Salsa

Our growing season is nearing an end. The mornings are now dipping into the very low 40 degree range, and that means it won't be long until I wake up to our first frost. Of course when the frost arrives, that is an end to the garden. And typically my tomatoes just get going good about this time of year. That is just part of life though here in north Idaho. The bright side of this news though is that it is time to make salsa!! I love to eat it fresh; however, I do have people in my household that don't care for fresh tomatoes (I know, it is hard to imagine). So to accommodate them, after I am sure to hold some to the side for those of us that love fresh tomatoes, I cook the remainder down until it is just the right consistency, put it into hot sterilized jars, put the lids on the jars and let them cool. At this point I usually just put the jars into the freezer because there is not enough acid in the recipe to can and store on the shelf. The nice thing about this recipe is of course you can change it however you like.

Salsa
5 lbs. of fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups of chopped sweet onions
2 7-oz. cans of diced green Ortega chilies
1 cup of snipped fresh cilantro
1 cup (approximately 10) of Anaheim chilies that have been roasted in the oven and peels removed. (I also use a variety of whatever chilies that I happen to have growing in the garden)
6 cloves of chopped garlic.

Remove skins from tomatoes, core and chop. In a 6-quart saucepan, combine tomatoes and remaining ingredients. (At this point you can just enjoy it in its present state -- yummy!!) Or, you can bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer to desired thickness.