This Week In My Kitchen
Capturing my love of whole foods, combined with the activity of a bustling kitchen.
A weekly collection of photos from the center of my home.
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- The light is shifting in my kitchen, hanging lower in the sky and lingering in our south facing windows more than it has in recent months. Of course, we had quite a stretch of heat this week so my cooking (and photos) mostly took place in the evening. Today the air is cool and I just might turn on the over and bake myself a cake. Happy birthday to me.
- We have reached the point in summer where it is each family memeber's duty to consume a reasonably large amount of tomatoes each day. The small cherry tomatoes especially. So far, two out of three of us are pulling our weight. And really, there is no time to get terribly creative with recipes (nor is it necessary), for those tomatoes are growing by the moment.
- Looking at these kitchen photos and seeing all the gorgeous food that we've grown. I can't even believe it... peas, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, kale, herbs, peppers, and more! This feels so good, especially as this gardening year has felt like the least productive one since we've moved here.
I thought I'd share my salsa recipe with you all this week, just in case you are knee deep in tomatoes. It's been posted on Facebook since last summer, and this year Rachel commented that she won a blue ribbon with the recipe at her local fair! It's a good one. Enjoy!
SUMMER SALSA
Makes about ten 8-ounce jars. I doubled the recipe and canned it in pint jars.
7 cups chopped tomatoes
2 cups chopped onion (I used a mix of red and sweet)
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tbsp red chili flakes (more if desired)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 can or jar tomato paste (5.5 oz)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup loosely packed, finely chopped cilantro
1 rounded tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp sea salt
1/4 - 1/3 cup honey (depending on taste)
1. In a large non-reactive sauce pan combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and boil gently for 30 minutes, stirring often.
2. While salsa is cooking, prepare canner, jars and lids.
3. Ladle hot salsa into sterile/hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rim if needed with clean cloth (I use a wide mouth funnel to fill jars so edges stay clean). Center lid on jar. Screw band on until *just* tight. (Don't over-tighten!)
4. Place jars in the canner of boiling water, make sure jars are covered completely with water. Cover with lid. Process for 20 minutes (8oz or 16oz jars). Remove canner lid. Wait five minutes then remove jars. Let sit and cool for 24 hours then label and store.
Each day I find myself snapping a picture or two in the kitchen - a pile of ingredients, a table waiting for us to gather around, a sink full of soapy dishes, a cup of tea, dinner as it comes out of the oven - simple, everyday moments in the kitchen. These photos serve as a reminder of days gone by and as encouragement to carry on in this busy kitchen of ours when inspiration is lacking.
Every Thursday morning I'll post my photos from the week, words or recipes optional. Just glimpses into my kitchen and you're invited to do the same!
It's simple to join in:
- On your blog, post photos taken in your kitchen throughout the week.
- Words aren't necessary, your photos will tell the the story. Some of us enjoy adding a few thoughts to accompany the images... the choice is yours.
- Feel free to grab the brief description at the top of this post, or add a few words of your own to explain the project.)
- Link back to this post so your readers can visit This Week In My Kitchen and join in.
- Come back here and link up your current post (not your main blog) so we can all visit your kitchen!
- Join me every Thursday or the occasional Thursday if that works better for you.
- Please be sure to only link up if you are participating in this series. Thank you!