For many people salsa is as commonly eaten as ketchup or mustard. Even though there are many different recipes for salsa, there are a few universal ingredients. Most of them can be grown successfully in our gardens. This year plan a salsa corner in a sunny spot in your garden. Some seed companies even sell a salsa seed collection.
Tomatoes are the basic ingredient in many salsa recipes.
The best type of tomato for salsa are the paste tomatoes. Although these pear or plum shaped fruits are smaller than standard tomatoes, they are full of flavor and have a very meaty low moisture flesh. The degree of hotness in the salsa can be varied by the type, quantity and portion of the peppers used. The main source of the pungency in peppers is capsaicin, which is basically odorless and tasteless. It resides in the inside wall of the pod and the white lining, and is concentrated at the stem end.