Since my garden is only putting out little bits of this and little bits of that, I’ve decided that I need to do more small-batch preserving.  More of those things like blanching one batch of beans to freeze instead of waiting for enough for a large batch.  Picking and blanching one bunch of kale and putting it in the freezer one package at a time.  Making one small batch of salsa with the yellowing tomatillos instead of waiting for enough to do a large batch.  That seems to be working pretty well.  One freezer bag at a time I’m putting vegetables in the freezer.  Last night I did up some cauliflower that I’d bought at the farm-stand without having a use in mind for it.

But two days ago while at the library I picked up the actual book, Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.  I’d checked it out before, but really hadn’t been too interested in making one or two jars of this or that.  Not so this time.  I wasted no time in gathering the ingredients to make Tomatillo Mexican Salsa, since I had everything on hand.  It intrigued me with all the ingredients in it, and since I had 2 pounds of tomatillos, I was also going to quadruple the recipe right off the bat and see how it did.

I am so glad I did!! This salsa is fantastic! It’s also completely different from any other I had made.  First of all, this is confirmation that it has not been ideal weather for hot peppers, as I put 8 chiles in it, and there isn’t a trace of heat.  But it also has a freshness, a tang to it from the tomatillos, and then the onions, peppers and carrots combine to add some sweetness, and really, it is a great salsa.  It’s sweet- and not unlike a chutney of sorts, actually.  Yet it’s not as sweet as, say, a sweet pickle relish.  It’s just overall really nice and tasty, and I could gobble up an entire jar in one sitting.  Given the list of healthful ingredients, that can’t be such a bad thing.  It’s also gorgeous to look at with all the colors blended together in one jar.   I will say this.  If you’re going to make a batch of this, for just 2 cups of salsa, I’d be tempted to just put it in the fridge.  It won’t last long enough to make it worth canning.  Unless you want it for several months down the road.  Additionally, since the ingredients called for are pretty normal, you could make this in the dead of winter with supermarket ingredients and it would be spectacular then too.  Trust me, this is a good one- just make sure your chiles are spicy if you want some heat!

Tomatillo Mexican Salsa