Salsa is the Mexican word for sauces (usually hot).Ā Salsa can be added to almost any food and are always a creation waiting to happen.Ā Todayās cooks like to experiment with salsas by spicing them up by adding fruit or avocado.Ā Some cooks like to create their own blend by adding anything from the garden from green beans to bell peppers.Ā Me, I like my salsa fresh, with the basic ingredients of chili peppers, red onion, garlic, tomatillos, Roma tomatoes, cilantro, and lime, salt to taste.Ā To make salsa just mix all the diced ingredients together and keep refrigerated.
I suggest you experiment with your salsa garden.Ā Start by collecting salsa recipes and then planting a basic salsa garden that consists of one tomatillo plant, three or four tomato plants, two or three hot pepper plants, garlic and onions.Ā If you live in a cooler climate you can grow cilantro, but it goes to seed in hotter climates during summer time.Ā Mix the colors of vegetables up too.Ā Why not use a yellow Roma tomato, blended with red or even a green Roma.Ā Tomatillos come in purple and green.Ā Chili peppers range from green to red to yellow to orange, depending on how long theyāre left on the plant.
Letās start with the one basic ingredient that is at the heart of salsa because it doesnāt have heat, it has volume.Ā Ā Tomatoes.
TomatoĀ
RomaĀ 76 days.Ā Determinate.Ā A quality paste tomato.Ā Not of Mexican origin, but well worth planting in the Salsa garden.Ā It has very thick meaty flesh.Ā Source:Ā BAK BOT BURP NES SOU TERR TOTĀ
Chili PepperĀ
FresnoĀ 75 days. Heirloom. Medium hot, 3ā long chili primarily used in salsa.Ā Pendant fruit go from green to red when mature.Ā Source:Ā THEĀ
JalepenoĀ (OP) 60 days.Ā Hot cone-shaped fruit with distinctive meaty flavor.Ā When smoked they become chipotles.Ā Use when green or red.Ā 24ā plant.Ā Will produce in cooler conditions.Ā Source:Ā ANN BOU GOU SOU THEĀ
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Ā Jalapeno pepperĀ Ā - Photo courtes Southern Exposure Seed ExchangeĀ
Serrano (OP)Ā 85 days.Ā Very hot flavor.Ā 2ā thin-walled fruit.Ā 30ā tall plant.Ā Widely used in Mexico and the Southwest.Ā Source:Ā JOHN THE TOTĀ
GarlicĀ
Spanish Roja Ā Ā Hardneck garlic with true garlic flavor.Ā Ā Source:Ā GUR JOHNĀ
OnionĀ
Red burgundyĀ 100 days.Ā A short day onion.Ā Mild, sweet flavor.Ā Large red skinned and fleshed bulbs.Ā Great choice for salads or hamburgers.Ā An excellent keeper.Ā Source:Ā ANNĀ
Southport RedĀ 120 days.Ā Long day onion.Ā 1873 heirloom.Ā Firm fleshed, medium-sized globe-shaped.Ā Deep red skin and flesh.Ā Ā Grows well in the North.Ā Source:Ā BAK BOUĀ
TomatilloĀ
Purple (OP)Ā 78 days.Ā A bit smaller and more pungent than the green tomatillos.Ā An easy to grow heirloom.Ā Deep purple and sweeter than other varieties.Ā Ā Source:Ā ANN BAK GOU NES SEED TERR TOTĀ
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Purple TomatilloĀ -Ā Photo courtesy Seed Savers ExchangeĀ
Toma Verde 90 days.Ā Probably the best tomatillo for making salsa.Ā Gold ball size fruit.Ā The paper husks split when ripe.Ā 3-4ā bushy plants.Ā This is a Mexican heirloom.Ā Source:Ā ANN BAK BOT SOUĀ
Seed SourcesĀ
ANNĀ Annieās Heirloom SeedsĀ Ā Ā AnniesHeirloomSeeds.comĀ
BAKĀ Baker Creek Heirloom SeedsĀ Ā Ā rareseeds.comĀ
BOTĀ Botanical InterestsĀ Ā Ā botanicalinterest.comĀ
BOUĀ Bountiful GardensĀ Ā bountifulgardens.orgĀ
BURPĀ BurpeeĀ Ā Ā burpee.comĀ
GOUĀ Gourmet Seed InternationalĀ Ā gourmetseed.comĀ
GURĀ Gurneyās SeedĀ Ā Ā Gurneys.comĀ
JOHNĀ John Scheepers Kitchen Garden SeedsĀ Ā kitchengardenseeds.comĀ
NESĀ Neseed Ā Ā neseed.comĀ
SEEDĀ Seed Savers ExchangeĀ Ā Ā seedsavers.orgĀ
SOUĀ Southern Exposure Seed ExchangeĀ Ā Gardens@SouthernExposure.comĀ
TERRĀ Terroir SeedsĀ Ā Ā underwoodgardens.comĀ
THEĀ The Pepper GalĀ Ā peppergal.comĀ
TOTĀ Totally TomatoesĀ Ā Ā totallytomatoes.comĀ
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Karenās Salsa Recipe
12 (or more) firm Roma tomatoes, diced
1 bulb of garlic, diced the cloves smallĀ
1 red onion, diced
2 Jalapeno peppers
1-2 Fresno peppers and/or 1-2 Serrano peppers
2-3 Tomatillos, diced
Cilantro, chopped
2-3 limes for juice (3 if they arenāt really juicy)
Put all ingredients together in a bowl, squeeze lime juice over the mix, add salt to taste.Ā Keep refrigerated.
I donāt like mouth burning heat in my salsa, so you can add peppers to suit your taste.Ā I love salsa on scrambled eggs, and that bit of heat sure adds a pick-me-up in the morning.Ā Not to mention all the vitamins and minerals it imparts.Ā Yumā¦bring on the chips.Ā Oops, and add a margarita with that.Ā
Ā© Copyright 2103 by Karen Newcomb
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Karen, Salsa is indeed the new condiment of choice for almost everyone. It's used in every possible way from chip dips to soup seasoning. It appears that just like chili reciepes, everyone has their own special way to mix up a batch of Salsa. It's so easy to make that even an amateur like me can do it. Thanks for the ideas to get started. Have a great salsa day.