Canning for Winter - Salsa Verde

The canning obsession hit me HARD this year and I think I'm going to blame some of it on nesting. I want us to have good food when Chicken Nugget is born which means prepping NOW! The best way to prep good food, months in advance, is canning.

I made this Salsa Verde a few years ago and then I also made the delicious Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas listed directly after the Salsa Verde recipe for dinner a few times. The taste has lingered with me. I also remember them being fairly easy to make which will be a huge bonus when there is a newborn nugget taking up all of my cooking time.

I wanted to get my tomatillos at the farmer's market because they taste better! Also I love supporting my local farmers but alas, it was not to be this time. I spotted some at Fred Meyer's and cleaned out their inventory. I may have scared the cashier with my 6 lbs of tomatillos or maybe I swayed her into canning?

I doubled this recipe to make 6 1/2 pint jars of lovely green salsa. I'm already planning out when I'll use them for delicious enchiladas. 

Salsa Verde 
adapted from Canning for a New Generation 
(Makes 3-4 pint jars of salsa)

3 1/2 pounds of tomatillos, husked and cleaned
1 medium onion, cut into one inch cubes
5 large serrano chiles
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup of roughly chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup lime juice (bottled)
1 tablespoon kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 500F. 
2. Place all the vegetables (tomatillos, onion, serrano chiles and garlic cloves) on baking sheets and place in the oven for about 30 minutes. You'll know the vegetables are doing when the tomatillos are soft and juicy. 
3. Remove the vegetables and place in a food processor with the cilantro. Carefully process until blended. 
4. Add the salsa to a non reactive pot along with the lime juice and kosher salt and bring to a boil. 
5. Ladle the salsa into pint jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims and place lids on the jars. Process the jars using a hot water bath canning method for 5 minutes. 
6. Store for up to a year in a cool, dark place.