I first discovered the Mrs. Wages line of canning products last year and I’ve used them with some frequency since then. In April, I became a contributor to their monthly newsletter. My little column includes some chatty articles and recipes (much like what you find here). Now, I’m pleased to be giving away a basket of their mixes, pectins and other products. If you’re interested in entering to win, click here and leave a comment. Now, on to the salsa.
Last summer, I canned peach, tomatillo, tomato and pineapple salsas (all were recipes I was working on for the book). They were delicious, but after all the peeling, chopping and general prepping, an incredible amount of work. Since I’m not writing a canning book this summer, I’m looking to make my preserving decidedly less intense (to be honest, I’m still a bit burnt out). One of the ways I’m planning to do this is by cheating, ever so slightly.
This Mrs. Wages salsa mix is one of the ways I’m making my life easier. It uses six pounds of fresh, ripe tomatoes, 1/2 cup of vinegar and the packet of salsa mix. That’s it. No major chopping sessions, long simmering times or running out to the store when I realize I forgot the cilantro. By taking a little help from Mrs. Wages, I can bang out five pints of salsa (as well as a half full jar for the fridge) in half an hour and move on to something else while it processes.
You do need to blanch and peel the tomatoes, but once the pot of blanching water comes to a boil, it takes all of six minutes to move the cored and prepped (don’t skip the little cross on the bottom of the tomato, it makes it far easier to slip those skins off) through the boiling water and into a cool bath. Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, you should be able to pull the skins away easily.
The instructions on the packet say to roughly chop the tomatoes, but because I was lazy (and in a bit of a hurry as I also did five pints of dilly beans that morning), I used the Vitamix to break down the peeled tomatoes (imagine a very chunky puree). Once they were all peeled, pureed and in the pot, it was just a matter adding the vinegar and spice mix.
As soon as the salsa mix went in, my kitchen filled with the smells of garlic, onion, peppers and other spices. I was impressed by how quickly it transformed my pot of plain tomatoes into a flavorful, aromatic condiment. Later that afternoon, I served the finished salsa to some friends and they complimented me on my perfectly balanced, homemade salsa. I’m sure they thought I was crazy, but I ran excitedly to the trash can and fished out the empty packet so that I could show them how easy it had been to make.
I am so happy to already have a stash of salsa on the shelf for our winter tacos, dinners of chips and breakfast burritos (it normally takes me until September to start thinking tomatoes). This isn’t to say that I won’t try my hand a fully from-scratch salsa later in the summer, but the ease with which this came together was balm for my canning-focused but over-committed brain. And it tastes so bright and fresh (though it’s not very spicy. If you like a lot of heat in your salsa, I recommend boosting it with a few red hot chili flakes or a dab of cayenne).
There you have it. If you’ve been eying one of these salsa mixes, I say go for it. Particularly if you’re swimming in ripe tomatoes and are decidedly short on time.
And don’t forget to click over to the Mrs. Wages giveaway and leave a comment (preferably featuring a story about your apron-wearing habits) to enter. And keep you eyes peeled, I’ll be posting about my first experience making freezer jam tomorrow.
I too switched over to Mrs Wages and constantly get requests for’my’ recipe. I’m only too happy to share this delicious shortcut. I just googled spicing up Mrs Wages and landed on your site. I’m about to make a dozen quarts to take to my sibling reunion and a few of my brothers like to blow flames, well they like it hot so jalapeños and cumin and red pepper flakes?
You can definitely add some additional dried red pepper flakes to up the spice.
I have use this mix to make my salsa for years and have people begging for a jar and my reclepe I even added watermelon to my tomato salsa and can’t make enough for everyone that wants it
It is really delicious!
Can I double up and make two packages of Mrs wages at once?
If you have a pot large enough to do it, yes.
I made salsa with mrs wages mix. It was suppose to make 14 pints but I put too many tomatoes and it made 20. Will this batch be ok. I canned them all. I didn’t know if it would be a bad thing to be a bigger batch or not
It’s not ideal because the salsa mix includes the citric acid that ensures it is safe. But increasing the batch size so much, you’ve diluted the amount of acid in each jar.
