Monday, October 4, 2010

Enjoy a Little Salsa!




I have thoroughly enjoyed my garden this year, and along with fresh produce, rediscovered the joy of "putting by" some of the vegetables. I had forgotten the great sense of accomplishment in seeing row after row of jars filled with the colors of the garden, now brought indoors for the winter months. The photo to the left is my chili salsa. (I will share my recipe with you at the bottom of this post --and I hope you will enjoy a little different kind of salsa as you read.)

Although putting by the garden produce was once a necessity of life (you couldn't buy canned goods easily), home canning is now seeing a revival because it allows the cook to control the kinds of ingredients that go into the recipe. Although it can be time-consuming, I feel part of a process where I can see clear results -- the fruits of my labor.

Creating of any kind brings that same sense of fulfillment. Perhaps that is one reason there has been such a revival of anything handmade. And, even if you don't make the item yourself, there is a greater sense of enjoyment knowing the ideas, design, work and effort that went into creating that one-of-a-kind item by the hand-crafting of the artisan you buy from.

The Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team is comprised of so many talented artists! With the theme of enjoying a little salsa, check out these amazing handmade items you can own -- the fruits of their labors. . . .

Red Green Yellow Fine Viscose Felt by Sassalyne



Hand Crochet Multi Colored Neckwarmer by TheSlipStitch


Red Tulip Original 12 x 12 inch painting by THE BLUE HERON STUDIO
Fused Glass Heart Magnet by Chris1

Pathway Original Watercolor by sixsisters



Red Textured Serving Plate by artsielady



Red Jasper Pendant with copper tree trunk by yarrow1
The First Allessandra bag ... roomy, fashionable and fun by scottieacres


Burnt Orange Long Scarf by stitchesbyjulie
Lampwork Disc Bead by SusanLambert
Necklace red coral and silver tassel by PixieMarket


Marbled Alchemy Business Card Holder by Kimbuktu
Raspberry Flower Focal with Button Center by ZudaGay
Native American Beaded Earrings by jstinson



I hope you enjoyed the salsa selections from the Bbest Team.  Now, for the recipe I promised:


Canned Chili Salsa
1 lb. onions, chopped
2 lbs. anaheim chili peppers
5 lbs. fresh tomatoes
3 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup white vinegar

Peel the fresh peppers by roasting in a 400 degree oven until they blister to loosen the skins. Discard the seeds and chop the peppers. Wash the tomatoes and dip for 30-60 seconds in boiling water to loosen the skins. Dip in cold water, slip off the skins, and remove the cores. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Fill sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Adjust the lids and process in a boiling water bath for 19 minutes at 4,001-6,000  feet altitude; 21 minutes at 6,001-8,000 feet altitude. Remove from the hot water and set out of a draft for 24 hours before moving to assure sealing.

12 comments:

Zuda Gay Pease said...

Yummm! Lovely salsa colored items!

Yankeegirl said...

Sssssssssssssssss...love these smokin' hot items and the recipe looks yummy too!

Julie G. said...

Judi, what a great blog! We love salsa here and I love all the great choices of 'fruits of our labor'. Thanks for including my scarf. Like you and the rest of our bbesters, I thoroughly enjoy creating and thank God for blessing me with the talents He gave me. Just makes life sweeter.

Kate Ladd Art said...

Great blog and delicious sounding salsa! All our hot red selections look great together too. Thanks for including my red tulip painting!

On a Whimsey said...

Great blog! Yummy recipe! I, too, have made some jelly for the winter months using free hedgerow berries of sloe and crabapples. Now I have some delicious accompaniements to the turkey at Christmas!

Super 'salsa' collection to show of the talents from this amazingly talented team!

FabricFascination said...

Love the theme. Thanks for including one of the business card holders from my other shop.

circleinthesand said...

Great blog post and super yummy recipe!!! Here's hoping that "Handmade" never goes out of style!! Beautiful items from the BBEST ladies!!

Dayna said...

Love the colors! Must try the recipe. Sounds yummy. Thank you for including my purse!
Great blog post.

jstinson said...

Yum..I love salsa and this blog!
Thank you so much for including a pair of my fan fare earrings! Love all of my team mates features here as well! Bbest is Hot!

Ceci said...

all, such beauties. Wish I felt confident enough to can fresh. Thanks for including my plate.

Tinker Pixie said...

Thank you for the great post Judi! We all know how busy you are and we really appreciate your effort! Thank you for including my necklace!

Nuvofelt said...

What a lovely post. I'm more than tempted to try the recipe too. Thanks for including my felt.