Photo by Bluestocking | IST.

Salsa is the Spanish word for a sauce of finely chopped vegetables, that dates back to the ancient Aztecs. Red salsas are tomato-based, green salsas are tomatillo-based and there are dozens of different types of both.

Fruit salsas, such as cherry, mango, peach and pineapple, are a modern invention, enjoyable with grilled meats and breakfast eggs.

• See the many different types of salsa in our Salsa Glossary.
• Learn the history of salsa, which was first taken from a homemade Mexican-American product to a bottled grocery store product by Texan Dave Pace, in 1947.
• Salsa goes global: Check out spins on salsa, including Indian and Southeast Asian recipe ideas.
• Two recipes for cooking with salsa: Manicotti and Pork Tacos.

Don’t throw away trimmed bread crusts. Save them in the freezer in resealable bags. Then bake them in the oven or toaster oven until dry and toss them into the food processor. Combining different breads just adds to the flavor.

Breadcrumbs are used for much more than breading foods. Use them in stuffing, to garish soups, top casseroles and mac & cheese, thicken stews and stretch ground meat (in meatballs and meatloaf, for example).

Homemade bread crumbs taste so much better than store-bought, as you’ll see with this recipe.

You can use almost any type of bread; but of course, different breads will add different flavors to the crumbs.

You can use stale bread to make breadcrumbs; but take a bite to make sure you won’t get stale bread flavors.

If you do use stale bread, just skip to Step 3.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE BREAD CRUMBS

It’s easy to make homemade bread crumbs in your food processor (photo CCO Public Domain).

2. BAKE for 10 to 15 minutes; flip halfway through.

3. REMOVE from oven; cool. Pulse into crumbs in a food processor.

4. STORE in an airtight jar

Stewed rhubarb, one of our favorite spring treats. Here’s a recipe (photo © Baltic Maid).

Have you been taking advantage of the edible joys of spring? Eat seasonally, not just because the products are fresher and less expensive, but because some of them are only available in spring.

 
Find more of our favorite fruits and vegetables, plus recipes, by pulling down the menu at right.

Last year, the U.S. produced only about 144 million pounds of the 382 million pounds of honey consumed. The remainder was imported from Argentina, Brazil, Canada and other countries.

And it’s the “other countries” wherein the problem lies—specifically, Asian imports.

Two years ago, the U.S. imposed a 500% tariff on honey from China because the Chinese government subsidizes Chinese honey makers, with the goal of driving U.S. producers out of the market. The practice nearly ruined the market for domestic honey.

To get around the tariff, China has been using labels such as “Product of Thailand” or “Product of Indonesia” on 100% Chinese honey, rerouting its products through other countries and/or mixing tiny amounts of Thai or Indonesian honey into Chinese honey. This is neither ethical nor legal. And it’s certainly not sweet.

Only buy “honest honey.” Photo courtesy
National Honey Board.

Learn more at HonestHoney.com.

Find the sweet side of honey in THE NIBBLE’s Honey Section: product reviews, recipes, food and honey pairings and articles all about honey.

Smoke up your mac & cheese with smoked
cheese and bacon. Photo courtesy
MackenzieLtd.com.

Divide the total cheese in a 75:25 proportion and use 25% smoked cheese. For example, if 8 ounces of Cheddar cheese are called for, use 6 ounces of Cheddar and 2 ounces of smoked cheese (smoked Jack, smoked Gouda, etc.).

If you’d like more smoke flavor after you’ve tasted the dish, use a 50:50 proportion next time.

Here’s a recipe from Vermont’s Jericho Hill Farm:

RECIPE: MACARONI & SMOKED CHEESE

Ingredients
– 1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
– 1/4 cup butter
– 1/4 cup chopped onion
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon pepper
– 1/4 cup flour
– 1-3/4 cups milk
– 6 ounces Cheddar or Colby cheese
– 2 ounces smoked Colby or other smoked cheese
– Optional garnish: crumbled bacon, snipped chives

See a wealth of award-winning mac & cheese recipes. There are some real dazzlers for Mother’s Day (with lobster, crab, truffle essence, etc.).