Recipes

Besides gardening, I love to eat! I mean what’s the point of growing all these delicious chillies if we’re not going to find yummy ways to use them?

To my delight and surprise, I found out you can also eat pepper leaves!

So where did I get this information, and how did I make the savory soup pictured to the left? I got it from The CSA Cookbook by Linda Ly.

This cookbook isn’t like the others. In fact, when I had stained more than a few pages while cooking from it, I knew it was one of my new favorites.

The Unique Approach Of The CSA Cookbook

So how is this cookbook different? The back of The CSA Cookbook reads like this:

If you have a community supported agriculture share (or a super-bountiful garden) you know that the joy of harvest is often mixed with trepidation: too often, some of the produce you paid for (or grew) winds up in your compost pile. Find delicious ways to use all of those veggies in The CSA Cookbook. The 105 seasonal recipes utilize every edible part of the plant, from leaves and flowers to stems and seeds. Think of it as a nose-to-tail approach — for vegetables! You’ll learn to look at produce in a whole new way and start to think twice before you discard your kitchen “scraps.”

Yep, that’s right, Linda cleverly teaches you how to use every edible part of the plant for cooking. Hence, the pepper leaves in the soup.

Ginger-Spiced Chicken Soup With Wilted Pepper Leaves Recipe

(Recipe from The CSA Cookbook by Linda Ly, Voyageur Press, 2015)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2-inch piece ginger, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds skinless bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks
• 8 cups water
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 chayotes, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups packed pepper leaves
• 1 lime, sliced into wedges for serving

Instructions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Push the mixture aside with a long spoon, and add the chicken, and brown each side for about 5 minutes. Pour in the water, fish sauce, peppercorns, and salt, and bring to a boil.

​Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Skim and discard the foam that rises to the surface as the chicken cooks. Add the chayotes and continue simmering for about 15 minutes, until tender and translucent. Stir in the pepper leaves and heat through until wilted. Serve with a squeeze of lime over each bowl.

(Recipe courtesy of The CSA Cookbook by Linda Ly, Voyageur Press, 2015)

The book says you can use leaves from both hot and sweet pepper plants, which include Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens or Capsicum chinense. If you don’t have your own pepper ​plants, you can get th​e leaves at most Filipino markets.

And if you can’t find chayotes, Linda recommends using a tender squash like zucchini.

The Pepper Leaf Flavor

What do pepper leaves taste like? You’ll be surprised.

Raw, my pepper leaves tasted kind of bitter with a black pepper aftertaste. I tried leaves from various plants and they all had this type of flavor. Honestly, I don’t recommend eating them straight off of the plant.

Cooked, the leaves take on a much better flavor. After just a couple minutes in the soup, the leaves tasted like a spicy basil — they were delicious! The leaves still had a peppery aftertaste, but the bitterness was completely gone.

Getting The Chile Leaves

​If you’re not sure how to harvest your pepper leaves safely, here are some tips. ​

• Don’t remove all the leaves from your pepper plant during the growing season. Completely stripping the plant will interrupt photosynthesis.
• Refrain from eating leaves that are damaged from bugs or disease. I’m sure this tip is obvious, but I thought I’d throw it in there.  🙂

When you prune your plant for optimal growth or for winterization, you now have a reason to save the foliage!

About The Pepper Recipes

The CSA Cookbook has a “Tomatoes & Peppers” section containing the soup recipe and about eight other recipes that utilize chillies. I’m especially excited to try the “Spicy Fermented Summer Salsa,” “Skillet Eggs Poached In Serrano Tomato Sauce” and “Italian Hot Chile Oil” next.

And even though chillies have their own section, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t used throughout other chapters in the book. You’ll find peppers sprinkled throughout other dishes such as the “Squash Blossom and Roasted Poblano Tacos,” “Grilled Green Onions With Chile Lime Marinade” and “Spicy Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Leaves.”

The CSA Cookbook  Is Definitely Worth It

This book is valuable alone just for the pepper recipes; if you grow other veggies, this book is a goldmine of information.

I mean where else can you learn to make “Quick-Pickled Sweet ‘N’ Spicy Radish Pods,” “Tomato Leaf Pesto” or “Carrot Top Salsa?”

We all spend so much time and effort caring for our plants. It’s really refreshing to learn the many ways that we can celebrate our harvests. ​​You can get  ​The CSA Cookbook​ on Amazon.

​By the way, if ​you’re interested in growing some of the produce you receive in your CSA box… save ​some seeds and check out the updated and expanded Pepper Seed Starting Guide. ​You’ll find complete, how-to steps on all indoor growing phases, from germinating your seeds to getting your seedlings to the point where they can safely go outside. I personally use this resource to start my ​plants (both peppers and other veggies), and I’m always here to answer questions!

In this 2-part series, we provided a salsa recipe for canning. If you need that again, you can get it here.

