Salsa Time!

This is my annual entry about tomato harvesting season. It's a re-run of sorts, because I include my recipe for my infamous ass of fire salsa recipe for you to try. It's really good, entered in a couple of salsa contests, and I've lost to a number of questionable salsa-istas that are not as good. I'll say it, I'm biased. Plus, my bowl was empty at the tasting table, so I know others think it's pretty good.

This year was another one for shitty hot weather season with little rain. I had a pretty good haul, and could have had a better one if I had more time and energy to tend to the garden. Oh well, what can I do? Toms love warm weather, but when it gets above 90 degrees, plants tend to shut down and you end up with the whole split fruit scenario, sun scalding, and blossom end rot-(BER). I was lucky enough to not have to deal with that, but I did get some fruit splitting and scalding, which ruins tomatoes.

So I've given some away, made sauce, and oven dried some. I used to think one needed a dehydrator to do that, but seriously, just cut toms into 1/4 inch slices on parchment paper and put on a cookie sheet in the oven at 150 or your lowest setting. Sleep, mop the floor, watch all seasons of Breaking Bad, and boom! You have sun dried quality tomatoes in about 6-9 hours, depending on your oven and how well you sliced your tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes halved make the best sun dried treats.

Pick some tomatoes, or get them at the farmer's market--and make this salsa!

Jewbacca's Ass of Fire Salsa

• 1-2 lbs of heirloom tomatoes--I really prefer Gold Medal, Big Boy, or Brandywine.
• 2T of red onion, finely chopped
• 1T Ms. Dash chipotle flavor
• 2t lime juice
• 1T olive oil
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro, less if you want. dried can be used here, but you're just cheating yourself. Seriously, it's 99cents a bunch on the off season.
• 2 jalapeno or serrano chiles (serrano peppers make this hotter!) de-seeded and de-membraned *in a pinch i've used chopped pickled jalapenos, about 1/4 c. worth
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/4 t chili powder
• 1/4 t cinnamon-(YES cinnamon)
• 1 t of dried garlic, or one clove of fresh-finely chopped
• 1/2 t salt or 1 t of bragg's liquid aminos
• a few splashes of Frank's or your favorite hot sauce

Wash and chop those 'maters, draining off excess tomato juice. Psst, save the juice for another recipe! Add all other ingredients together and store in the fridge for 3 days. If you have any left after that time, shame on you. No--seriously throw it in the freezer and use it later for Spanish rice or an enchilada casserole.