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Jofirey - 24 Jul 2008 07:36 GMT

I have dozens of ripe tomatoes. I've been pruning like mad, but that
is just making the tomatoes bigger.

So its time to make salsa fresca.

I'll chop the tomato and onion in cubes that will fit on the chips.
(Also have lovely home grown red torpedo onions)
I'm not using celery. I may dice in a lemon cucumber. Not using
green bell pepper, didn't like the looks of the pasilla peppers, I am
going to chop in a yellow bell pepper for the color,

The powers that be pulled all jalapenos from the store. Both fresh
and canned. Now there has been one infected pepper identified in
Texas. California was growing their own. Besides no one from
California has been sick that hasn't eaten out of state.

So no jalapeños. I picked a handful of serranos instead. How should
they compare to jalapeños. Both as to the amount I need in the salsa,
and the degree to which I have to protect my hands.

I've got cilantro in the yard. Anything else I need or should
consider? Garlic yes/no? Lime Juice?
Jo

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Christine K - 24 Jul 2008 08:09 GMT

Jofirey kirjoitti:

> I have dozens of ripe tomatoes. I've been pruning like mad, but that
> is just making the tomatoes bigger.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> consider? Garlic yes/no? Lime Juice?
> Jo

Not sure about the rest of your questions, but I found a pepper heat
scale online that states that serranos are hotter than jalapenos.
http://www.ushotstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm

so you'd need less of the serranos to achieve the same level of hotness
as when using jalapenos.

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Gandalf - 24 Jul 2008 09:46 GMT

>I have dozens of ripe tomatoes. I've been pruning like mad, but that
>is just making the tomatoes bigger.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>consider? Garlic yes/no? Lime Juice?
>Jo

Just about EVERYTHING tastes better with a good amount of garlic in it;
IMHO, of course.

I don't cook at all, but I buy that tiny diced garlic in glass jars, to
add to ...lots of things.

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Victor Martinez - 24 Jul 2008 12:37 GMT

> So its time to make salsa fresca.

For a more complex flavor, toast the tomatoes, peppers, onion, and
garlic (unpeeled) in a dry skillet until nice and charred. Pulse in food
processor until it's chunky. Season with salt.
For the raw salsa, use the same ingredients but add cilantro and,
depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes, perhaps a squeeze of lime juice.

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Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov
Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com

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Jofirey - 24 Jul 2008 16:26 GMT

>> So its time to make salsa fresca.
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes, perhaps a squeeze of
> lime juice.

I hadn't thought of the lime in relation to the tomatoes. And home
grown tomatoes can tend to be sweet.

I'll try the toasted veggies in a week or so. I think I'd like that
better than a totally raw salsa.

I have five tomato plants and they are running me ragged. Loaded with
tomatoes and growing like crazy. I try to stay on top of pruning the
best/worst ones back to the fruit will get larger and so they won't
escape their garden any more than they already have.

The new plant for me (so far) is a 'celebrity. Lovely red meaty
fruit. The 'early girl' isn't as tasty but is trying to set records
for being prolific.

Jo

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Sherry - 25 Jul 2008 05:43 GMT

> >> So its time to make salsa fresca.
>
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>
> Jo

Just play around with your salsa. You can't really screw it up.I've
tried lime, lemon juice, garlic, cilantro, etc. etc. I
guess we're "Wonderbread" kind of folks, because we ended up liking
best the simple tomatos, peppers, onion, a little
lime juice and a little sugar, and process it in a canner.
We like fresh salsa too, and use cilantro & lime juice & garlic in
that.
"Celebrity" has been a favorite around here for years, even with
commercial growers. It's about the only plant that the commercial
greenhouses carry to sell to customers. Grape tomatoes are the new
trend for
salads.
Some years when we didn't want to bother with a garden, we still
planted a "salsa garden" --just tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic.
We didn't even do that this year! DH was too busy dividing beehives
and messing with the bees this spring to plant a garden. I miss it!
OT: Has *anyone* got good peaches? I can NOT find a good peach, and
this is the right time for local ones. It's my fave fruit. The ones I
have bought have no flavor at all! None! Not sour, not sweet,
just....nothing. I guess I'll take the ones on the counter and cut
them up and put them in a cobbler where they belong, and see what that
does.

