Zesty, colorful vegetables can be grown a salsa garden.
A salsa garden consists of low-maintenance plants that grow in any sunny garden and, when harvested, supply you with the ingredients for tangy, rich, homemade salsa. Start with juicy tomatoes, then plant a few peppers to fire up your taste buds. Finish by planting onions, garlic and the tangy herbs of your choice and you'll be all set with fresh salsa makings at your fingertips.
Tomatoes
A flavorful salsa includes at least two types of tomatoes. A meaty tomato such as La Roma or Mamma Mia will add thickness to your salsa while traditional slicing tomatoes such as Early Girl or Celebrity are juicy and will add bright color and a garden-fresh flavor to your salsa. However, any tomato will taste good when used in salsa, so plant your favorite varieties.
Peppers
Peppers are the ingredients that make your salsa unique. Like tomatoes, a variety of at least two or three peppers will add flavor depth to your salsa. A sweet red or green pepper is a good starting point; accompany the sweet pepper with at least one chili pepper, depending on your tastes. Jalapeno, habanero or serrano peppers add plenty of heat to balance the mildness of a sweet pepper while poblano, Colorado or Anaheim chilies are zesty, middle-of-the-road peppers.
Onions and Garlic
The onion is an important salsa ingredient. Although any firm, blemish-free onion will result in delicious salsa, its flavor is a matter of personal taste. Onions such as Sweet Spanish, Walla Walla Sweets or Bermudas are sweet and mild either raw or cooked. Yellow Globe onions are pungent and add flavor to a spicy salsa. Ebenezer onions are delicious as green onions, or they can be allowed to mature to large, mild-flavored onions. Garlic, a cousin to the onion, is a cinch to grow in a small patch of well-drained soil. Any variety of garlic will complement the flavor of your salsa.
Herbs
Dedicate a small, sunny corner of your salsa garden to your choice of flavorful herbs. Cilantro isn't difficult to grow, and will add a distinctive flavor to your salsa. Fresh basil provides a slightly sweet flavor while parsley will add color and freshness. Many salsa aficionados appreciate a hint of fresh oregano.
Tags: your salsa, flavor your, flavor your salsa, salsa garden, sweet pepper, your choice