I’m making quarts of tomatoes. i have the large container of mix but I’m not making that much. I have 9 cups of tomatoes how much vinegar do I add
Are you using the salsa mix or just canning tomatoes? Typically, regular preserved tomatoes are acidified with either bottled lemon juice or citric acid.
Everyone loves this salsa, going to make more
Hooray!
I purchased the 11.2 oz box of the salsa mix. What is the measurement I need to use for the 5 pints of salsa. I guess I am asking the equivalent measurement for one packet.
All the information you need should be on the package.
Most recipes I see for canning salsa say to remove the seeds because they make the salsa runny. Mrs. Wages doesn’t say to do that. I remixed my seeds. I only got three pints. I wish the recipe gave an ideas of how many cups of prepared tomatoes is used.
I typically estimate getting around 2 cups for every pound of chopped product. So if you started with 6 pounds of tomatoes, you should have somewhere between 10 and 12 cups of chopped tomatoes. I’m a little surprised that you only got three pints, but perhaps your tomatoes were very watery?
Can you put crushed pineapple in with the salsa mix?
You should contact Mrs. Wages customer service to determine whether that would be safe for not.
I wanted to use my electric pressure cooker to process Mrs wages salsa mix. Will it really not process properly if I do?
It will be overcooked. You can use your pressure canner, but I don’t recommend it.
Hi,
I’ve made 35 pints of Mrs Wages salsa so far–yay, I’m ahead of schedule.
quick question- could I add peaches to the salsa mix?
thank you for all your great inspiration.
Diana V.
I don’t see why you couldn’t add peaches. They are more acidic than tomatoes.
This will be my first time using any of Mrs.Wages seasonings. I’m really excited to see how this salsa turns out 😊
I hope you like it!
Can the skins be safely left on instead?
It’s not dangerous to leave on the skins, but their texture isn’t great in the finished product.
Is it ok to add peaches to this recipe?
I’ve not tried it, but it should be okay from a safety perspective. Yellow peaches are typically more acidic than tomatoes.
I hate when I see people improperly canning anything.. This is risk for botulism. Tomatoes must be skinned and salsa water bathed. Canning is all about science and killing bacteria.. Tomato skins are full of bacteria.
Anna, you don’t have your details exactly right. Botulism spores are not the same thing as bacteria and should not be used interchangeably. As long as you do your boiling water bath canning process properly, all bacteria present is killed. It is true that botulism spores can exist on tomato skins. However, as long as the product is properly acidified, any botulism spores present are inhibited. Botulism spores cannot germinate into a toxin if the pH is below 4.6. And so as long as you are canning a sufficiently acidified product, there is no botulism risk.
All that said, did you actually read this blog post? The tomatoes were peeled for this product.
I don’t think I used the water bath method last year, just boiled the salsa mix and put in canning jars while hot, everything seemed fine and no problems with the salsa, should I have used the water bath method, I noticed the pkg calls for that processing method?
Water bath canning is definitely the way to go with salsa.
I’ve been using Mrs. Wages Salsa mix for years. It’s the best! Sometimes I use fresh tomatoes but when I get lazy I use canned. Either way this salsa comes out great.
Hello, no one mentioned the spiciness, which of the 3 mixes they picked. when buying salsa i normally go with mild. I accidentally picked the medium packet, wondering if that will be too spicy? can it be “toned down” or maybe i should just exchange it.
Also can I roast the tomatoes and can I add fresh cilantro?
I really can’t speak to the spice level of the different packages. You can roast the tomatoes (no oil, though), but I would not add cilantro to ensure safety.
Is it possible to use 1/2 pint jars instead of the pint jars Mrs. Wages salsa mix calls for? I have used all my pints on my green beans and every store I call or visit are sold out.
Yes. You can swap them in without changing anything.
