Random ingredient recipe: tomato peach and ginger salsa

The scenario: I had several pounds of ripe tomatoes from a local vegetable market in Bloor West Village and another couple pounds of ripe peaches from the Winona Peach Festival. We were heading to a friend's cottage for the Labour Day weekend and so I was thinking about some kind of party food. The idea of salsa first came to mind given the shear volume of tomatoes I had and I thought that the sweetness of the peaches would compliment the salsa nicely.

However, when I searched several recipe websites that I typically rely on, I came up empty. Then after a basic web search, I came across the exact recipe I was looking for. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except that I added about 2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger for extra warmth which gave it a nice touch. I used about 4 dried red Thai chili peppers which worked quite nicely and gave it a medium spiciness overall. I also didn't use a food processor to mince the onions and peppers, but rather I diced them by hand.

This is an excellent recipe that makes a wonderful, fairly thick and chunky style salsa (see above). I did not can this for long-term storage however if you're a experienced at canning, you certainly could. Here is the complete recipe for Tomato Peach and Ginger Salsa adapted from the blog "A Handmade Life" with my comments and additions in italics:


Tomato Peach and Ginger Salsa

• 3 1/2 pounds ripe, Roma tomatoes (blanch, peel, and chop)
• 1 1/2 pounds peaches  (peeled and chopped)
• 3 large bell type peppers diced
• several hot type peppers (maybe 6 jalapeno type then add more depending on your taste - I used 4 dried hot Thai chilies which worked perfectly)
• 1-2 large onions diced
• fresh minced garlic (1 head is nice but can use less)
• 2 tsp grated ginger

• 1 small can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp paprika (optional -- I included paprika)

Place all ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil uncovered and then turn down heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Keep an eye on it and stir every so often otherwise it can burn on the bottom as it thickens.