Strawberry Salsa

We moved to our little Homestead here in 2006 and since the spring of 2008 I have been trying to grow strawberries, and every year was a fail. They were small, rotten, eaten by slugs, and If I came in the House with 2 cups I was extremely excited. I left the patch in the same spot for 2 years, and then realized that it probably was not getting enough sun. I finally planted a new patch last year, a small one, approximately 30 sq ft.. I planted the plants in rich composted soil. I fertilized with Fish emulsion early in the season, and then put straw down when the fruit set,,, in other words I BABIED the HECK out em!! It was all worth it.. SUCCESS!! I had HUGE berries,, I was picking small bowlful everyday! Well, this got me excited to make the patch even bigger, we consolidate 3 raised beds into one big 100 sq foot patch last fall, and I then Transplated the Runners into the new section, and thinned out the original section which was jam packed with plants.... This spring happened fast, it went from 40 degrees to 80 degrees, and was like summer By The beginning of March.. You are thinking, thats great, how wonderful,, summer in March... Mmmmmmmmmmm, NO! Warm weather early means Plants bloom early, which is great as long as you arent going to get another FROST or FREEZE... which did Happen, for almost a week straight!! sometime in late April we had a BIG BIG cold snap.. and I have thousands of blooms on my strawberries!!! All that warm weather created some a seriously early berry patch! The first 2 nights were frost, and then came a FREEZE.. Im pretty sure I didnt sleep that night.. each night we covered with tarps, sheets and clothespins and hoped for the best.... well all the work paid off, we saved the entire patch.. We are BURIED in strawberries this year. Even after Little Miss Norah raided that patch daily,

I have been picking about a GALLON a day, and they are still coming faster than I can pick them! Instead of throwing another Jam receipe at ya, I figured I would share this.. **STRAWBERRY SALSA*** I found it In Western North Carolina Magazine and decided to give it a try for an Upcoming Party.. to say it was a HIT is an understatement. Enjoy!

****STRAWBERRY SALSA***** -2 Lbs Strawberries, sliced -1 Jalapeno Pepper (optional) -1 yellow pepper seeded and diced -1/2 red Onion diced -1 Tomato seeded and chopped ( i couldnt bring myself to buy a tomato from the store, so i used some that I canned last year) -1/2 Bunch Cilantro -Juice of One Lime -2 Tbs Olive Oil -1 tsp salt -1 tsp sugar *toss together in a bowl, Prepare within a Few hours of Serving to ensure strawberries retain texture