I live 9 hours from my mother and that is the closest I have lived to her since I was 19. Obviously, mother-daughter time is everything to me. So when we decided she would come up over the 4th of July, I begged her to teach me how to make the salsa my sisters and our friends had growing up and raved about for years.

As a master gardener, my mother firmly believes in the power of Mother Nature's seasonal, ripe and delicious bounty, and gosh, her taste never ceases to amaze me. So, up to Fargo she comes with dozens of gorgeous tomatoes from a nearby farmer (hers hadn't fruited yet; a point of constant annoyance during our phone calls).

And then we, of course, had to go to the store and get the freshest organic green peppers, onions and jalapenos.

Obviously, I already had Swanson's salt, Simply Organic's cracked pepper (I'm obsessed) and their garlic powder.

And at long last, my Salsa Session was about to begin! Please enjoy, because it thrills me to share such a highlight of my childhood with health conscious people.

First: Boil the tomatoes!

Second: Shock the tomatoes by running them under ice-cold water:

Third: Peel those tomatoes! No one likes skins in their salsa.

Fourth: CHOP LIKE YOU'VE NEVER CHOPPED BEFORE!

Fifth: Time to boil, and boil...and boil for about an hour and a half until you finally reach this level of glorious:

Finally: Time to can it! And here's the secret: Turn your cans upside down to ensure they're sealed as tight as possible! We left this overnight to allow them to properly cool, since the jars are practically boiling hot when you put the salsa in.

So here's the offical, super secret salsa recipe:

• 15 large tomatoes
• 2 green peppers
• 3-6 jalapenos
• 1 can diced green chilis
• 4 onions
• 1 cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 shake of garlic powder
• 1 can tomato paste

Throw it all together on medium heat and boil for about an hour and a half until you get the consistency you prefer. Then toss it into self-sealing jars, turn them upside down for a day and then be sure to share the salsa love with friends, family and coworkers.

And since it's the 4th of July, I obviously need to share 4 recipes with you! The salsa was definitely the most difficult (hardly).

GUAC-KALE-MOLE!