Do D Salsa

 

We love salsa. That's all there is to it. I'm afraid, however, that salsa is one of those things that just happens in the kitchen. We have never used a recipe. We gather tomatoes from the garden, we chop them all up, and we add the other ingredients relative to how many tomatoes we originally picked and chopped. I rely on D's innate ability to make incredible salsa rather than a recipe. His taste buds have never let me down! 

So, despite the fact that the title of this post eludes to us making poop salsa, this is really D's salsa. When we have an abundance of fresh, juicy, slightly firm tomatoes taking over our counter tops, we "do D salsa." 

Go ahead. Give it a little chuckle. 

 

As I mentioned, the first step is gathering your base: tomatoes. Some people will tell you that you must use certain tomato breeds to make salsa. 

Hog. Wash. Hogwash, I tell you. 

If you have tomatoes in your garden, use them for salsa! Tada! Simple. 

Chop up all the tomatoes you have and place them in a large pot. 

Like so...

 Now, start adding a few of your favorite things...

Like Anaheim Peppers... oh baby.

Anaheims are great for several reasons. They've for the flavor without the heat. If you like hot salsa, by all means, add things like jalapenos, habaneros, etc.

If you're like me, stick with these puppies.

 

And garlic. Lots and lots of garlic.

Your garlic will not be this beautiful. That is because you do not have a Kathy Awbrey in your life bringing you boxes of elephant garlic to show you how much she loves you. These babies were grown in Oregon soil not ten miles from here. They were cured on our rooftop. You don't get garlic better than this.

Some other essential "sidekicks" for great salsa include: onions and cilantro.

You can't have salsa without the cilantro taste. It's wrong.

Dice it all up, mix it all together, plant your nose deep down in the pot, and inhale.

Some other things to add include: salt, garlic salt, canned green chilis, cucumbers...

Get creative.

Add about a half a cup of lemon or lime juice to act as a preservative, and bring the salsa to a boil in this big pot. Then simmer for about ten minutes.

Ladle your salsa into hot jars, put a lid and band on, and process in a water-bath canner for 25 minutes.

And pray that you can't fit all of your salsa into jars. Hope that there is some extra that must be eaten right away.

Grab your bag of Juanita's tortilla chips (since they're the best chips on the face of the planet!) and dig in.

After your salsa is done processing, set the jars on the counter and wait for that glorious and very familiar "ping" of success. Then hide these bad boys in a dark cupboard somewhere so no one knows they exist!!

Enjoy!