More of the Harvest, pt I

So, it's the weekend again. Weekends start with the Farmer's Market first thing Saturday morning. This week, as in the past few weeks, we've been picking up stuff to store away for the winter - peppers and butternut squash. Also, with some more ingredients, we make ourselves some lovely salsa. I had a request for the recipe we use. In truth, I haven't got one, really, it's more a conglomeration of fancies. But, for those interested:

5-7 ripe tomatoes
2-3 sweet peppers (I have been using red bell and poblano, but you could experiment with Jimmy Nardello, banana, etc.)
1-2 jalapeno peppers (or other, hotter varieties)
1 large onion
4-6 cloves garlic

Olive oil
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (about 1 cup chopped)
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, to taste
1/2 tsp ground pepper, to taste
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp brown sugar or molasses

Quarter the tomatoes, remove the stem, de-seed, and dice into a large bowl. Dice the sweet peppers and onion and place in a separate bowl. Halve the jalapenos, remove the seeds and white flesh (or keep it, if you like it hot), dice finely, and add to the sweet peppers. Mince the garlic and add to the “pepper” bowl.

Chop the cilantro down and add to the tomatoes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, and sugar. Add 1/4 to 1/3 of the diced veggies to the tomatoes.

Heat a skillet over med-hi heat. Add enough olive oil for sautéing. Saute the peppers, onion, and garlic until they begin to soften. Add the sautéed veggies to the tomato mix. Done.

ps - all this chopping goes easily with a freshly sharpened kitchen knife. Thanks to our generous benefactors (you know who you are).