Salsa, a condiment made of almost entirely vegetables, is so good this time of year. Salsa can be as simple as 3 ingredients and because of that, making sure your ingredients are the freshest and ripest makes all the difference. Harlequin grows everything you need to make a salsa…onions, tomatoes, tomatillos, jalepenos, green peppers, poblanos, anaheims, roasted peppers, cilantro, basil, and some super spicy peppers. These next couple of months are also a good time to can salsa as all the ingredients are at their peak freshness.
Here are a few helpful things to remember when making your way through this salsa season:
- The hottest parts of a chile are the seeds and the veins, so add them only if you mean to. If you have sensitive skin, wear rubber or plastic gloves when handling chiles.
- If you are making fresh salsa (not heating the tomatoes) make and eat it in the same day. Once a fresh salsa sits in the fridge the tomatoes stop ripening and it kills the flavor
- Fresh-squeezed lime juice is a great way to add a base of flavor – make sure you strain out most of the liquid from the tomatoes before adding it.
The easiest way to dice an onion:
In all its simplicity, salsa can be very versatile– some like it hot, mild, chunky, runny, lots of garlic, red, green, roasted, etc. Experiment with different peppers, consistencies, roasting/charring some ingredients and see how you like your salsa. Once you get your recipe down, you’ll never want to buy salsa from the store again.
Making the Most of Your CSA 