I had this idea after eating Mexican food with my mom. No I didn’t. I’m lying. I mean I did, because they had a mango salsa and she loves the peach salsa I make her every year.  I was thinking of what other kinds of unique salsa I could make for the summer. But the cherry part didn’t actually pop into my head until I got 16 lbs. of them.

This isn’t a “canned” recipe in that it’s not shelf stable. It’s a refrigerator recipe, meaning you make it and stir it up and it sits for a few days for the flavor to mix and then you use it within a few weeks.

There really isn’t a recipe for it. I’m giving you one because… well… thats the point of the blog.

But you can wing it.

VThe amount of what you need depends on what you have. For instance, if you use one whole pound of cherries, you’ll need more jalapeños (or other pepper you prefer) and onion and lime juice. Uh, since this isn’t really a canned recipe, it probably breaks the rules of being a Canbassador, but hey. I’ve always been a rebel.

I used maybe 1/3 of a bag of roughly 2 lbs. of cherries. Someone else smarter than me can do the math on that. I pitted them then cut them into fourths, and left some in smaller halves. Just for a textural difference. FYI- if you’re gonna play with cherries, buy yourself a pitter. Or else you’ll be contemplating suicide quickly.

I added one small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped. One half of a small red onion, chopped. Lime juice- maybe 2 tablespoons. And of course… cilantro!

It smells like heaven.

HEAVEN.

You can use poblano or serrano or whatever peppers you like. Jalapeño makes it taste and smell more like a traditional salsa, especially combined with cilantro. However you could mix it up and use mint instead. Or a Thai basil.

There’s really nothing to it. Make it, shake it up and let it sit in the fridge for 24-48 hours* for the flavors to all meld and mix and get good. Then serve!

*(In order to make it shelf stable, you’d have to add vinegar and play with the amounts of things. This is just a refrigerator salsa.)

If you “plan to can” this summer, add the Sweet Preservation “Of Course I Canned!” badge to your blog. Click here to view & save the file, then add it. Also be sure to visit SweetPreservation.com for recipes & FAQ’s.

Suggestions for use: Serve with steak, pork or chicken- especially grilled, serve with tortilla chips, serve with homemade tacos, eat right out of the jar on a Monday night watching QVC.

Soundtrack: The Beatnuts – “Watch Out Now”

Sources & credits: Ball® wide mouth pint jar; freshpreserving.com, jar label; Meri Meri.