Blackeyed Pea Salsa

How many of you grew up eating blackeyed peas every New Year's Day for good luck?  I think it must be a Southern tradition, because I mentioned it to my neighbor, and she'd never heard of such a thing. 

Well, wherever the tradition came from, (I searched the tradition on Google, and didn't find a certain origin), I am continuing it with my family. 

This year, instead of traditional blackeyed peas with bacon over cornbread (as it is usually served in the South), I made Blackeyed Pea Salsa. Super delicious, easy, and very healthy! Perfect for your New Year's health resolutions!

I pulled a bowl of it together in about 15 minutes. We devoured it during the afternoon football games! Lots of good fortune for us this year....though apparently our favorite football team didn't eat their blackeyed peas before the game. :(

Here's the recipe:

Blackeyed Pea Salsa

Ingredients:

1 (15.5oz) can blackeyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5oz) can corn, drained

5 Roma tomatoes, chopped small

1/3 cup red onion, chopped small (about 1/4 whole onion)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped small

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Let sit about 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator. 

Serve with tortilla chips, tacos, fajitas, or just a spoon. :)

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Canning Peach Salsa

Peaches are here! So many uses, so little time! One of my favorite ways to use peaches when they are in abundance is in Peach Salsa! 

I made some last year, but the recipe didn't include tomatoes. We had tomatoes to use this year, so with my neighbor (and partner in canning/crime), we came up with a delicious new recipe! It is just the right combination of spicy, savory, and sweet. Chunky and rich in flavor--you will love it!

First peel and chop peaches. Ours were so ripe, I just peeled them with my fingers right out of the crate.  If your peaches aren't so easy, here is a great method from Our Best Bites.

Then, chop tomatoes. I recommend Romas or some other more-meaty, less-juicy variety.

It already looks so pretty, huh?

I used my hand-crank food processor to chop all the peppers, onions, and garlic. I still chopped the cilantro by hand. Add all these ingredients, along with lime zest and juice to the tomato and peach mix.  Then, stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. 

Put your pot on the stove over medium-high heat.  While you are waiting on it to boil, mix 4 tablespoons of fruit pectin and 1/2 cup sugar. Once it boils 3 minutes, mix this into the pot, stirring well. Let it boil 3 more minutes. 

Ladle the hot salsa into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head-space. Wipe rims, and set sterilized lids on each jar. Screw on rings to finger-tight. Process in a waterbath canner: 10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts.  

Let them cool on the counter, then store in a cool, dry place.

I love eating salsa I have canned throughout the cold winter months! And peach salsa is such a rare-find.  You will love serving it to family and guests through the holidays!

Peach Salsa (Canned or Fresh*)

Makes 10 pints

Ingredients:

14 cups peaches, peeled and chopped

6 cups Roma tomatoes, chopped

2 red bell peppers, chopped

3 cups sweet onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped/minced

1 cup jalapeno pepper, chopped

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1.5 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

1 cup sugar-divided

4 tablespoons powdered fruit pectin

Directions: 

1. In a large stock pot, mix tomatoes, peaches, bell and jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, lime juice and zest.  Stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. (*If you are making fresh salsa, add full cup of sugar and refrigerate until ready to use.)

2. Place pot on stove over medium-high heat.  Stir together remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and fruit pectin.

3. Bring salsa to a full boil.  Boil 3 minutes, then stir in sugar and pectin mixture. Return to a boil for 3 more minutes. 

4. Ladle hot salsa into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head-space. Wipe rims, apply sterilized lids and rings. Process in a water bath canner--10 minutes for pints; 15 minutes for quarts.  Remove and let cool.  Store for 1+ year. 

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Homemade Salsa!

I like chips, but this salsa is so yummy, I could really just have a spoon and be happy to eat it alone. And it's a good thing it's so delicious, because along with my neighbor, I canned 26 quarts of it. ¡Olé!

This is my family's "go-to" salsa.  It has qualities the whole family consistently enjoys--lots of flavor, not too much heat.  My neighbor and I originally started out canning with this recipe from Food.com. We made some changes through trial and error, and we have been thrilled with the final product!

This recipe can be pared down to make much less. You can even skip cooking and canning and just have a yummy fresh salsa. You'd better believe we tasted it before we cooked it, and it was GOOD!

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Salsa

makes 6-7 quarts

Ingredients:

15 cups chopped tomatoes (I prefer Romas because they are less juicy)

5 cups chopped sweet yellow onions

5 cups chopped green bell peppers

1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped and seeded jalapeno peppers (see my post: De-Seed Jalapenos the Easy Way for help)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups apple-cider vinegar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

9 oz tomato paste

Directions:

1. If you are canning, prepare cans and lids. Have a water-bath ready.

2. Mix all ingredients except tomato paste in a large pot. Heat on medium heat until boiling. Simmer uncovered 15-30 minutes, until close to desired thickness. 

3. Stir in tomato paste. 

4. Fill jars for canning leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, place sanitized lids and screw on rings to finger-tight. Place in boiling water-bath and process 15 minutes. 

5. If you are not canning, just mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve. Mmm, mmm.

My neighbor took this picture of it as it was cooking down on the stove. I love all the pretty shades of red and green! 

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Zucchini Salsa Verde--Canned or Refrigerated

You go one morning to check the garden for any ripe produce. There's a zucchini there that is still a bit puny, but should be ready by the next day. You forget to check in the morning, but remember and look after dinner. It has gone from the size of a hot-dog to the size of your arm in less than 2 days! Yikes! What are you going to do with all that zucchini?!

I have the answer! SALSA! My sister canned some delicious zucchini salsa last summer (that I sampled on a recent trip to her house--YUM!), but I hadn't considered a zucchini salsa verde until I stumbled on this recipe from Everyday Southwest. It looked delicious, but with the large quantities of zucchini I had, I was hoping to can some for the coming months. So I found this recipe for canning salsa verde from Ball. I pulled from both to come up with my version. 

We loved it! I hope you do, too!

In a large stock-pot combine finely chopped (I used my food-processor) zucchini, tomatillos, jalapeno and poblano peppers, sweet onion, garlic, and cilantro.  Add lime juice and zest, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt, vinegar, and honey.  Mix well. 

Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes, until all ingredients begin to soften.  

Prepare 2 quarts of canning jars.  Fill to 1/4 inch from rims. Process in water bath for 15 min (half-pints), 20 min (pints), 25 min (quarts). 

Or serve it right up. Store unused in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. 

I had two of these soft tacos. And then spooned some more salsa right onto my plate and ate it with a bit of sour cream.  Tortilla chips are optional. :)

Zucchini Salsa Verde

Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:

5-6 cups finely chopped zucchini (adjust according to how many peppers you use)

3 cups finely chopped tomatillos

1 large sweet onion, chopped

4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional, depending on your heat preference)

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 cup of chopped cilantro

Zest of 2 limes

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more = hotter salsa)

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp salt

2 tsp honey

1/3 cup white vinegar

Directions: 

1. Mix all ingredients in a stock pot. Heat and stir until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 5-10 minutes, or until all ingredients have softened.

2. To Can: Ladle hot salsa into prepared canning jars (this will make approximately 2.5 quarts).  Wipe rims, place sanitized lids and rings. Process in a water bath for 15 min (half-pint); 20 min (pint); 25 min (quart).  Remove and let cool. Store for 1 year. 

3. To use soon: May be served warm, or cooled and stored in the fridge. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 weeks. (This is my best guess--the vinegar should help it last at least that long).  

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