Make Sweet And Spicy Cherry Salsa

I grew up in the cherry capital of the world, Traverse City, Michigan. It's a sleepy beach town in Northeast Michigan known for its yearly Cherry Festival, orchards and vineyards, and (don't mention this to the tourists) eight feet of snow in the winter.

Most of the cherries grown in the region are tart cherries—not the sweet variety suitable for snacking and pit spitting—but that doesn't stop local chefs from putting cherries in absolutely everything. We're talking cherry barbeque sauce, cherry wine, sour cherry candy, cherry pulled pork, and—my personal favorite—cherry salsa.

"The cherry is a unique fruit as it is more subtle and able to blend with so many flavors—tomatoes, chocolate, nuts, meats, and the list goes on," says Bob Sutherland, president of the cherry product emporium Cherry Republic, in Glen Arbor, Michigan. "It can go spicy, sweet, savory, and sour."

Sutherland shared this cherry salsa recipe with us, and it's darn near close to the same delicious salsa you'd buy at his shop. Prepare it in 10 minutes, let the jars sit overnight, and you'll have a quickly disappearing conversation starter to bring to your next tailgate. Serve it with classic tortilla chips or add a scoop on top of grilled chicken.

Cherry Salsa
Recipe by Terry Hornbaker, production manager of Cherry Republic

What you'll need:
1 jar (8 ounces) cherry jam (Buy it from Cherry Republic here. Or, as a substitute, combine 3/4 cup of cherry pie filling with 1/4 cup water)
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced jalapeno peppers (to taste)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano

How to make it:
1. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Let boil for about 2 minutes and jar.
3. Invert jars lid-side down for 5 minutes and then cool to room temperature. Makes three 8-ounce jars of salsa.

—Photos by Ken Stachnik