Salsa is a favorite in our family, second only to cereal. As a result, despite all my efforts to the contrary, we are regular patrons of Chili’s because their bottomless chips and salsa appetizer is very cost-effective way to feed a ravenous group of salsa-crazed guys. In fact, we eat so much of this delicacy that we suggest our Chili’s servers just go ahead and bring out a few refills worth at once to save themselves the hassle of all the trips back to the kitchen–the only server who ever doubted the sincerity of this suggestion regretted her decision later.
One thing Anthony likes better than eating salsa is making it. So, in an effort to avoid the the temptation of getting him another tie for Father’s Day last year, I decided to give him a salsa garden. It was a bit of an afterthought, so I only planted tomato plants and a couple varieties of hot peppers from Lowes in a small, sunny spot beside our house. But, by the end of the summer, Anthony and the boys were making their salsa and eating it too!
- Last year’s salsa helpers
An example of a cold frame
This spring, we want to get an early start on our salsa garden and add more variety. We don’t have room in our cozy house to start seeds inside, so we had to get creative if we were going to start our garden from seed (a much more affordable way to start a garden) before the final frost. A long time ago, I saw a magazine tutorial on how to use old windows to build a mini greenhouse outside for planting seed and even for growing a winter garden–this mini greenhouse is also known as a “cold frame.” So, when I stumbled upon these $4 windows at an antique market recently, I snatched them up and set out to build our own cold frames this year.
These $4 windows were an additional 15% off at the register. What a deal!
I lost the aforementioned article a long time ago, but I found a great online tutorial on how to build your own cold frame from old windows, courtesy of the Imperfect Urban Garden. So, I passed the info along to Anthony and put him and the boys in charge of building these, with a deadline of March 1st, so we can get a jump start on planting our salsa garden this spring.
Based on the picture below, taken after they chopped down our Christmas tree , I’d say this group of misfits armed with a handsaw is up for the challenge. Stay tuned to find out how they do!
Of course, if we were feeling really ambitious we could collect enough windows to build one of these greenhouses that I found on the internet:
But, if we put that much effort into a greenhouse this beautiful, I think I’d have to move in. (:
I wish i knew you wanted windows before this b/c we just put 30 antique windows by our driveway and have stored them for 4 yrs. in our garage w/ hopes of doing something w/ them. They are gone now! Oh well!
We just planted out our sugar snap peas and snow peas!! They don’t mind growing in colder weather!! (Neither does lettuce!)
Just bought my sugar snap pea seeds to start those as well (:
[...] Enter the old picket fence. I found it forlorn and abandoned at an antique mall (remember my $4 windows?) and picked it up for $10. It needed a good paint job, but hanging on a wall in my house that [...]
I think Rachel will end up making the “cold box” and not ANthony.
Love the window greenhouse…my husband wants to build it!
love the cold frame box and, of course, the larger greenhouse!
Just order something new each time, and it would be like you’ve never been there.
This was a comment about Chilis… it got lost in the shuffle somewhere.
If it’s not a family secret, I’d love the salsa recipe you use! I was going to make salsa this year but got sidetracked (and used all my tomatoes) making tomato sauce. The old window greenhouse idea is great!
Anthony is officially in charge of the salsa recipe. He doesn’t measure anything and its a different outcome every time. But I will tell you the ingredients that it includes: lime juice, cilantro, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and salt–all fresh ingredients. Then he experiments with hot peppers to taste. Hope you can give it a try this year!
I can’t believe you don’t like Chilis! We are suckers for the chips & salsa too. Can’t believe how pricey it is getting though – compared to in middle school when it was $1.39.
Can’t wait to see how your gardening project works out! I love homemade salsa but I’m too lazy to make my own. My parents make tons so we just steal theirs.
It’s not that I don’t like Chilis, its that I’ve eaten there so many times over the past ten years I practically bleed Chili’s. I now just ask that at least on our date nights, we can go somewhere different. (:
I think you should totally make this greenhouse!
Are you coming over to help? (:
How cool! I’d love a greenhouse… or, even have my garden back that I lost when I moved from FL. The last garden I tried was killed in the blizzard of 2010! Should I try again?
Of course you should try again! With a cold frame, gardening can be done year round, even in the north! Put Joe to work!