I Tried Making My Own Garden Salsa and Was Moderately Successful
I’ve had a garden for a few years but for the most part, I just eat the veggies I manage not to forget about it and do my best at making pickles. However, this year thanks to the pandemic, I’ve been finding new (and safe) ways to spend my time during this never-ending quarantine. So I decided it was time I try my hand at making salsa!
Related Article: How to Make Your Own Pickles
In my garden this year, I’ve been growing tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro, but I always seem to run into the issue that nothing is ever ripe at the same time!
I decided to make a day of salsa making by first supplementing the missing ingredients I needed at the Minneapolis farmer’s market.
I’ve only been to the farmer’s market a handful of times but I was quickly reminded why I love it. There’s something so nostalgic and worldly about open-air markets that you just can’t get at a normal grocery store. True, you usually can’t find everything you would at the store, but what you can find is totally worth it!
I had a lovely morning walking up and down each stall, chatting with the vendors and purchasing the ingredients I needed, and a few just because they looked delicious.
Farmer’s Market Pro Tip: If you’re planning a trip to the farmer’s market, I recommend bringing your own produce bags. I had thought ahead enough to bring a tote, but each vendor gives you their produce in plastic bags, which made me feel very wasteful :/ Also, most vendors only take cash. There are ATM’s available but just something to be aware of.
With all the ingredients at hand, I was ready to get down to business. I used a generic salsa recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook that was gifted to me one Christmas. Here is a similar recipe to the one I used if you’re interested in making your own.
The main thing I’ll say about making salsa that you intend to can/preserve is it took a lot longer than I had anticipated. It really did take nearly the entire day because of the prep work and letting the tomatoes drain for a substantial amount of time.
I would say I was moderately successful at my first attempt at making salsa. For the amount of time and effort it took, I really was expecting more than just 3 small jars at the end!
All in all, I did have a fun day, and that’s really what I’m all about. I have a bunch of tomatillos growing in my garden that I plan to tackle next. And now I know what to expect!