Hey f I forgot to put the vinegar in can I Add the vinegar reprocess the jars haven’t sealed yet
Yes. You would need to add the vinegar, reheat the product, and reprocess.
I have one of these mixes to try, and wondered if I could use last year’s tomatoes that are in the freezer? would there be too much liquid? I would love to use them in salsa if possible.
I can’t guarantee your outcome, but it should work. I might drain the tomatoes as they defrost to ensure that the salsa isn’t too watery.
When using salsa mix can I use a FreshTech instead of canning pot
Do you mean the FreshTECH electric water bath canner? Or are talking about the automatic canner?
Marissa, I read through the post again and through all of the comments. I didn’t notice anybody commenting on having used green tomatoes with this. Even with the covers on my plants last night, I had damage and have to use those green toms NOW. Was hoping to use them with a Mrs. Wages salsa packet. Any chance you’ll see this in the next 24 hours and able to reply would be greatly appreciated. I think after 24 hours I’ll have to compost them. Very sad…at least 15# green tomatoes. The ones I harvested before the frost will all be able to be ripened in the house but I know once they’ve been frosted they will not.
I really don’t know how salsa made with green tomatoes would be. So sorry!
Thank you, Marisa. Rather than taking the chance I found a recipe for a pomodoro verdi sauce. It was…interesting. It will have to be a base sauce to tinker with at cooking time. Lol.
Did you remove the seeds from the tomatoes or just chopped them after peeling?
I did not remove the seeds. I just chopped.
The mixes are free dried herbs. I’ve been using Mrs. Wages for about three years now. I add jalapenos to the mix with 1/2 cup of vinegar and 10 lbs of tomatoes for about a dozen jars. It is fabulous. According to Mrs. Wages’ company, if they are out of the cooking packets, use 5 packets of the instant salsa with the vinegar for the same recipe I wrote about above. I sterilize my jars in the dishwasher!
is it ok to make up the tomatoes chop them and let them sit for a couple hours then go back and add all the rest of the ingredients till its hot and can it then
That should be okay!
Tried this salsa mix yesterday – I really wanted to love it, but it just didn’t come out right. I followed the instructions to a tee and it turned out super runny, which confused me a little because the tomatoes I used were not juicy. The salsa was the perfect consistency when I added everything to the pot but the bringing to a boil and simmering seemed to break down the tomatoes too much. I think if I had simmered it for another hour longer I could have gotten it back to being thick again but my whole intention of trying this mix was because it was quick and easy. Is there a trick to keeping the consistency thick?
I only had half pint jars to process and trying to figure out how long to process as pint jars required 40 minutes
Half pints always get processed for the same amount of time that pints do.
Can this salsa be pressure canned with the additional vegetables? Or even without ? If so, for how long?
I don’t know.
Where can I purchase this product in the chicagoland area?
You’d need to get in touch with the folks at Mrs. Wages to find out: http://www.mrswages.com/
Marisa, how would the addition of other vegetables (different color peppers, corn) affect the safe can-ability of this salsa?
Oops, sorry, I see you addressed that in the previous comment. Hmmm, I canned a batch yesterday with added onion and orange pepper…hope it will be okay.
Laurie, I saw your email and I’ve replied.
Can I add some onions to the mix. Maybe 1/2 lb as well as a 1/2 lb of green sweet peppers. I like salsa chunky. Does the vinegar have to be adjusted up to compensate.
I can’t advise you on how to adjust this recipe safely.
I used this salsa mix for the first time with tomatoes and banana peppers from my garden yesterday and I thought it looked weird b/c the color of the salsa came out darker than I thought it would but mine looks exactly like yours so im glad I seen this!
I LOVE this mix!!!!! I’ve been making it for about two years now. I use the six cans of tomatoes and can it up! Put in a waterbath and you’ve got the best tasting salsa. It’s way better than the store “stuff”, and I made it. So, drop what you are doing, go to Wally World (Wal-Mart), buy this mix and some tomatoes, and can yourself some!
