Fresh Garden Salsa

What do I like most about summer? Going out to my garden, feeling the dirt between my toes as I pick ripe vegetables. Tomatoes, pickles, zucchini,onions, yellow squash, green beans - we plant a bundle, which makes it even more exciting when each is ready to be picked.

One of my favorite things to make when all the right produce is ripe....SALSA. From the beginning, I've never followed a recipe, but just picked an assortment of goodies and put it in a bowl and taste tested it for what it needs a little more of. To me, it's delicious, but everyone has their likes and dislikes. Here's a little photo selection of what I put in my fresh garden salsa:

I chose to use grape and cherry tomatoes instead of regular-sized tomatoes. It's just a preference. I think that these tomatoes are sweeter and have more flavor, so even though it takes a long time to chop these up, it's worth it.

A few years ago, I went to Burley Park, an antique and collectibles market, and came across a man selling purple pepper plants (the plant on the right). I had never seen them before (neither had my mom or grandma). The man said that the fruit grows purple and it has heat. Being such a unique find, my grandma and I both picked up a plant.

Here's an up close view of the purple pepper. Each year my grandma and I harvest the seeds when the pepper turns red. We save them for the next year and when spring comes around, we plant them. I put a few plants in my garden, too, and they are thriving. They aren't as tall as the ones grown in a pot, but they have peppers on them.

This is what I put in the salsa:

-medium-sized bowl full of cherry and grape tomatoes
-1 onion
-4 banana peppers
-2 green peppers
-2 jalepenos
-3 purple peppers
-salt and pepper to taste

I cut the tomatoes into about five pieces. This took quite a long time, but it was well worth it.

When I started cutting the jalapenos, I wasn't sure if I wanted to use two of them because I didn't want the salsa to be too spicy. I cut up one into very small pieces and the second one was added as I taste tested it for heat.

The purple peppers are very small, so they were cut into very small pieces. You can't even see them in the final picture of the salsa. My dad ate a slice of a purple pepper and he immediately said his mouth was burning. They definitely have some heat, but bring a nice addition to the salsa.

As for the rest of the vegetables, cut them into chunks. Stir that baby up and taste test it. Need a little salt? Add it. Want a little more spice? Cut up some more jalapenos or purple peppers.

TA-DA! Delicious fresh salsa made entirely with vegetables from my garden!

SERENITY

This is part of the 18 -ities practice, where each week I'll think about a word taken by spiritual leader and yoga master Sri Swami Sivanada, the writer and composer of The Song of Eighteen Ities. Read the introduction here.

"1.) Serenity 

Tranquility, acceptance, a feeling of peace. A moment of serenity is where it all begins. In this state of serenity, our mind is motionless and nothing disturbs our thoughts. Serenity is like a forest pool on a calm day. The pool's surface is as smooth as glass. If we come closer, we can see right down to the bottom of the pool."

 The first thought that came to mind when I read that excerpt from Happinez Magazine was my daily meditation. I might describe the details of this meditation at a later date, but the reason I do it is to center myself. When I concentrate on breathing and finding my center -- not daily tasks, issues that have come up, or anything else weighing on my thoughts -- I can truly find serenity.

The power of breath is truly amazing. Taking long, deep, intentional breaths can be extremely soothing. We all breathe shallow breaths most of the time, but engaging the belly into the exercise of breath stretches those muscles and moves that oxygen through your body.

Another thing that brings me serenity is being out in nature. There's a certain stillness, but also activeness that resides in the forest, garden, or at the beach. All the sounds around you are natural. There aren't cars whooshing by, or a TV blaring, but instead, the sound of rustling leaves and waves crashing. It allows you to see the beauty of what is earthly-made.

I also feel a sort of serenity when I'm creative writing, just scribbling down words or phrases that come to me. It almost feels like a brisk wind urging me to get this down on paper because I'll need it someday. It's a kind of relief that is soothing and energizing all at the same time.

What comes to mind when you think of the word SERENITY? I'd really love to hear.

Growing starts with introspection. Start with the -ities

Bookstores are my downfall. Whenever I walk into a bookstore, you can almost guarantee I won't walk out empty handed. At a very young age, I watched my mom hustle over to the magazine section of any store, looking for inspiration in pictures atop lifestyle and party magazines. It's been a tradition that whenever we waltz into Barnes and Noble, we head straight for the magazines.

Last week, I did not falter in this ritual. The lights shone bright overhead as I scanned the Stampington magazines (my favorite) for a new issue. I had all of them. But I kept scanning and as my eyes trailed the shelf, I saw an ornate pink pattern framing a woman doing anjali mudra (yoga term for what looks like prayer hands). The cover said "follow your heart" and "do you know what makes you happy?" with the slogan of "positive, wise, & loving life." So many things spoke to me on the cover that I had to open the pages and take a peek.

Glancing through, it brought positivity and the yogi spirit to life through beautiful pictures of nature, Buddhist temples, art, and words. There was an article on the importance of intentional breath, the influence of singing bowls, and one of my favorite articles talked about becoming introspective on blessings we have and exploring them through the 18 ities.

What are "ities," you ask? Words that end in -ity. Words like serenity, regularity, absence of vanity, sincerity, simplicity, veracity, equanimity, fixity, non-irritability, adaptability, humility, tenacity, integrity, nobility, magnanimity, charity, generosity, and purity. And those are the 18 highlighted by spiritual leader and yoga master Sri Swami Sivananda.

"Eighteen virtues. Think of them as words written on notes hanging in a forest along the path we travel - life's path," the article reads. "They are reminders of what we should look out for along the way, what we should investigate, what is important and what we can learn."

The intention is that you explore the -ity for a week and it will give you deeper insight into life and yourself. Always seeking ways to find more connection with myself and the encompassment of life, I decided to challenge myself to this journey. I encourage you to also take a deeper look at these words and try to decipher how they position in your life. If you're hesitant, you can always follow along on my 18-week voyage.

Stop back tomorrow for the first jump -- SERENITY.