Salsa Smackdown: Battle Birthday

It didn't take me long to start sampling the salsas that Garden Fresh was kind enough to send me. Friday there was a little birthday thing at the office for a co-worker, so I took a couple of tubs of salsa to see how they fared head to head. Here are the contenders:



Jacks Special Salsa (Mild)
Texture: Chopped into small chunks
Flavor: Mild
Price: N/A
Where purchased: N/A
Refrigeration: Yes
Website: www.gardenfreshsalsa.com
Spiciness: 3
Grade: B-

If you love cilantro, this is the salsa for you. It was chock full of fresh cilantro leaves, with little or no heat. It was even mild enough for the kiddies, and goes great with taco salad. It's got everything that makes Jack's Medium the king, except for the spiciness. Which may be a drawback for some.

And in this corner;



Smokin' Jalapeno Salsa
Texture: Chopped into small chunks
Flavor: Medium
Price: N/A
Where purchased: N/A
Refrigeration: Yes
Website: www.gardenfreshsalsa.com
Spiciness: 5
Grade: A

This one is visibly different from the Jack's salsas. Red predominates, with lots of green jalapeno chunks to break up the monotony. There's hardly any cilantro, and there's an underlying smoky sweetness that sets this apart from most salsas. It's reminiscent of roasted red peppers. This salsa is a true medium, with just enough heat to keep your attention without burning your mouth.

The panel consisted of about 6 women and 4 men, and at the end of the competition there was a clear winner. While everyone raved about both contenders, one was completely devoured, while a little less than half of the loser remained uneaten. The clear favorite was the Smoky Jalapeno - I think the spiciness is what won everyone over. For me, mild salsa makes a better condiment than dip, and I think the panel agreed.

And, The New Girl...

Hi all; GeminiGirl here. Sugarmama is also allowing me to post in this forum, so I figured I'd write with a bit of background information. I was born in June ... no, no, just kidding. I will refrain from life stories here, and instead give you my salsa background.

I am a salsa freak. In all seriousness, there are times when I am certain I could survive on chips and salsa; I would have to find a chip variety that contained sufficient protein but then I would be set. I like the standard red salsas, and also green salsa and corn salsa and mango salsa and sometimes other fruit salsa. My preferred salsa-to-mouth delivery method includes a tortilla chip of some variety, but I also enjoy salsa on other foods like grilled vegetables or seitan, tofu scramble, and (from before I went vegetarian) fish and chicken. I was hooked for a long time on a salsa-in-a-jar type of salsa, and it was sugarmama who turned me on to Jack's Special just over a year ago. While I did enjoy that variety, after a while I did not find that it was the end-all be-all of salsa, although I was forever turned away from most salsa-in-a-jar varieties. I have since been cycling through variety of other fresh salsas and have even started experimenting with making my own on occasion, and I will be sharing my opinions on all things so-related here.

The New Guy

Hi everyone, it's me, Skillzy. Sugarmama was kind enough to invite me to join the staff of this fine establishment, and naturally I couldn't resist. After all, she IS my salsa soulmate.

Since my tastes in salsa run very similar to Sugar's (we both agree that Jack's Special is the gold standard of store-bought salsas), I may branch out beyond salsa to things that go with the salsa. Like chili recipes, or chips. Or tequila. I figure anything that involves peppers is fair game.

Keep coming back, and I'll do my best to help keep it interesting. Pepperheads unite!