I picked up a few packages of Mrs. Wage’s salsa mix on sale. They’d been sitting in my pantry, so I pulled one out this weekend to make some salsa. I found the mix to be WAY too salty for my tastes.
We are making the Salsa with the Wages seasoning but added corn and black beans and several different peppers.. Will this be okay? They sealed well..
No, it’s not okay. Corn, black beans, and peppers are low acid ingredients and will make your salsa unsafe. Put those jars in the refrigerator immediately and use the salsa promptly.
What if I didn’t measure my tomatoes and now I have about 2 1/2 gallons ready to cook and mix. How many 4oz packages should I add?
Kristy, judging from my finished salsa yield, it appears that I started with about three quarts of chopped tomatoes.
I MADE SALSA WITH MRS WAGES SEASONING MIX BUT I FORGOT TO PUT IN THE VINEGAR WILL MY SALSA BE OKAY AND LAST FOR AWHILE?
You MUST have the vinegar to up the PH (make it more acid) or you could get botulism! Don’t take a chance. Botulism is really bad stuff.
I’m a bit confused. I don’t put vinegar in with my tomatoes when I can them and they are just fine (plenty acidic). Why would forgetting to put the vinegar in with the salsa be so risky? I’m sure it tastes better with the vinegar but botulism??
You should be putting some sort of acid in your tomatoes when canning them. Tomatoes are often just a bit too low in acid for safe canning without the addition of some vinegar, lemon juice, or citric acid. Without acid, there is most definitely a risk of botulism.
I’m glad I saw this site! I will revisit the recipe for canning I have it is old or maybe my eyesight is bad! 🙂 Thanks for hosting a site like this…
I forgot to put vinegar in my salsa can I still use it if I put it in the refridgerator
As long as you refrigerate it, yes!
I tasted Mrs.Wages Salsa for the first time last year.And I must …say I would have/could have ate every last bite.
So this year guess who is going to make salsa with all the tomatoes?Me! Me! Me! But I will also use some tomatoes for juice.
Thank you Mrs.Wages for opening my eyes.I am looking forward to having you in my kitchen and helping me can.
OF COURSE I NEEDED TO BUY MRS. WAGES SALSA TOMATO MIX (40Z) SINCE MOST OF THE TIME THAT WAS MY MAIDEN NAME & PEOPLE WOULD LEAVE THE SECOND (A) OUT.
I ALSO MADE 5PINTS LAST WEEK WITH TOMATOES PEOPLE HAD GIVEN ME FROM THERE GARDENS. WITH THE LEFT OVER JUICE, AFTER STRAINING IT I MADE TOMATOE JUICE & GOT ONE MORE PINT! EXCELLENT & I REALLY LIKE THE “KICK” THAT IT HAD TOO!
Would it be possible to fire roast the tomatos? I love that flavor in a salsa.
Love this mix! I use my Gordon Ramsay chopper to chop the tomatoes; add jalapenos, onion & garlic and my guys think this salsa is every bit as good as restaurant’s serve. You can add lime & cilantro also. Make it your own but there’s no guesswork seasoning. I usually use about 7 lbs of Roma tomatoes.
The Mrs. Wages pasta mix is really good, also.
I love mrs wages salsa and pickle mixes. I have canned about 100 half pint and pint jars of salsa and about 50 jars of b&b pickles and dills. I am going to try the ketchup tomorrow. I also have about 3or 4 more dozen jars of salsa to make and of course more chopped tomatoes to can. Mrswages has made it a whole lot easier for me to get all the canning done before I lose the tomatoes to rot. My husband put in 60 or 70 Roma plants this year. Everyone loves the salsa and the pickles. Hope the ketchup turns out as well as the salsa..
I just put up five pints of the ketchup mix. I used cider vinegar instead of white. It tastes amazing.
When it says to add the mix slowly, make sure you do that and not add it in all at once. It had a thickener in it and it will clump otherwise.
I’d love to know if I could blend in some fresh jalapeños from my garden in with the fresh tomatoes. Would it affect the acidity? I love the flavor of jalapeños!
