Roasted Tomatillo and Tomato Salsa

Note this recipe has vague measurements. That's because I encourage you to use what your garden is producing, and modify the blend of vegetables to fit your tastes. If you like super-hot salsa, use more hot peppers and less sweet. If you really like garlic use two full bulbs per batch. Use whatever tomatoes are ripe and ready: cherry, paste or good ol’ round red.

This recipe takes some roasting time, but the results are well worth it.

Roasted Tomatillo and Tomato Salsa

Ingredients
Vegetable oil
Tomatillos, husks removed*
Hot peppers*
Sweet peppers*
Fresh garlic, cloves separated and peeled (8-16 cloves)
1 yellow onion, cut
1 red onion, cut
Tomatoes (24 cups pureed)
¼ cup Mrs. Wage’s salsa mix
¼ cup Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp salt
Red food coloring (optional)
Jars and lids, sterilized

Directions
1. Preheat oven broiler. Grease large baking sheets with vegetable oil.
2. *Fill two extra-large baking sheets with a mix of peppers, tomatillos and garlic cloves. Broil until pepper skins are blackened and tomatillos are soft. Remove from oven, cut off pepper stems.
3. Fill one extra-large baking sheet with chunks of onions. Broil until blackened. Remove from oven.
4. Chop tomatoes in a food processor. Pour contents into a large heavy stockpot with salsa mix, vinegar, honey and salt. 24 cups (2 x 12-cup food processor loads) makes about 6 quarts salsa.
5. Chop pepper- tomatillo-garlic mixture in a food processor. Add to stockpot.
6. Bring salsa to boil, stirring constantly and then reduce to a low simmer for at least 1 hour. Add red food coloring if desired.
7. Fill sterilized jars with salsa and process according to safe processing standards.
8. Allow salsa to rest three days before consuming to develop full flavor.