In this post, I would like to share with you two great tasting salsa recipes made with a whole range of fresh fruits. These two recipes are among my personal favorites.

Each offers a rubust blend of fresh fruit taste and freshness that can only from enjoying freshly cut fruit. You know what I’m talking about…the refreshing, crisp taste only enjoyed from tasting fresh fruit.

The first is a blending of black beans, pineapples, mangos and more. While the second recipe is packed with strawberries, apples, brown sugar and kiwi. You’ll have the make a batch to enjoy the unique blend and depth of flavors.

Tropical Fruit and Black Bean Salsa Recipe

• 1/2 c pineapple, diced
• 1/2 c mango, diced
• 1/2 c papaya, diced
• 1/2 c onions, red, chopped
• 1/2 c onions, red, chopped
• 1/2 c beans, black, cooked
• 1 jalapeno, minced.

Directions: Mix all ingredients.

Allow flavors to develop for at least 30 minutes

Fruit Salsa Recipe

• 1 cup strawberries
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 kiwi fruit, peeled.
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple jelly or all fruit jelly juice from 1 orange.

Chop all in food processor to desired consistency. Cut a flour tortilla into bite size pieces.

Spray lightly with Pam. Dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture and toast in oven until lightly browned.

Directions:  Serve as a scooper with Fruit Salsa.

Discover our award winning fruit salsa at www.traversebayfarms.com/fruitsalsa.htm

Since the addition of our Mango salsa to our line of award winning fruit salsas last year we have received a lot of great feedback from individual customers and from major grocery store buyers. Both have told use this is an amazing blend of mango, spices and just the right about of heat. The heat is just enough to give it a “salsa flair” but not so overpowering that the heat ruins the taste of the end product. It’s an ideal balance.

Although this isn’t our exact mango salsa recipe we use, it has some of the same ingredients so if you don’t have any of our Traverse Bay Farms mango salsa at home, you’ll still be able to enjoy some great tasting mango salsa.

Mango Salsa Recipe

• 1 large Mango; peeled — 1/4″ cubed
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper — 1/4″ diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh basil — finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar.
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 Jalapeno pepper (opt) — finely chopped.
• seeds and membranes – discarded

Directions: Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Let stand at room temperature a half hour before serving or refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Check out all of our fruit salsas at www.traversebayfarms.com/fruitsalsa.htm

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo all month long with great tasting salsa recipes. Although Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on May 5th, it’s a great way to celebrate the combination of Mexican heritage and prides, the defeat of the French Troops by Mexican forces on May 5th, 1862 and the cause of Freedom during the days of the Civil War in America. Over the next several days, I’ll be sharing some excellent salsa recipes we have made right in our own kitchen. You’ll be enjoying the same great recipes we do. In addition, having won 8 national food award we know a little something about great tasting salsa recipes. and I want to share of them with you.

I’ll be sharing the following types of recipes:

Traditional salsa recipes Fruit Salsa Recipes Unique Salsa recipes

In addition, if you would like some more great tasting Cinco de Mayo and salsa recipes, check out www.AwardWinningSalsa.com for over 48 great tasting salsa recipes.

I’ll really focus in on the fruit and the unique salsa recipes. Winning 18 national food awards makes us the #1 award winning super fruit company in America. All that means to you is, we know great salsa and fruit products. Check out the pineapple salsa:

• Pineapple Salsa 2 cans pineapple chunks
• drained 1 jalapeno
• cored seeded 1 red bell pepper
• cored seeded 1 lime-rolled
• cut and squeezed 1 sprig
• fresh cilantro
• pinch of salt
• few twists of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of ex virgin olive oil

Directions: Toss all ingredients into a processor and serve over grilled fish or with chips

We received a lot of excellent feedback on the recent post on upcoming cherry festivals. Here is the most recent upcoming cherry blossom festival in Montana. The 2012 Flathead Lake Cherry Blossom Festival will be held on Saturday May 19 in Yellow Bay Montana.

