CANING DAY!

1 Sunday morning + 3 Idaho gals = one epic caning day!

You can't live in Idaho and not know how to can. Pretty sure it's against some law. Natasha being the canning queen she took on the huge endeavor of teaching her not-so-smart canning buddies.  Natasha popped Heidi and Lydia's canning cherry! 

I'm not going to lie it was a bit overwhelming. With plenty of wine, we began the process of boiling tomatoes! 

Getting the ingredients ready!  

Friendly tip: wear gloves when cutting up jalapeños!! 

You can verify this fun fact with Lydia. She was set on not wearing them and boy did she learn her lesson. The burn is real, people!

Did we mention we enjoyed lots of wine and even busted into Natasha's husband's beer stash? The best part of canning was hanging out all day. 

Heidi may or may not have lost a battle against the onions...

PS- Don't be the friend that volunteers to chop onions! 

AFTER HOURS SALSA RECIPE: 

INGREDIENTS

✔ 9 CUPS TOMATOES

✔ 3 CUPS GREEN CHILIS

✔ 3 CUPS ONION

✔ 1 CUP VINEGAR

✔ 8 CLOVES GARLIC

✔ 6 TEASPOONS SALT

(OR MORE TO TASTE)

✔ 3 TABLESPOONS CUMIN

✔ 2 BUNCHES FRESH CILANTRO

✔ 1- 12 OZ CAN OF TOMATO PASTE

1/4 CUP SUGAR

DIRECTIONS:

Boil and peel tomatoes placing in a large pot. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and simmer for an hour or the length of time it takes to drink a bottle of wine.

Pour in jars and do a hot water bath for 15 minutes. 

What in the hell is a hot water bath? Yeah, I asked the same thing. You place the jars in boiling water submerging them completely.

The best of the entire process is hearing the lids pop! It's so darn gratifying. 

And that's how the tomatoes became salsa.

XoXo,

The After Hours in Idaho Crew