How to Make Garden Fresh Salsa

So, it turns out that salsa is really easy to make! We love salsa around here so this is a very big deal for us. Besides how easy it is to make, it is also fun because you get to choose the ingredients and flavours, and there are so many options when making it yourself.

The best part? You can grow (almost) all of the ingredients at home in your own garden!

Apart from the salt and lime, you can grow everything at home, even the seasonings! However, we find using store-bought seasoning to be much easier.

Let’s get into it!

The equipment needed

• A food processor
• Knife
• Measuring cups & spoons
• 2 oven safe dishes
• A container to store the salsa in

The ingredients

• Tomatoes (Roma is a great variety for salsa)
• Mild peppers (such as Anaheim or Poblano)
• Jalapeno pepper
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Lime
• Spices (cumin, salt)

Note: if you don’t like cilantro you can sub in parsley or arugula. Or you can omit it completely. Also, if you don’t like spicy food you can deseed the jalapeno to keep the flavour without the spice, or you can omit this completely.

Optional Ingredients!

Making your own salsa is so fun because there are so many optional ingredients to change the flavour every time you make it. Here are a few options that you can add to the salsa:

• Corn
• Beans
• Mango
• Liquid Smoke
• Chipotle Sauce
• Peaches

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How to Make Fresh Salsa: Step-by-Step

1. Prep the vegetables

Peel the garlic and onion. Chop the onion into large chunks, and leave the garlic whole. Wash the peppers and tomatoes, but leave them whole.

Place the onion and garlic in a small, oven safe pan. Drizzle with oil. On a separate baking pan add the peppers and tomatoes, and drizzle with oil.

2. Broil the vegetables

Set the oven on Low Broil and place the vegetables in the oven. Have the onion and garlic on the top rack, and the remaining vegetables on the lower rack. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Flip the onion and garlic at the halfway mark.

Once the onion and garlic are browned, remove them from the oven.

After removing the onions and garlic, flip the peppers and tomatoes. Change the broil to High and move the peppers and tomatoes on to the top rack. Set the timer for 10 more minutes.

Remove the vegetables once they have browned. Be careful not to burn them!

3. Cut up the vegetables

Allow vegetables to cool for 15 minutes, or until they are comfortable to handle.

For the jalapeno, if you do not like spice, de-seed the pepper and remove the stem. If you like spice, just remove the stem. Thoroughly wash your hands after handling the pepper, and be careful not to touch your face until you have properly washed.

For the anaheim pepper, remove the stem and seeds.

For the tomatoes, you can choose to remove the skin or keep it on. Depending on how you prefer the texture of your salsa.

4. Add the broiled vegetables to the food processor

Place the broiled vegetables in the food processor, using the S blade that comes with it. Pulse the vegetables until they are your preferred texture, chunky or saucy.

5. Final steps

Remove the salsa from the food processor. Finely chop the cilantro, if using. Add the cilantro, lime juice, salt and cumin, to taste.

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6. Enjoy!

Enjoy the salsa with your favourite chips, nachos, or however else you like to eat your salsa!

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Fresh Garden Salsa Recipe

Makes approx. 2 cups (or one 500ml jar)