It would impact the acidity and I don’t recommend it.
Has anyone ever added more fresh veggies to this mix? I love when salsa is really chunky, so I thought about adding jalapenos, peppers, and onions from my garden. Any suggestions on whether that is a good idea and/or cooking tips?
I’ve added chopped roasted green chiles to this, with great success!
And, for those who don’t have Mrs. Wages in local stores, check online. I bought loads of these packets on ebay!
can I freeze this salsa? I no longer can (kids grown so garden has become smaller with just the two of us). Thanks!
I’ve never frozen this salsa, so I don’t know how well it will hold in the freezer.
My Granny freezes this and it tastes great!
I bought just one pgk. of Mrs. Wages Salsa, not knowing if I would like it or not. Made a batch and want more. If I don’t find it at Wal-Mart I will try to buy some pgk. online. I read if like it more spicy to add cayenne, so in my next batch I want to add some peppers! I loved making salsa too because with Mrs. Wages Salsa it is so easy to make! So thank you Mrs. Wages for making canning easy for me!
I called the 800 number on the package to as the same question and was told that adding anything to the mix would throw off the PH balance. This could cause you to spoil your batch. They recommend adding peppers after you open a jar and refrigerate it. Follow the instructions to a “T” and add once you open a jar. Good Luck!!!!
I added tons of onions…peppers of every color…jalapeño peppers…and even corn straight off the cob. It turned out super delicious! No problems here.
You can NOT add ingredients to a packaged mix and have it still be considered safe. It is find if you want to put in fridge but to WB it or PC it, it is not safe
I have used the mix and we love the results but want to know about adding our own home grown peppers to kick it up a notch or two. Can this be done? What changes to the recipe would have to be made? Does it change the water bath time?
I’ve used Mrs. Wage’s salsa mix for years. Friends and family love it and would never know it was a mix if I didn’t tell them!
I made this with diced canned tomatoes. Easy and was just as good.
I mistakenly used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar.in my mild salsa mix.How will this effect my salsa?
You don’t need to worry about it at all. Both of those vinegars have the same acidity.
We tried this mix last year and loved the flavor. When they went on sale last year we bought freds and wally world out. This year we had a friend cover us up in maters not counting our own. We have PLENTY of salsa for us and gifts now. We have been trying different things in each batch. Apple sider vinegar instead of white gave it a interesting zing! We like their other mixes as well. We try to make each batch a little different and everytime we open a jar it is a surprise!
I’m so excited to have found Mrs Wages! I’m new to canning, and saw the salsa one the other day … bought one (not sure how it’d be) … LOVED it!!! Went back today and they’re all out 🙁 I will keep watching and buy a BUNCH when they get back in stock! I used the 6 cans petite tomatoes – delish! I bought the pickle one today … gonna try that now!
I’m so happy you posted this. I was in Walmart yesterday picking up some jars when I saw Mrs. Wages products for the first time. I was intrigued but was afraid to take the plunge. I guess I’ll be going back to Walmart real soon!
I came across your blog today! I just love it! I went to my local grocery store to see if they had Mrs. Wages salsa mix… and they did! I was skeptical at first, it seemed too easy. Well, let me tell you… I AM HOOKED! My jars are cooling in my kitchen right now! I saved a little bowl for dinner tonight, and it’s almost gone! DELICIOUS! I have made jam a few times, and pickles once, but don’t think I had the proper instruction. I’m so excited to start canning! I want your cook book! Thank you… I will never buy salsa again!!
Wonderful news! We go through so much salsa, this year I am hoping to put up around 20 jars, so a time-saving mix is just what I need for at least one batch. I’ve used Mrs. Wages Dill Pickle mix and loved it. I can’t wait to try these other products.
Can I please live where you live that there are tomatoes already? The PNW is not tomato-friendly. sigh.
Good to know! I’ve seen those packets but never bought them. I’ve made some other tasty salsas, but I might try this one for the same reason you did!