Sherry

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hopitus - 24 Jul 2008 21:09 GMT

> > So its time to make salsa fresca.
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Send your spam here: u...@ftc.gov
> Email me here: pistorLIT...@BOXaustin.rr.com

I bow to the Master, Victor....since arriving in MileHigh, have been
enjoying
Mexican salsa so don't miss Cuban salsa very much at all. I was going
to
suggest cilantro, but as a gringa, have NO expertise on types and
sizzle
power of peppers at all. However, when we lived in CA, all our
neighbors
in San Jose burb has little pepper bushes of various kinds right in
their
yards there....I think we even had one. Can't you raid/borrow ("would
you have a cup of peppers, please?") off your neighbors?
Thank you Victor, for your input. When they decide something else is
killing us and peppers return I will make some doing what you say.

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Jane - 24 Jul 2008 14:10 GMT

> I have dozens of ripe tomatoes. I've been pruning like mad, but that
> is just making the tomatoes bigger.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> consider? Garlic yes/no? Lime Juice?
> Jo

Jo,

I love fresh tomatoes. Just slice and serve with lots of salt,
pepper,and
a little dollop of mayo. Yum.

Then there's bruchetta. Take a loaf of french bread (a baguette works
fine)
and slice. Toast, then brush lightly with olive oil and put your salsa
fresca
on top. It's an incredible taste sensation.

For what it's worth, salsa fresca is still wonderful without jalapeños
(and
I LOVE jalapeños!

Jane
- owned and operated by the Princess Rita

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Granby - 24 Jul 2008 15:25 GMT

Wish you lived closer, have four flower pots with jalapeno peppers and they
are starting to set on, with the crazy weather it has ben tough going.
On Jul 24, 2:36 am, "Jofirey" <jofi...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> I have dozens of ripe tomatoes. I've been pruning like mad, but that
> is just making the tomatoes bigger.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> consider? Garlic yes/no? Lime Juice?
> Jo

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bastXXXette@sonic.net - 24 Jul 2008 19:47 GMT

> I love fresh tomatoes. Just slice and serve with lots of salt,
> pepper,and a little dollop of mayo. Yum.

My favorite tomato salad recipe:

* Slice the tomatoes. If they're really big, you might want to cut the
slices in half or even quarters. Arrange on a plate.

* Drizzle some olive oil on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper

* Add some fresh garlic (I use a garlic press)

* Fresh basil

* Fresh mozzarella (the kind that's stored in water)

* Kalamata olives

Then let it sit for at least a half-hour, so all the juices soak in.

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Joyce ^..^

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Jofirey - 24 Jul 2008 20:04 GMT

> > I love fresh tomatoes. Just slice and serve with lots of salt,
> > pepper,and a little dollop of mayo. Yum.
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> Then let it sit for at least a half-hour, so all the juices soak in.

I'm looking forward to doing this with my Cherokee tomatoes when they
get ripe. They are a large slicing tomato and are Purple with some
green streaks when they are ripe. A heritage variety and
exceptionally good.

Jo

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Matthew - 24 Jul 2008 14:43 GMT

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

you realize that by not using jalapeño or habanero you are basically
making pico de gallo

6 medium Tomatoes diced
1 medium Onion diced
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro chopped.
2 to 4 Fresh serrano or jalapeño seeded and minced
garlic powder just a pinch * Salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a bowl add 1/2 cup of cold water, mix well. Let set a
few minutes.

>I have dozens of ripe tomatoes. I've been pruning like mad, but that is
>just making the tomatoes bigger.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Garlic yes/no? Lime Juice?
> Jo

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