• Wash the tomatoes. Blanch them for 90 seconds, then plunge into a bowl of ice water.

  Core each tomato, slip off the skin, then chop.

  Measure 8 cups of chopped tomatoes, and place in a heavy bottomed pot. Keep the pot covered while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Stir in the tomato puree, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, salt, cumin, and pepper.
• Stir in the onions, green bell pepper, jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro.
• Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep at a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Freezing

• After Salsa Roma has cooled down, it can be frozen in half-pint, pint, or pint-and-a-half size canning jars. Fill jars to the "fill line" etched into the top of the mason jars, cover tightly. For best results freeze at 0º; the back of the freezer tends to be the coldest area.

  You can also freeze this recipe in flat packages using a vacuum sealer. I describe how to in another post I wrote entitled, "Vacuum Seal Liquids: Easy Method."

Canning

• Review the guidelines presented by the National Center for Home Food Preservation regarding processing in a boiling water bath if you are new to canning, or haven't canned in awhile.
• Fill clean, hot pint-size canning jars – leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and then adjust headspace if necessary. Wipe the rims, place a lid on each jar, and screw on the bands until finger-tight.

  Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes if the elevation where you live is 1000 feet or less. If your elevation is 1001 to 3000 feet, process for 20 minutes.