Shaniel's Salsa

Shaniel planted a garden every year. She called it her Salsa Garden! 

Every year, early in the Spring, Shaniel anxiously gathered everything necessary to start her garden. Small paper cups were filled with soil, and after making a well of water, she carefully planted the tiny tomato seeds. The counter by the south facing window in the kitchen became home to her plants for the next couple of months. There the warmth from the sun hit the plants for most of the day, which encouraged healthy and happy plants. Shaniel carefully tended to her tomato plants until they were big enough, and it was warm enough, to plant outside in the garden plot. Oh... and the kids always helped. Not only was it a learning experience for them, but it was fun, too!

It is usually the end of May when vegetable plants, started from seed, can be transferred to the garden. Shaniel always had good success in growing her own tomato plants and they were healthy going in from the onset. After planting each tomato plant, Shaniel planted a variety of pepper plants, including green and red bells and jalapeno, making her Salsa garden complete. But, you can't have a garden without the family favorites, such as squash and cucumbers, and on occasion corn. And, of course, pumpkins for fall!

Shaniel loved her garden! She spent as much time as she could in it. Weeding, watering, and making sure they were healthy and free from pests. And, it showed! She not only had a green thumb when it came to plants, but she had a way of arranging her plants to make it look like art.

Waiting for vegetables to fully ripen takes patience. But, you can bet when the first tomato turns red on the vine, you know Salsa season is coming on! As soon as she could, Shaniel made fresh salsa. She found a recipe for salsa but wasn't crazy about it. So she started to experiment, adding and taking away ingredients, until it was salsa perfect! She made fresh salsa almost daily for her family. Chips and Salsa! Salsa and Chips! She made it for family. She made it for friends. It was so good... we all wanted in on her secret Salsa recipe. She was more than happy to share.

Shaniel's Fresh Garden Salsa

6-8 large fresh garden-picked tomatoes

2-4 avocados

1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 tsp. cumin

1 lemon

1 lime

1-2 cups spicy V-8 juice

fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Finely chop tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. Place in large bowl. Add spices. Squeeze lemon and lime into mixture. Pour in V-8 juice. Stir. Add finely chopped cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.  Grab a bag of tortilla chips and dig in!

Resourceful and thrifty.That was Shaniel! What tomatoes she didn't use for salsa, she bottled. No prompting from her mother whatsoever! I was so proud of her when I saw these bottles of tomatoes sitting on her counter. She was proud, too. My homemaking skills, years of doing and teaching, had rubbed off on my daughters! When you grow a garden, canning the excess is just something you do. Waste not; Want not!

It was so rewarding, as a mother, to watch Shaniel grow into the confident mother and homemaker she became. It was pure joy to watch her plan, plant, grow and make use of her Salsa Garden every year.

She was given a talent and used it. She practiced patience and diligence as she cared for her plants. She taught her children how to grow and tend a garden. She practiced prudence...was resourceful and thrifty. She had pride in her garden and worked hard to reap the rewards. She was persistent in perfecting her salsa recipe. She shared her talent with others. To me, that all adds up to some good-old fashioned character building. Shaniel was simply AMAZING!