As my friend's wedding approaches in mere days (check back later for all the pictures!), I took a break this afternoon from the baking and planning. I had fruits and veggies to put up!
I was the very lucky recipient of a large delivery of organic produce, straight from a local grower, courtesy of my thoughtful brother. No way could I let it go to waste. So first up, salsa. Ole!
Onions with the dirt still on them!
Gorgeous red, yellow and orange heirloom tomatoes. In love!
I could live on salsa alone. It's my all time favorite. This particular batch has a variety of heirloom and sweet yellow tomatoes. I'm not sure what particular type of peppers, as I just grabbed a couple from the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket. But given the burning of my hands while cutting them, I'm guessing it will give off some nice heat. Ordinarily I would provide you with my recipe, but in this case, the USDA would probably hunt me down. Cause here's the thing: I HATE the USDA-approved recipes. For me, I want some chunk and crunch in my salsa. So I kind of just wing it, botulism be damned. I don't really cook my salsa, other than a slight warming to bring out the tomato juice. I figure the time the jars spend in the water bath is cooking enough. And in the end, it's a nice consistency. I also don't add sugar, and very little vinegar. Like I said, the USDA wouldn't care for me sharing the details. But hey. They got that whole Pork cooking temperature thing wrong, so I'm going with my gut on this one. And for what its worth, no one has gotten sick or died yet. ;)
Check out this green pepper. It's the size of a baby's head!
Next up, pickles. But first I needed to find the perfect pickling music. I strongly believe that life is better lived with a soundtrack. Even if it's just in your head. I also think that dogs make the best dancing partners, so make of that what you will. Pickles. I've never made pickles before. That was my mom's stinky job growing up. But I have to say, pickles scream banjo to me. So on went the Avett Brothers, and let the pickling begin. (I'm pretty sure my neighbors think I'm nuts, but I'm comfortable with that).
I had a bunch of little pickling cucumbers, as well as some english variety. I'm not sure if you can pickle an english cucumber, but I'm giving it a try. I sliced them, and cut the pickling cukes into spears. And since I had some fresh dill, I threw that into the jars as well.
Since I've never made pickles before, I opted for the Mrs. Wages Kosher Dill mix. Mixed with water and vinegar, boil and add to the jars. Side note: pickles stink up the house like nothin' else. There is just no way to make boiled dill and vinegar smell good.
Check out my pickles!
10 jars of salsa and 12 jars of pickles. Not too shabby for an afternoon "break"!
Shameless plug time. My good friend Becky over at Buzzy Bee Creations makes the most amazingly cute little kid clothes. And aprons. And if you're a disaster in the kitchen like I am (seriously, I'm a little baking Pig Pen in here), you need an apron. And why wear one of those ugly boring ones, when you can get a super cute apron you wouldn't mind answering the door while wearing? I have at least 4 from Becky, and my cleaners thank her. See:
Cute AND practical! Love it. :)
I must say that I really enjoy reading your blog! And not because you promote me (thanks for that!) but because you write as if I was sitting in your kitchen watching you make these wonderful creations.
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