Salsa

My husband cans. My husband jars. My husband pickles. My husband preserves. If the End Times ever arrive, I will be living on vinegared vittles for the rest of the Apocalypse. How I relish the opportunity (pun intended).

ALLEN'S SALSA:

TOMATOES (This year, he used Romas.) (And he doesn't know how many because he just picked them all and threw them in his large silver pot.)

JALAPENOS (He just picked them and de-seeded them and threw them in his large silver pot, so again, no quantities, but I would guess a cupful per large silver pot. I asked until he became irritated.)

ANAHEIM PEPPERS (He picked all he grew, and I imagine the amount is the same as the jalapenos, but probably less. Get off my back!) (All went into his large silver pot. I know because I am always filling this large silver pot.) (Unless I'm filling the large black pot.)

ONIONS (Three big ones! I know because I asked and asked, and he finally frowned and said, "Three big ones!". He grew his own and strung them all together into a hanging bunch that has now attracted gnats. He transferred them to the garage where we will not see them attract gnats.)

GARLIC (He says three cloves is enough. I wonder. I love garlic, so I wonder.)

CILANTRO (He used fresh, tearing a handful from a grocery store bunch of it. Cilantro is always "to taste" since people seem to have their own tipping point on the cilantro scale. And some, genetically, can't abide it at all.)

LEMONS: (He used two. Because I keep asking how much of this and that, he requests that I not put up this recipe and give away all his secrets. So I have deleted some items. You will never guess, but it has seriously shortened this blog's length.) LIMES are best though....because they're limes.

SALT (I think he used salt. I didn't ask because this seems a given. He keeps a small jar containing his secret salsa flavorings, and I'm fairly sure salt is one of the components, but I'm not fairly sure about the quantity. He and I don't see eye to eye on salt levels in that I LOVE salt and can never have enough. And also LOVE it.

SWEETNESS (Some form of sweetness was added to this jarred salsa in order to preserve it, but I can't tell you what he sweetened it with - only that it is slightly sweetened with something sweet. We don't sweeten fresh salsa, but some form of sugar is required for canning.

Seasoned salsa makers will know to whiz ingredients in a blender and such. They will know at what spot on the savory spectrum they like their salsa, and experiment. Salsa lovers always do.

(I realize this is not much of a recipe since large chunks of it have been deleted, and there are no specific quantities which is integral to any recipe, but it's staying posted. I worked on discovering the exact ingredients for two days, typing them out as they trickled in, so I am pretty much married to this post. And it to me.)