This is a pretty basic salsa recipe (adapted from this one I found on Epicurious and easily customizable to your favorite tomato type or heat tolerance. I used a combination of yellow and cherry tomatoes because that’s what I have on hand and I encourage you to experiment with your own favorite tomato/pepper combinations.

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1 cowhorn pepper
• 12-15 sprigs of cilantro
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 small onion
• juice of a half a lemon
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Chop the tomatoes and onions and add them to a bowl. I chop them coarsely but, depending on your onion tolerability, you may want to chop them finely.
2. Chop the garlic, the pepper(s) and the cilantro finely and add to the onions and tomatoes. Add lemon juice and salt and stir till well blended.
3. For maximum raw onion kick, serve immediately. For maximum flavor blending, let the salsa sit covered overnight in the refrigerator.

Postprandial Notes: I also made a batch of guacamole, substituting a cowhorn for two jalapeños. Here it is slathered all over a freshly grilled burger. Yum.

This ketchup is much, much less sweet than the junk you buy in a squeeze bottle at the grocery store. It’s also more tart. You could probably puree it longer than I did but I rather like the chunkier texture.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds green tomatoes, roughly equivalent to 5 cups sliced
• 2 large onions
• 1 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey

Preparation:

1. Rinse green tomatoes and remove any stems and insect damage. Slice green tomatoes and onions and place them in a large soup pot or deep sauce pan, along with pepper, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Cook for 4 hours over very low heat, stirring when the urge seizes you.
2. After 4 hours, remove from heat and puree mixture in a blender. Remember it’s hot so be especially careful about splashes on skin. Pour back into the pot through a mesh strainer. Bring to a boil and add honey.
3. Put the ketchup in jars and store in the refrigerator. You can also can this ketchup in jars – follow the procedure below:
   1. Immediately fill 6 sterilized pint jars with the ketchup, leaving 1/4-inch space between the ketchup and jar lid. Wipe the jar tops and threads clean with clean damp towels. Place hot sealing lids on the jars and apply the screw on rings loosely. Process in boiling water bath in a deep canning pot for 5 minutes.
   2. Remove the jars and cool completely. Tighten the jar screw rings to complete the sealing process. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, it is not sealed and must be refrigerated.) Let jars of green tomato ketchup stand at room temperature 24 hours.
   3. Store unopened product in a cool dry place up to one year. Refrigerate green tomato ketchup after opening. Makes about 3 pints of ketchup. Serve on anything you’d serve red ketchup on – burgers, hot dogs, omu-rice, french fries, tater tots, etc.