What makes this area of so special is the Flathead Lake area is known for its cherry orchards. The rolling hills of cherry blossoms is an ideal backdrop for any warm spring day. Similar to Northern Michigan, the Flathead Lake area offers many “u-pick” cherry locations and numerous road stands dot the countryside selling this tasty fruit. The annual Cherry Blossom festival is held at Yellow Bay along the lake’s east shore. It’s a great way to forget the stress of life and enjoy some time with family and friends. If you in the Yellow Bay area on May 19, stop by and enjoy some excellent food and make unforgetable memories.

In addition, check out our cherry juice and dried cherry specials for the Month of April, too.

Check out www.nationalcherrymonth.com for listing of some of the cherry festivals held around the nation.

If you are in southern California or planning to visit the Los Angeles area on April 21 and 22, check out the 15^th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Monterey Park. This city located a just short drive east of Los Angeles and is taking place at Barnes Park, located at 350 S. McPherrin Avenue. Best of all entry to the Festival is FREE.

Many of our customers live in and around the LA area and have told us about this exciting event. Here is what just a one of our customers have said about the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival:

“My grandchildren enjoy attending this event and I get to enjoy a bunch of great food” K.L. Los Angeles

The festival is packed full of Japanese American culture and you can experience Japanese dancing, traditional taiko drums and watch martial arts exhibits. This is just one of the many cherry festival events occurring this coming cherry season. Here is link to learn more about the 15^th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Monterey Park California

http://www.ci.monterey-park.ca.us/index.aspx?page=812

In addition, to offering a rich history, the cherry is packed full of the powerful antioxidants for healthy joints*, soothing sore muscles due to physical exercise and more. Best of all, it is available is a variety of way of getting this excellent health benefits including cherry juice, dried cherries and tart cherry capsules.

With the warm weather approaching many are looking for fun and exciting activities to enjoy with family and friends. Taking this into consideration, one idea is to attend a cherry festival. During these event you’ll be able to enjoy cherry juice, dried cherries, cherry capsules and a number of cherry-based products. While cherry festival exist across the globe, over the next several posts I’ll share some insight to the more popular events. These event could be anyway on the globe. The first event I would like to share with you is the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Tokyo Japan.

Although no one can predict exactly when, every spring thousands of Tokyo inhabitants will flock to their public parks to enjoy “hanami”, the viewing of the cherry blossoms. The most popular of the city’s Cherry Blossom Festivals is at Ueno Park.

The Park’s main street is lined with over eight hundred cherry trees, the glowing blossoms of which are illuminated each evening by the light of fifteen hundred lanterns. Several hundred thousand daily visitors enjoy the blooms, which lend an aura of the palest pink to the park’s many other attractions.

History of the Cherry Blossom Festival

The Cherry Blossom Festival has its roots in the ninth century, when Japanese nobility had the first formal flower viewing at the Shinsen-en garden in Kyoto. Today Cherry Blossom Festivals unfold in stages as warm weather begins to spread over Japan from south to north and from the lowlands to the mountains. The Japanese listen intently to the reports from the Meteorological Agency as the cherry blossoms begin opening in Okinawa each January. When the blooming season arrives in Tokyo, usually in late March or early April, it is a signal for two weeks of celebration.

Families, friends, and even groups of workers in every part of Tokyo will head for the blossom-shrouded public spaces, spread out their picnic blankets, and enjoy the return of spring beneath the gently falling blossoms, which symbolize for them the fleetingness of life. By day’s end there is no way to tell where one group ends and another begins, and the sense of community is special indeed.

For those who would prefer to enjoy the ephemeral beauty of the blossoms in more contemplative surroundings, the Meguro River Cherry Blossom Festival, only six miles to the west of Tokyo Station, offers an evening stroll beneath the lantern-lit trees at the river’s edge.

In the next post, I’ll share with you insight to other cherry events. In the meantime, for a complete listing of events check out the website www.nationalcherrymonth.com