Can a store-bought tomato ever compare to a home grown one? It’s even tastier when that homegrown tomato is used in a homemade salsa recipe, accompanied with other fresh garden vegetables! Of course, if you don’t have fresh garden veggies this is still way better than store bought. But there is just something about those garden ripe tomatoes!
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I love eating Mexican food. It is colorful, flavorful, and exciting to me. It’s the first cuisine I learned how to make since it’s not complex when it comes to family meals. My maternal grandfather is Hispanic, so maybe it comes naturally to me since it’s in my blood!
Regardless of your heritage, this is such an easy and flavorful side dish to add to your taco Tuesday nights!
Is salsa healthy for you?
Yes! Salsa’s main ingredient is tomato. According to the UDSA, tomatoes are high in vitamin A and C. When they are ripe, they also contain high levels of lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant.
Salsa is full of beneficial nutrients. I highly recommend organic produce. If you can’t grow it yourself, it is worth the investment in your health to source clean, pesticide-free ingredients, especially peppers since they are on the Dirty Dozen List. This means that peppers that are conventionally grown are heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Different types of pesticides have been associated with: endocrine disorders, having negative effects on embryonic development, cardiovascular diseases, negative effects on the male reproductive system and on the nervous system, dementia, and also a possible increased risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.1
How to make a garden salsa recipe
Tools to use
The only equipment needed is
- 1 knife and cutting board
- Blender (or a food processor)
Ingredients
To make about a quart (4 cups), you will need
- 2½ – 3 pounds tomatoes
- 1-2 jalapeños
- 1/4 red or yellow onion
- 1 lime squeezed
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic
- ½ tsp chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
The simple steps for garden salsa recipe
- Rinse your veggies before chopping.
- Chop your jalapeños, onion and tomatoes. You may want to use gloves when working with hot peppers.
- Toss your jalapeños and onion in the blender and turn on for 5-10 seconds. You want the blender to mince these so there won’t be huge chunks in the salsa.
- Next add your tomatoes, spices, and lime juice to the blender.
- Pulse the blender until everything is blended well. Be careful not to purée your salsa, you want some tomato chunks!
- Pour into your serving dish and that’s it!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This salsa tastes even better the next day so if you can prepare it the night before, it will allow the flavors to develop more fully.
- You can use any tomatoes but I recommend the large brandywine heirloom, Roma tomatoes or any other tomatoes. I dont think cherry tomatoes would work as well. Also, garden ripe tomatoes will bring the most flavor but organic from the store are a great substitute!
- You can omit spices, however, I highly recommending using at a minimum cumin and salt.
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
Psalms 104:14
Easy Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2½ – 3 Pounds Tomatoes
- 1-2 Jalapeños
- ¼ Onion red or yellow; rough chopped
- 1 Lime juiced
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- ½ tsp Chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse your veggies before chopping.
- Give a quick rough chop to your 1-2 Jalapeños, ¼ Onion, and 2½ – 3 Pounds Tomatoes.
- Toss your jalapeños and onion in the blender and turn on for 5-10 seconds. You want the blender to mince these so there won't be huge chunks in the salsa.
- Next add your tomatoes, 1 tsp Cumin powder, 1 tsp Garlic powder, ½ tsp Chili powder, Salt and pepper, and 1 Lime juice to the blender. Pulse the blender until everything is blended well. Be careful not to puree your salsa, you want some chunks!
- Pour into your serving dish or add to your main dish and that's it! Enjoy!
Notes
-
- When working with hot peppers it is best to use gloves to avoid contact with the oils.
- This salsa tastes even better the next day so if you can prepare it the night before, it will allow the flavors to develop more fully.
-
- You can use any tomatoes but I recommend the large brandywine heirloom, Roma tomatoes or any other tomatoes. I dont think cherry tomatoes would work as well. Also, garden ripe tomatoes will bring the most flavor but organic from the store are a great substitute!
-
- You can omit spices, however, I highly recommending using at a minimum cumin and salt.
Don’t forget to leave a rating for this salsa recipe in the comments below!
Need more garden inspired recipes?
Looking for more summer recipes? Check out the links to fan favorites below!
Resources:
- Nicolopoulou-Stamati, P., Maipas, S., Kotampasi, C., Stamatis, P., & Hens, L. (2016). Chemical Pesticides and Human Health: The Urgent Need for a New Concept in Agriculture. Frontiers in public health, 4, 148. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00148
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4947579/
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