Today is Thanksgiving here in Canada. It’s going to be a quiet day around the house for me and Dave. But as always, I like to take stock of the things I’m grateful for.
Of course, I’m grateful for Dave and the cats, and the roof over our head. I’m grateful for my family, even though I won’t see them today. I’m grateful for my hobbies, which keep my mind engaged and hands busy.
And I’m grateful for my garden – even though it gave me WAY TOO MANY TOMATOES!!!
I mentioned that I cleaned the gardens out last weekend, and I had a huge basketful of tomatoes. Many of you mentioned canning some tomato sauce, and that would be fine, except tomato sauce isn’t something we eat a lot of in this house. I’m not a big fan of tomatoes in general, and we don’t eat much pasta. Dave likes tomatoes, but has to watch his intake because the acid bothers him.
But then, I was laying in bed and I had an epiphany… I didn’t have to make sauce – I could make salsa!!! Several years ago, I ended up with a glut of green cherry tomatoes, and I made Salsa Verde. I gave it all away and it was a big hit with everyone I gave it to.
So Saturday morning I got up and put all the tomatoes in the sink to give them a good clean…
Then I got to chopping…
I could have used my blender for this like I do when I make jam – but I love playing with knives. I chopped tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic threw it all into my biggest pot.
Once stewed down, it was put into pickle jars and processed in a hot water bath.
In the end, I got 14 jars in three batches. I made a hot batch (jalapeno and scotch bonnet peppers), a mild batch (half the jalapenos), and a mild batch without onion or garlic for best friend Samantha, who has a sensitivity to alliums. With the exception of Sam’s batch, the rest will be added to Christmas presents this year.
You can see, even after that, we still have some tomatoes left – though not enough for another batch. But enough that I won’t feel too bad if we don’t eat them all before they go bad.
And the ability to make something special to share from our own garden – Burton agrees – that’s something to be thankful for!!
Wandering Cat Studio 
Happy Thanksgiving!! Your salsa looks and sounds amazing! I had a big bowl of tomatoes that were going to spoil, so last night I roasted them with garlic and basil, let the mess cool and then put in in a zip lock bag in the freezer. We do eat a lot of pasta and love sauce, so this will come in handy this winter!
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Happy Thanksgiving!
One year, my brother gifted us with bags of roma tomatoes, so we made salsa.
It was the bestest, because the fruit was fresh. Yummmm….
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Happy Thanksgiving! That salsa looks amazing. I’ve only made it once from my own garden stuff and I still remember how good it was. It’s not the same at all when you use store bought produce. I’ve tried.
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Happy Thanksgiving a day late! Great job on the salsa. I know that everyone will appreciate it. I used to make a very similar chili sauce that wasn’t quite a thick, but close. It was Dennis’s Grandma’s recipe and everyone loved it. I know your family and friends will be the same and appreciate the time you took to make it for them.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy
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What a beautiful list of thankfulness! The salsa looks beautiful! Nice work!
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Happy Thanksgiving.
The salsa was a great idea. You could always put a “freebie box” outside with the tomatoes. I bet the neighbors would lessen your load.
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Happy Thanksgiving! Your salsa looks delicious and what a great way to use the excess tomatoes. I am sure your family and friends who receive some will be thankful for your excess tomatoes.
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I need to learn how to make salsa so I can get it to my tastes. Yours looks yummy. And I love your new Moda plans, I might have to crack out my Red/Cream layer cake. And the bassinet is adorable!!!
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Happy Thanksgiving to you and Dave! Great job on the salsa!
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