Garden Tomatoes

I scored a ton of ripe tomatoes from Joey's garden, which meant one thing: homemade salsa. This turned out to be one of my best batches yet--sweeter than usual, due to the cherry tomatoes. Step by step instructions on how to make it can be found here.

Bats & Garden Boxes

I found this little guy in my garage the other day. I helped him outside and on his way.

I've had mixed results with my first attempt at garden boxes. Tomatoes seem to be doing well, but that's about it.

Portland, Oregon

I'd never been to Portland before, so I was psyched when I had the opportunity to visit recently through work. My friend Kelsey has been living there for awhile and was kind enough to be my tour guide on a hot and sunny Saturday.

We started the day at the Farmer's Market

Berry season

Real tomatoes, not the crap they try to pass off as tomatoes at the grocery store.

Delicious produce

I read about this Popsicle start-up called SolPops in the newspaper the day before. We came across their mobile stand.

We went with Coconut Agave and Spicy Nectarine.

Most of our day was spent on the 4T Trail: Train, Trolley, Tram, and Trail

From the top of Council Hill, with views of Mount St. Helen's and Mount Hood.

I wish I had a moss covered bench in my yard.

Kelsey taking Sadie off road

I became a little obsessed with this Japanese themed front yard.

And this tree house

The "Tram" portion of the 4T. It takes you down to the waterfront.

A bus snuggie

Cooling off in a fountain at the Saturday Market

Sweet tats. The eyes of the bull are diamond stud piercings. Click to enlarge.

Supercords Salsa: 7 Ingredients. No more, no less.

No American Idol post tonight--with all my favorites out, it's not worth commenting on. Instead, I bring you my salsa recipe. There's far too much bad salsa in the world. I just hope this post can help raise the international standard a couple notches.

My recipe uses just 7 ingredients. After much experimentation, I found that adding anything more or less only served to minimize the flavor. Those seven magical ingredients are:

1. Tomatoes
2. Cilantro
3. Onion
4. Jalapeno
5. Garlic
6. Salt
7. Lime

All must be fresh and of high quality. Don't even think about using canned tomatoes. Let's begin.

The Seven

If you don't plan on using your cilantro right away, you'll want to place it in a cup of water to keep it from wilting.

Tomatoes

Get yourself a good food processor. There's no better way to make salsa. Tomatoes should be vine ripe if possible, preferably from your own garden. Nothing is more critical to good salsa than quality tomatoes. Cut in quarters and add FIRST. This is important, as it allows for the best blend. 3-5 tomatoes depending on size.

Cilantro

I like to let my cilantro sit in a large bowl of water for awhile. The sand and grit will sink to the bottom. Then I rinse it under cold water before drying it out in a salad spinner. After that, I pick out each and every badly wilted or slimy piece in the bunch. I'm a bit OCD about this. Finally, I chop the bunch into about 4-5 sections before adding. If you don't cut them up, the cilantro will wrap itself up around your blades. 1/3 to 1/2 bunch per batch.

Onion

This is where you can get a bit creative. I've tried many different variations of onions, but my favorite is simply yellow with green. In this particular instance, I've added white onions to the mix. I don't recommend using red ones. They overpower everything else. By adding them third, they do a good job of weighing down the cilantro. I generally go with the equivalent of 1 normal sized onion per batch, but that's usually made up of 2-3 varieties.

Jalapeno & Garlic

Jalapeno is all about temperature control. I like to add 1-2 per blended batch. I leave the seeds in for heat. I tried using other varieties of peppers, but I lost temperature consistency. Garlic should be freshly peeled with the rough end chopped off. You can vary the number of cloves you add depending on your affinity for garlic. I like 5-6 per batch.

Tomatoes & Salt

Yes, tomatoes again. You need another 1-2 tomatoes for the right ingredient ratio. By adding a top layer, you get a better blend. Go with Kosher salt. Regular table salt is gross. Kosher has a much stronger flavor and dissolves well. I never measure. Go with your gut.

Lime

Lime is key in the preservation process. Together with the salt, it will keep your salsa fresh in the fridge for weeks. (don't hold me to that though) Do not use lime concentrate from those lime shaped bottles. It's NOT the same thing. Freshly squeezed lime has a unique, delicious flavor that brings the salsa together. I like to cut a triangle wedge from each quarter, throw it in, and then squeeze the juice from the remaining quarter. You get more liquid that way. I use 1 whole lime for each batch.

Blend

Start with several pulses to get things going, then hold down until you get the consistency you like. I like mine a bit chunky, but still well blended.

Giant Bowl

This bowl represents 4 batches from my 10 cup food processor. It's a lot of salsa. Enough to feed a small army or service an entire cafeteria of grade schoolers. I finished it off in a couple weeks. My tolerance for salsa is very high. Put a lid on it and refrigerate. It tastes better after it's allowed to sit for a few hours.

Congratulations, you now have the best tasting salsa in the world. Donations gladly accepted.

Business in the Front, Party in the Back: II

Business in the Front:

We are in full bloom, and new multi-legged critters have joined the work force in the front yard.

Wasps, black flies, and ladybugs to name a few.

Party in the Back:

I planted a sprouting onion awhile back in this pot by my back door. I like the idea of having fruit and vegetable flowers over traditional flowering plants.

West side zucchini and squash, along with some rogue tomatoes and a potato from the compost.

SW corner zucchini and strawberries

South side squash and compost cantaloupe I think. Plus jalapeños.

Tomatoes