One of my favorite things to make when the garden is producing it's bounty and the tomatoes are plump, ripe and juicy is salsa.  I have tried canning this salsa, freezing it both unsuccessfully.  Don't get me wrong it still tastes ok, but it losses it fresh flavor during the canning process and freezing causes the vegetables to break down too much on the cellular level and the salsa ends up very watery.  So we make it a couple of times during the week and by now every member of the family, besides Gemma is able to reproduce their own version.  Since we don't live in a warm or tropical climate, we aren't able to grow limes.  Although I have had a lime and lemon tree for some time now, they just don't seem to get the heat and the sunlight needed to produce fruit.  Therefore, we keep a good stock of limes and lemons on hand throughout the season.  As per my MO, this is a forgiving recipe and can be tweeked to your liking.  Don't like cilantro, don't use it.  Roast the tomatoes and jalapenos before blending for a smokey flavor.  Like more spice?  Leave the seeds and membrane in the jalapenos.  Want your salsa to have more sweetness?  Add some roasted or not sweet peppers or for those really adventurous add peaches, pineapple or strawberries.  We even add in corn and or black beans from time to time.  Make it your own.  Just make it, don't buy it!  It tastes much better than any other salsa your going to purchase from your grocery.

Garden Salsa

Ingredients

6 tomatoes seeded and cut into chunks
1 jalapeno seeded and deveined
2 cloves of garlic smashed and sliced
1 tsp cumin
3 Tbs Cilantro chopped
1/2 lime juiced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Place everything into a **food processor and pulse until the vegetables are diced to your liking.  Making sure the tomatoes are fully chopped and there aren't any large chunks left.  Add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Since you will more than likely be using tortilla chips with this taste with them.  Tortilla chips already contain some seasoning and you don't want the salsa to have more salt than needed with the chips.

**If you don't have a food processor, you only need to chop or dice the ingredients to your liking.  You could try and use a blender with the chop setting, but mine would tend to make everything to fine for my liking. 

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Late last week I had lunch at Maggiano's.  Yes, I know, "a corporate establishment".  However, I do enjoy the food there quite a bit. I was able to enjoy this lovely creation and then come up with my own version.  This flat bread is great as an appetizer, lunch or light dinner.  I have already thought up other ways to be versatile with the toppings.

Crispy Flat Bread

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Kosher salt for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times to incorporate all of the ingredients
Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-12 inch oblong rustic shape.  You can make it a very uniform rectangle if you wish.  The dough should be thin, less than 1/4" thick.
Lightly brush top with additional oil and sprinkle with sea salt. *Tip:  You could also sprinkle with herbs if you are so inclined.  Continue with other round of dough.  Slide formed flat breads (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flat bread to a rack to cool.
Flat bread can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Flat Bread Topping

Ingredients

Lightly grilled shrimp, sliced in half
Peeled, deseeded and sliced cucumber
Arugula, rinsed and patted dry
heirloom cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
sliced pickled banana peppers
thinly sliced red onion
extra virgin olive oil
lemon

Directions

Drizzle 1 Tbs. olive oil in mixing bowl and squeeze 1 tsp. of lemon juice in bowl and lightly whisk (this is enough for 1 flat bread).  Place ingredients in bowl and lightly toss to coat.  The amount of ingredients and oil mixture will depend upon how many flat breads you are serving.  Slice flat bread, keeping the shape together and top with salad mixture.  Drizzle with creamy basil vinaigrette (recipe to follow).  Sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper.  Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients

I am longing for warm weather.  The past few days here in Indiana have been a tease: typical of Indiana weather in March.  As I long for Spring, Summer and their influx of fresh fruit and vegetables, I am reminded of this past late summer when we joined my mom and dad for a trip to Huber's Orchard, Winery and Vineyard located in Starlight Indiana (Southern Indiana) to pick the last of the seasons apples, grapes and peaches. 
It was so much fun to hop up on the tractor pulled flatbed trailer and catch a ride from orchard to orchard to vineyard.  We picked bags of apples: Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Gala, for eating throughout the next month or so.  We picked boxes of Encore peaches for freezing and canning. But the absolute highlight of our day was picking different grape varietals for processing into the best grape juice you have ever tasted!  Seriously, watch out Welches you've got nothing on this stuff. 


The three varietals we picked were Concord, Jupiter and Golden Muscat.  I'm pretty sure we should have weighed River before and after as he ate as much as he picked!



We had such a wonderful day working and having fun as a family.  I am definitely looking forward to strawberry season.

It won't be long before May/June is here and the strawberries are plump, juicy and ready for picking, or eating in River's case!

Schedule of picked and u-pick dates.

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With baited breath, we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first fresh strawberries.  However, as this is about 4 - 5 weeks away we have to settle for the second best; Fresh from the grocery.  Not to worry though, homemade strawberry milkshakes were our quest, so they worked just fine.  You can really use any fruit for this recipe, even frozen.  With warmer weather on its way, these will quickly become a weekend staple.
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