Fresh Garden Salsa

There's only one thing better than fresh salsa in the summer, and that's fresh salsa FROM THE GARDEN in the summer! Wait, there is one more thing: fresh salsa, from the garden, IN NEW MEXICO! This year, I was very fortunate to have a successful garden. Having not lived in New Mexico my whole life, I have had to learn about the native traditions, languages, and tastes. One of those tastes that my family and I have grown to love is that of salsa. Not just any salsa. Green Chile Salsa!

Green chilies grow wonderfully in this part of the country. This year, we planted three chili plants (one Anaheim and two Sandias), one jalapeño plant, and a bell pepper plant. To go along with the peppers in our "salsa garden", we grew four huge tomato bushes, a few rows of onions, and some cilantro!

I am planning on canning most of the tomatoes as tomato sauce, salsa, and marinara sauce, but at the beginning of their ripe season, there are not enough for a whole batch of canned goods. That's where the beautiful fresh salsa comes into the picture.

We like to have friends over for occasional barbecues, dinners, and football parties. At one such even, someone brought some AMAZING salsa over. Of course, I asked her for the recipe and have since thrown in my own twist. Mainly, substitution of fresh produce.