasted, peeled, chopped and drained tomatoes (I used a mix of heirloom varieties so it was very colorful)
    1 cup diced tomatillos
    2.5 cups diced onion
    2 Pasilla (Poblano) peppers, roasted, peeled and diced
    2 diced jalapeno peppers
    Small amount of diced sweet red peppers to top off to the max amount of peppers safely allowed in recipe - 1.75c
    6 cloves garlic, diced
    1/4 cup diced fresh parsley/cilantro (about 50-50)
    15 ounces tomato sauce
    1 cup apple cider vinegar
    1/4c canning salt
    2t cumin
    2t garlic powder

    Mix ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Pour into hot pint jars, seal and process in a boiling water canning bath for 15 minutes.