Tomatillos In My Salsa

It is harvest time. This is the time that I love my garden the most. Over the course of the summer we have picked peas, basil, onions, lettuce, kale, cherry tomatoes, and even a cantaloupe. We have canned tomatoes and are planning on canning even more! 

One item in our garden that I especially love are tomatillos. I use them in that wonderful Costa Vida ranch dressing and I even put some in my salsa. They came in a pack, so this year we planted 3 tomatillo plants. There is no way that I will be able to use that many tomatillos as they come. I didn't want that many to go to waste and I needed a way to store them.

Because I use pureed tomatillos when I put them in the ranch and the salsa, the most convenient way to store them seemed to puree them first and then freeze them.

First you need to pick the tomatillos when they are ripe. Tomatillos off the vine are bit smaller then at the store as with most things. Over these past weeks of picking the fruit I found that the best time to pick them is when the bottom wrap is split open and the wrapping is just barely starting to get a purple color.

Next you need peel the wrapping off the tomatillos, wash the sticky film off, cut the tomatillos in half, core them, and puree them. I just stick them in my ninja and it makes the fruit nice and smooth.

 

Last I poured about a cup and a half in a labeled freezer bag to store flat in the freezer. In one bag I stored about the amount that I would use in my salsa. This way I just take out the bag of frozen tomatillos to thaw for a couple of minutes and then throw in the salsa. 

It only takes a couple of minutes to get these stored and they last up to a year!

Also thought I would share the two recipes that I use tomatillos for. Tomatillos aren't a common ingredient, but Jordan says he can tell when I put too little of them in my salsa. 

I use THIS recipe for the Costa Vida/Cafe Rio Ranch sauce.

I have grown up with the following salsa recipe and it is just packed with vegetables and fruit. I don't even add salt or a chili powder. I love the fresh taste, but it isn't even close to bland. However, depending on the quality of your produce the quality of the salsa can vary a bit. Hint: buy quality produce!! 

Obviously anything fresh out of the garden is best including tomatoes. Just be sure to blanch the skins before throwing them into the salsa. The skins do not blend super well. 

Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

3 green onions

1 bunch of cilantro

3-4 tomatillos

3 garlic cloves

1-2 Jalapenos (The amount depends on how hot you like your salsa, I use one and a half. Also the darker the jalapeno the more spicy I have found it to be.)

4-5 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes

2 limes

 

Use a food processor or high quality blender and chop/puree the onions, cilantro, tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, and tomatoes. ( I have to do it in 2-3 different shifts to make it fit.) Squeeze limes into salsa and stir.

Enjoy!!

Pesto Pizza

So I never thought Jordan and I would be 'those' people. The kind of people that grow, make, and eat pesto regularly. However, with my basil plant that is about all you can do. The first time I made basil, I followed THIS recipe. We simply put it on pasta and paired it with some bread sticks. Jordan was worried that two cups of basil wasn't going to make a lot of pesto, it made about 3/4 cup, but.... a little bit of pesto goes a long ways. We had leftovers for a couple of days. It was the perfect amount.

For my second harvest of basil I decided to make pesto pizza. It was AMAZING. I followed THIS recipe, but added my own variations to go with what I had available. The pesto sauce on this pizza was a little bit different. There was added broccoli and it didn't have any nuts. Nuts are expensive, so that was a plus.The changes I made to the recipe were that I added some cooked chopped chicken and I made my own pizza crust. I didn't end up pre-baking my crust, but that is what Jordan complimented the most.

The only changes I will make to this pizza for next time is to add a little more tomato to the top. For my size of pizza one tomato wasn't quite enough. 

OH.... feta cheese is so so fantastic. I already knew this, but I thought it was way to expensive. While it is moderately expensive, after buying it after this time I don't think I will have issues purchasing it again.

My Gardening Obsession

I am admitting that I have a slight gardening obsession. Jordan and I have had a garden every year since we have been engaged. The first 2 years it was in a little community plot a few miles away from us. Jordan and I really love to work hard together. If I have an idea of something I want done, but either don't have the know how or strength to carry it through, I am lucky enough to have a 'handyman' as a husband that always finds a way! Although I enjoyed that garden and the tomatoes that it gave us, I am so happy that I now have a garden in my own yard.
We moved into an apartment complex where the landlord gave the tenants permission to tear up the side yards and each have our own plot. Last year, we got an overload of tomatoes and a few HUGE summer squashes. It was fun, but a lot of tomatoes went to waste. This year, I have a plan to plant less and to can the extras! (another 'fun' little skill that I think will be an advantage to me now and in the future)
After tilling the dirt and picking up rocks and weeds, I planted some early spring crops that I am already starting to harvest. I have lettuce, broccoli, spinach, onions, kale, peas, and I just put in a few carrots.

My lettuce and onions!

Broccoli, you can see my baby spinach in the left top corner too

Kale and Peas

 My latest invention is the pea trellis. As my peas grew taller they started to fall over and even vine around my other plants. I knew I needed a trellis, but I didn't want to spend to much money. After a little bit of Pinterest researching I put together a make-shift trellis with scrap wood and twine. In the end, everything cost less then $4 and I have over half of the twine left. I tested this contraption against the rain and wind and it stood! Hopefully it will help my peas to have a good harvest.
As soon as this rain lets up we are going to start our tomatoes! We are ready for a summer of salsa!

We planted a garden

Jordan and I bought a community plot to plant a garden. We planted tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, beans, and peas. Hopefully, a watermelon too!

 Just thinking about the tomatoes made our mouths water. We cannot wait till harvest time.