Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe

If you grow African Blue Basil—also known as Purple Mountain Basil—you know how abundant and fragrant this plant becomes in late summer. This raw, oil-free spicy blue basil chutney recipe is one of my favorite ways to preserve the harvest and support deep nourishment and wellness all year long. Made with fresh blue basil, lime juice, garlic, ginger, and Thai chili peppers, this chutney is anti-inflammatory, microbiome-supportive, and incredibly flavorful. I grow multiple types of basil every year—sweet basil, Thai basil, holy basil (tulsi), and of course, African Blue. These simple daily rituals of tending, harvesting, and preparing herbs are the foundation of my own health, infusing everyday meals with nourishment and rhythm.

You've probably heard of sauerkraut, kimchi, and sour dill pickles, right? These are all examples of lacto-fermented vegetables—a traditional form of food preservation that has supported human health for centuries. Before refrigeration, lacto-fermentation was a primary method for preserving the harvest through the winter. If you find yourself with a garden full of cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, or beets, consider transforming them into a few jars of tangy, probiotic-rich vegetables. When stored properly, these fermented foods can last for months—if they don’t get devoured first! Beyond preservation, they nurture your gut microbiome—your inner garden of health and healing.

Nettles are one of the first wild foods to emerge in the spring, and, undoubtedly, one of the most nutrient-dense wild plants! They thrive in rich, moist soil, and in sunny locations. You may find them blanketing a deciduous forest floor in early spring before the tree canopy emerges, or in an open, mowed field. The fallen leaves from autumn create a fertile environment for nettles to emerge from in early spring. After the dense, cold winter months, nettles arrive and remind us to lighten our loads, to cleanse, and to restore.

Making your own lacto-fermented hot sauce is a wonderful way to naturally preserve your hot pepper garden harvest! Once fermented, the hot sauce should last for about 9 to 12 months in your refrigerator. Use this tangy and spicy hot sauce to top scrambled eggs, stir-fries, soups, and all types of Thai food! Each time you use it, you are consuming a wide variety of beneficial bacteria that help to promote gut health. I make a few gallons each year after I harvest all of the peppers growing in my garden. The sweet red bell peppers balance out the spiciness in the hot peppers to make the sauce tolerable and enjoyable—not just all spice! Each batch I make is a little bit different, depending on how many bell peppers I include and which variety of hot chili pepper I use most.

Homemade herbed sea salt is a deeply nourishing infusion of minerals, herbs, and plant-based compounds that elevates your food and your health! If you’ve followed my recipes for a while, you already know how much I love Herbamare, a seasoned sea salt that layers savory herbs and vegetables into a mineral-rich, flavorful blend. It’s one of my favorite ways to add depth to meals while keeping sodium in balance. But over the last year, I began crafting my own version at home. Try making a double batch and giving away some for holiday gifts!  By blending mineral-rich sea salt with dried herbs, vegetables, and kelp, you not only enhance flavor, you amplify nutrition. Herbs and alliums provide polyphenols and sulfur compounds that support detoxification. Kelp offers iodine and trace minerals that nourish thyroid and cellular function. And the inclusion of prebiotic fibers from dried garlic or leeks gently supports your gut microbiome.

This time of year, fruit is falling off the trees, and many people wonder how to preserve it before it goes to waste. A lot of fresh fruit ends up rotting—maybe that’s part of nature’s grand design to enrich the soil around the roots? I’m not sure. But one thing is certain, late summer is a busy time for anyone with fruit trees or berry bushes. There are a few simple methods you can use to quickly preserve the harvest. We freeze most of our fruit in an extra freezer in the garage. While this may not be the most energy-efficient method, it’s quick and easy—especially if you have extra freezer space. If you’d like to dive deeper, I wrote an entire chapter on preserving the harvest in my new cookbook, Nourishing Meals.