Making this salsa recipe is easy when your garden is in full swing. Most of the ingredients are vegetable garden staples – tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, spice, etc. This recipe allows you to either can or refrigerate your salsa. Once you have this basic salsa recipe down – improvise and try to make it your own. You can even combine the ingredients in a large bowl and use fresh without any cooking.
What you need – Kitchen supplies
Pot large enough to use as a canner
canning jars
canning seals and rings
jar lifter
canning funnel
large pot
bowls
large spoons
sharp knife
towels and dish cloths
ladle
Fill a large pot about 1/2 full and place on high heat.
Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
Combine tomatoes, green peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro, salt and tobasco sauce, in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. You have just made a nice salsa. If you want, refrigerate and use as you like.
For canning:
Ladle hot salsa into hot jars (use a funnel it keeps things clean), leaving about 1/2 inch head space. Stir each jar with a clean knife to remove air bubbles and adjust head space, if necessary, by adding hot salsa. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
Process both pint and half pint jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours.If the lid pops it isn’t sealed and the jar should be placed in the fridge and used within 2 weeks.
Tomato varieties are the mainstay of many home gardens. When grown correctly fresh garden tomatoes are fantastic. They can be eaten straight from the garden, cooked into sauces, stews, soups – just pick what you like and tomatoes can probably be added. Tomatoes can be easily canned using the hot water method, for directions go to Ball Corp, and can even be frozen. So, any excess fruit grown can be stored for another day. When we have enough, my wife and I stew the tomatoes and can for use in sauces, soups, stews and chili.
Tomatoes have vitamins A, B, C, iron, phosphorous and potassium.
The first of the two tomato varieties I planted for the 2015 garden was a straight forward type called “Abe Lincoln”. It is an organic tomato. It started slow but once it got started it went crazy. Planted – 4 pots with 4 seeds each on March 1. I planted 4 of the plants the 2nd week of June. All are over 6’ tall and as of mid-September have produced a little over 12 lbs. with about twice that amount yet to come. The flesh is firm a solid red and almost a perfect round shape. I really like this tomato, it is juicy but not so much that when cut into there is a mess. Cut a slice and sprinkle some salt – excellent.
The advertising for the Abe Lincoln states: 90 days, indeterminate — ‘Abraham Lincoln’ was originally released by H. W. Buckbee Seed of Rockford, Illinois in 1923. Abraham Lincoln tomatoes are large, meaty, flavorful heirloom tomatoes. There are many exceptional heirloom tomatoes, but ‘Abraham Lincoln’ consistently produces huge crops of extra-large, meaty fruit.
The second tomato variety I chose is an heirloom organic. I picked Botanical Interests Pole Cherokee Purple. I have grown this tomato before and really enjoy it. Pole Cherokee is a big, meaty, tasty hunkin’ tomato. The meat is firm and there really is not a lot of excess juice (which I like).
The company advertising states: 80 days from transplanting. Indeterminate. Cherokee’s rose/purple skin with green shoulders encases red brick colored flesh with just the right level of sweetness. You’ll be harvesting large numbers of 10 to 12 oz. tomatoes from this well regarded heirloom variety from summer to fall. The flavor has been described as yummy, tasty, wonderful, delicious, heavenly, and unbelievable! Provide support for vigorous vines that reach 6 feet or more. The package states organic and labeled NO GMO
Planted – 4 pots with 4 seeds each on March 1. I planted 4 of the plants the second week of June (family vacation trumped planting this year) So far this year, as of September 18th, I picked about 16 lbs. The Cherokee Pole plants are smaller plants than the Abe Lincolns but frankly I think they taste better and grow larger fruits.
tomato vines with tomatoes
I planted 8 plants along the north side of garden bed 1. Spacing is as instructed – 2 feet apart. The other plants in the bed are peppers and eggplants. The spacing away from the tomatoes is also 2 feet. This year I have kept the plants trimmed. I cut off about two thirds of the leaves trying to keep air circulating. Any leaves that hit the ground were immediately removed. Watering was kept on the light side and during the late morning to give the plants time to dry. So far, as of September 18th, all the plants have stayed healthy. I do cage my plants and frankly they do well. What is great – no chemicals used on the plants. Just 2 doses of Miracle Grow 10-10-10 fertilizer early in the season nothing more. About as organic as I get!!!
Over Labor Day my grown children “went shopping” in the garden. Each ended up with tomatoes, as well as other veggies, to bring home.
As of October 11, all tomato plants were pulled. We ended up with 8 plants producing 35 lbs. of tomatoes. That is only 4+ lbs. per plant. In theory we should have been able to grow about 60+ lbs. with 8 tomato plants. With the early summer cold and damp and the summer very dry I can excuse away. Others that also garden stated their tomatoes were somewhat the same as ours so….. Still for the investment in 2 packages of seeds – roughly $4.00 we were able to produce (based on our local supermarket prices of $1.50/lb.) $52.00 in tomatoes for the season. All were eaten, saved and given away.
Just a quick note, I always like to try different ideas. For the 2014 garden I tried growing a tomato from Canada that turned out to be a hybrid. The tomatoes that I took the seeds from were large, juicy and delicious. The tomatoes that grew from the seeds ended up being a plumb tomato. They were not overly tasty at all. So…word of warning.
Roasted Tomato Soup is a hearty flavorful food. It is considered an easy recipe to follow. The heavy cream brings it all home in flavor.
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes
6 cloves garlic – peeled
2 small yellow onions – sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot. Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
Add basil leaves. Pour contents into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock – you do not need to add the remainder. In fact if the vegetables are fresh there may be enough liquid content already. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
garden vegetable cooking and simple living cooking. Tomatoes are a must in your garden you should try to grow tomatoes
