It's Salsa Day, Cha Cha Cha

Today is Salsa Sunday at North Haven Gardens, and I decided to make a fresh salsa for entry. But I'm always torn about entering these things, being married to a professional chef and owning a restaurant, does that give me an unfair advantage in the competition? Well if people really knew how talentless my cooking is ...... but reality has nothing to do with perception these days. So because my traditional recipe of salsa (grilled: tomatoes, onions, 3 kinds of peppers, and garlic; add cilantro, touch of tomato paste, salt and lime juice, blend in blender) was taught to me by my husband I decided to forgo this delicious dish (it also makes a wonderful summer soup) and come up with one of my own.

I took North Haven Gardens suggestion to get kind of crazy, utilizing vegetables (cucumbers, peppers) growing right now in my garden (and also a few backups from Tom Thumb) to come up with a one-of-a-kind salsa based on an ubiquitous dish we would eat all summer in Michigan.

"NOT MY GRANDMOTHER'S PICKLED CUCUMBERS" SALSA

3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, small dice

1 large red onion, small dice

3 large anaheim peppers (or other mild yellow pepper), roasted lightly to remove skin, seeds removed, small dice

2 large jalapeno peppers, roasted lightly to remove skin, seeds removed, very fine dice

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 TBL. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

Mix all in bowl, let rest overnight. Drain excess liquid. Adjust seasonings and heat level.

Judges for this event include Bliss Raw Cafe, Jeffrey Kowitz of Taco Joint, Lisa Petty of Dallas Eats and Eddie Garza of Dallas Vegan. You may enter as many salsas as you'd like (1 cup minimum) between 9am and Noon, winners will be announced at 1:30 pm with samples available for tasting.

Stick around after the salsa contest for another of NHG's great FREE classes, "Canning For Beginners" at 1:30 pm. I grew up canning bushels of tomatoes in August, in an un-airconditioned house, peeling scalded tomatoes with dull knives that nicked the hands. But come December it was all worth it when we'd open a jar and have a family favorite "Tomatoes on Toast" (just like it sounds) with next-to-fresh deliciousness.