This past weekend Wasatch Community Gardens held their annual salsa party at the fairpark garden, and what a fun night. If you were unable to attend, you really missed out; there were 17 fabulous homemade salsas of every variety, a super jive live band that kept the energy high all evening, and really fun activities for the kiddies; like pot painting and flower planting. The turnout was outstanding, at least 150 people were there to eat and judge salsas, see our beautiful gardens in mid-harvest season, and get to know each other in a casual and fun garden setting.
Personally, my experience was amazing. Getting to know new people from all areas of town, local business owners and organization leaders, local Fairpark area community members, as well as community gardeners from our garden. The energy was so positive, just a bunch of people getting together and supporting our community garden as well as enjoying fresh organic food from neighbors and friends gardens.
The salsas were all delicious, each with a different flavor or unique ingredients. There was everything from a chipotle style salsas, to garlic salsa, and even mango and peach salsas. They were hot, mild, sweet, tangy, savory, excellent... something for everyone. Some attendees and salsa contestants went above and beyond the call for salsa entrants and brought zucchini bread, rice tacos, peanuts, and chips. What a wonderful event to be a part of!
As People's Choice award winner for my peach salsa, I would love to share my recipe with all of you WCG Blog readers, and say if you didn't attend this year I hope to see you there next year, with your own killer salsa recipe and together we will make the salsa party a bigger and better event every year for Wasatch Community Gardens.
Peach Salsa:
- 2lbs tomatoes (sweeter the better)
- 2- 2 1/2 lbs of peaches
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 1 lg. red onion
- 1/2 lime
- 1 orange bell pepper
- spicy peppers (to taste!)
- honey (to taste)
Combine all ingredients except for peppers and honey in food processor, pulse until chopped to the consistency you desire. TASTE. Add peppers, good spicy peppers are jalapenos, serranos, thai hot, cherry hot; go slow add half of what you think you want, taste the salsa and add more if needed. If your peaches aren't super ripe (or sometimes mine are beyond ripe) you can add honey, agave nectar or sugar to sweeten it up a bit. I like mine real sweet and super spicy. Remember that you can mix and match ingredients, use whatever you have ripe in your garden, if you don't have super sweet tomatoes use more honey, if you don't have jalapenos, use serranos or whatever you have. Salsa is best fresh from the garden, it's more about what you have growing then following a recipe, and remember to have fun and taste a lot while you make it!
Happy salsa season.
Carly Gillespie
WCG Vista Garden Intern
