Garden Salsa Recipe

We love gardening.  We are definitely not experts, but it's really fun.  There's just something amazing about eating food that is homegrown!

This year, we planted carrots, onions, squash, 3 kinds of peppers, tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.  What did you grow?  Our garden didn't do quite as well as last year, but we still have had some really good produce.  So this weekend, we made several batches of salsa with veggies from our garden and some extras from my family (and a few from the store...darn peppers weren't ready yet!).

Garden Salsa
(Freezer Salsa, modified from Taste of Home)

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time:  45 minutes + cooling
Yield:  40 servings (1/4 cup each)

Ingredients:

8 cups        tomatoes (about 10 large), diced
2                medium green peppers, chopped
2                large onions, chopped (or 3 medium)
2                jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1                6 oz can tomato paste
2/3 cup     condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/2 cup     white vinegar
2 Tbsp       salt
4-1/2 tsp   garlic powder
1 Tbsp       cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Chop and dice all vegetables.  (I used a food chopper for everything except the tomatoes.  You could also use a food processor if you want a smoother, less chunky salsa.)

2.  Place all ingredients in a Dutch oven or large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Then, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Leave uncovered and stir often.

3.  While the salsa is cooking, label freezer bags or containers with Garden Salsa and the date.

4.  Let cool for 1 hour or until room temperature.  Pour into freezer bags or containers and seal.  If using freezer bags, lay flat on a cookie sheet (or other flat surface) and freeze.  Once frozen, remove cookie sheet and store salsa in freezer for up to 3 months (or longer...we've definitely gone past this before...).

Notes:

We sometimes substitute or add banana peppers, yellow tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, or green onions.  You could even add corn or black beans too.  And if you don't want it as spicy, you could use 1/2 Tbsp of cayenne or omit a jalapeño or two.  (This salsa recipe is moderate in spiciness, in our opinion. ;)

We do not remove the skins or seeds from our tomatoes.  We think that the salsa still has a great texture and tastes great with them, so we've decided to take the easier, faster route and leave the skins on and seeds in.

Be careful cutting the jalapeños.  Use gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after handling them.  (Do not touch or rub your eyes - I have learned this the hard way!)

This recipes fills 3-4 quart sized freezer bags (5 heaping 1/3 cup scoops each) with enough leftover to enjoy right away!

What a perfect recipe to enjoy all football season long!

What are your favorite garden recipes?  I have an amazing Creamy Carrot Soup recipe that I love as well.  I'll be sharing that soon...once the carrots are ready!  Please share your favorite recipes with us in the comments - we would love to try them!

               

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