Now that you have it, we’ll move on to how you actually preserve your homemade sauce.

Canning Salsa with Two Options

First, you have the option to use a pressure canner. This device guards against botulism and safely preserves the salsa.

Another options is a homemade water-bath canning process. This method utilizes a deep metal container, your stove and boiling water.

The water-bath canning procedure is safe to use only for salsas because the sauce has high-acid liquids and vegetables.

If you only can chile peppers, a pressure canner must be used to be absolutely safe.

Pressure Canning Your Salsa

Before you begin the salsa canning process with a pressure canning machine, be sure you have the manufacturer’s instructions at your disposal.

The process that follows is a basic how-to guide, but the instructions for your specific pressure canner are to be followed exactly as specified to ensure this procedure is properly done.

First, pour your fresh salsa into freshly washed, glass jars and leave at least an 1 inch of space at the top.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint, and pour in boiling water until it reaches the top of the jar.

Next, screw the jar lids on tightly and follow your instructions for putting the jars in the pressure canner.

This process will make the steam escape from the jars.

After 10 minutes of steaming, shut the petcock and allow the canning process to run for 30 minutes for half pints and 35 minutes for pints.

Finally, remove your jars from the canner’s heat source until the pressure reading reaches zero (this typically takes 30 minutes).

At this point, open the petcock and after a few minutes, release the canner to take the jars out.

Store the salsa jars in a location that has no drafts to allow the jars to effectively come down to room temperature.

Once finished, wait a day or two to check that your jars seals are tight and then place them in a dry, cool area that doesn’t get too much sun.

Water-Bath Canning Salsa

Water-bath canning does not require a special device and is ideal for your salsa because the accompanying vegetables and liquids have a high-acid content, which keeps your sauce safe.

It’s important to note that during this process, you must monitor the pH level of your sauce to ensure the safety of this preservation method.

A level of 6 or lower, for example, is a safe reading for water-bath canning, but a level of 7 or higher requires the use of a pressure canner (see above) or a freezing process.

You have the option to add lime juice, vinegar or lemon juice (or just equal parts of the lemon and lime juice) to acquire the ideal pH reading if needed.

Begin by placing a rack at the bottom of a large metal pot.

Place your washed jars on top of this rack to keep them off of the bottom of the container during the boiling process. This pot needs to be deep enough to allow for 2 inches of boiling water over the tops of your glass jars.

Next, use a separate pot to boil your homemade salsa and then let it simmer for a few minutes.

Once finished, pour all of the sauce (including the accompanying liquid) into your open jars and screw on the lids. Pour in the water, which needs to be 2 inches above the lids, and allow it to boil for a half hour.

If necessary, add more water to ensure the jars are covered at all times.

Lastly, take out the jars after the boiling process and place them in a draft-free room to enable them to cool down.

Once the temperature has gone down, ensure the lids are tight and store them in a cool, dry location until consumption.

No matter the process you use, it’s best to eat your preserved sauce within a year of canning your salsa.

It’s a good idea to write the date on the jar’s label to keep track of this.

When your ready to eat it, make sure you don’t see any bulging lids, leaking or strange appearances in your salsa. If it smells or has mold when you open it, just throw the affected jars away.

More importantly, have fun enjoying and sharing!

(Tip: Want a fiery, adult beverage to go with your homemade salsa? Check out our spicy margarita recipe!)

This post is part of a 2-part series. This first article will give you a salsa recipe for canning.

(The next post will describe how to preserve your salsa using a couple of different canning methods. You can decide which process better suits your preferences.)

If you’re on this page, you know there’s nothing like the taste of fresh, homemade hot salsa. And if you use your own homegrown hot peppers, it’s just too good for words.

The hot salsa recipe below makes 6 to 8 pints. We made sure you’d have enough to enjoy right away and to store for later.

The most important thing to remember is to use absolutely fresh ingredients.

Salsa Canning Recipe Ingredients

• Tomatoes: peeled, cored, chopped (10 cups)
• Chile peppers: mixture of mild, such as bell pepper, and hot such as jalapeno or habanero chillies (6 cups)
• Onions chopped (4 cups)
• Vinegar (1 cup)
• Salt (3 teaspoons)
• Pepper (1/2 teaspoon)

1. Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan and heat it to a boil.
2. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.

If you prefer not use vinegar in this recipe, you have the option to use equal parts of lemon and lime juice.

Also, spices may be adjusted according to your preference.

Do not modify the amount of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it may raise the pH to a level that is unsafe for preservation.

Your homemade hot salsa generally has a shelf life of a year. Enjoy your creation throughout the months, or gift it to family and friends.

Don’t forget to continue to the canning process page where we describe a couple methods that you can use to preserve this recipe in jars.

(Tip: Here’s our favorite margarita recipe that uses habaneros and goes great with salsa!)