Nothing says summer like salsa. Gather some friends and create a lasting Southwest salsa garden.

Supplies:

• Terra cotta pots, in 6-10 sizes
• Black permanent markers
• Clear acrylic spray paint (optional)
• Potting soil
• Salsa plants: peppers (mild and hot), cilantro, cherry or patio tomatoes, tomatillos

First, decorate your pots with designs that say Southwest to you. Think Mayan bird gods, thunderclouds from pottery, zig-zag lines. Perhaps a book on ancient pottery would inspire. The permanent marker will last without a cover coating, but if you would like it shiny, clear acrylic spray paint can be used. That has to dry completely, though.

Next, hand out potting soil and drop in the baby plants. Use 10" pots for the bigger plants (tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos) and 6" pots for the smaller ones (cilantro). Make sure everyone waters theirs in well, using a weak fish emulsion solution.

These plants are sun-lovers. Give them a hot place, and theyll reward you well into the fall with salsa ingredients. You can even baby them over the winter, and next spring some of them will continue to bear.

Oh yes dont forget to hand out a printed salsa recipe!