What a lovely review but even importantly – what beautiful peeled tomatoes!
I think even I could make this and my husband loves salsa! Thanks for sharing.
To me it seems weird to go to all the trouble of canning with fresh veggies, and use a mix. BUT… to each his own! IMO the fresh (not dried) cilantro is the best part about salsa.
Sarah, I totally understand where you’re coming from. The mixes aren’t for everyone. But, if you’re in a hurry or a bit burnt out on canning (that would be me), they are amazing for ensuring that you have something delicious squirreled away for next year. I certainly don’t plan on using them exclusively but they’re a good back-up.
I can see how it would be preferable to buying salsa (which is what I’ve been doing since I ran out last month… come on August tomatoes!)
My in-laws brought over 27 pounds of fresh tomatoes. I am certainly not a canning snob and this is my first year canning so I take the help I can get. I used this mix but went through the trouble of removing the skins. I added a lot of fresh onions and corn cut straight off the cob. A few quarts got some chipotle in adobo sauce (from a can) … I mixed it up some to take it up a notch in heat. It is the best salsa I have ever had. It tastes so fresh compared to anything store bought. I am tempted to go out and buy tomatoes just so I can make enough to last us through the winter. I came out w 11 quarts and we’ve already polished off 2. Big family though and we can’t keep our hands off of it.
So glad to have found this site! I have been refrigerator and freezer ‘canning’ for a while and am making my first steps into actual canning this year. This site has already helped me to feel less intimidated by it! This recipe will be my first because we practically drink salsa in my house!
Yes, good to hear you like them. I am a bit wary of adding pre-packaged mixes to canning recipes (since one of the points of canning is to have fresh stuff!), but I’ll have to try the salsa mix.
Kate, I totally understand. I was wary initially, but once I tried them I was pleasantly surprised. Plus, the ingredients don’t contain any funky preservatives as far as I can see. It’s just dehydrated vegetables, spices and salt.
Just what I needed to hear,I have been reading about the mixes… have vines loaded now with green tomatoes…so I will give this a try! Thanks you always have the greatest tips!
This looks so easy. I have started canning this summer. I am so happy to find your site. Did you put these in a hot water bath? I have a salsa recipe that we love that uses Rotel and tomatillos. I don’t know how to can this though since I do not cook it.
I did put these in a hot water bath. They get processed for 40 minutes, but of course, that’s inactive time. As far as your Rotel and tomatillo salsa, if it doesn’t get cooked, it probably won’t do well canned. You’d be better off to can your tomatillos and then use them to make the salsa later on down the line.
I made some last year and I was really pleased. I sent some of it to one of my foodie friends and he said that it was ‘well-balanced, with a hint of vinegar and a nice smoky finish’. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was a mix. 🙂
I’m insanely lazy and hate peeling tomatoes…I discovered last year that your salsa will turn out just fine if you dont peel. Plus you get the extra fiber the skins provide!
Ooo, that would make it even easier.
YAY! I was wondering if the skins could be left on! I’m going to make a batch this afternoon. Can’t wait to try it.
I love your review! I made this salsa this weekend also, it caught my eye in Wal-Mart and looked so easy I had to try it. I’m brand new to canning, and one thing I really want to do is make salsa. As you mentioned, the recipes usually have tons of ingredients! Unfortunately, I’m not swimming in tomatoes – but maybe next year! I used grocery store produce, and apple cider vinegar and was really happy with the salsa. It was very flavorful with just a little kick. I only got five pints, but I used 6 lbs of plum, so I had a lot more waste from all the little skins. Should have added another pound.
I wish more Mrs.Wages products were available in my area.
If you want to customize Mrs. Wages Salsa you can (in salsa size pieces) chop up 2 green peppers and one med/large onion and add it just before you simmer for the 10 minutes. It gives it a nice added texture and flavor to the mix. This year we had some hot peppers and added some of those also for extra zing! We also remove most of the seeds when cutting the tomatoes up.
We like this version better than just using the mix.