As a dining trend, bacon is forever strong. Perhaps it’s not as huge as it was a couple of years ago, but bacon’s classic roots mean that the meat will never fall out of favor.
So it was just a matter of time before Bacon Salsa hit the shelves. It’s made in Waynesville, Ohio by a business called Seasonal Selections that jars lots of different Ohio Proud products.
You may have already tried another similar bacon concept, bacon jelly –the two should not be confused. While bacon jelly is wall-to-wall minced meat, a bacon salsa is a busier mix of elements. It comes off primarily as a pleasantly pulpy tomato event. The jar of bacon salsa has little chips of bacon that add its signature salty brine to the mix. The Seasonal Selections salsa is also sweeter than your average salsa.
The ingredient list on the jar explains lots. Tomatoes are, in fact, the first component. But in addition to bacon (and sugar), there’s also celery, bell peppers, banana peppers, and mustard seed. It all swirls together in a reddish slurry. The mix has lots in common with a summer relish -perhaps more in common with a relish than with a super-hot and spicy traditional salsa.
Between the bacon and the sweetness, the Seasonal Selections offering does stand out from other salsas -it’s a very good thing to team with some sturdy, salty chips.
Seasonal Selectons has some other, distinctly Ohio offerings. It sells pickled beets, for example. In the salsa department, alternatives include sauerkraut salsa and one called Mostly Morels. The latter boasts ten varieties of wild mushrooms with “morels being the predominant”. It’s got some truffle oil in the mix too, for extra fanciness.
You can find Seasonal Selections products at local stops such as The Hills and Weiland’s. It can also be found in a few area Kroger stores.
For more information, visit www.seasonalselectionssalsa.com.