It's a little brown book dated 1909, a relic covered in tattered cloth, shedding with each passing year. Its pages are yellowed, stained with the grease and ghosts of meals past. On its pages are written culinary gems from an age when wood-fired stoves and icebox cabinets defined the "what" and "how" of American tables. It is a receipt, or recipe book, used to record family secrets...useful bits of folk and gastronomic wisdom learned by generations of trial and error, passed down by word of mouth, like legends of old, recorded by dutiful scribes by the light of an Edison bulb...
Seeing as this early 20th century receipt book originated in La Junta, Colorado, a town close to northern New Mexico, there are many recipes that have Mexican influence. This is an interesting one that reminds me of salsa, but has an Anglo bend to it in that it is used as a relish or spread.
The Original Recipe Is In Bold...
15 Green Peppers (use either mild or hot peppers depending on your tastes)
15 Red Peppers (same as above)
15 Onions (you could use either white or red)
- Grind all -
Pour boiling water over this mixture - let stand for 5 minutes - drain - then repeat - drain again - add:
1 Quart of Vinegar (white)
2 Cups Sugar (white)
1 Tablespoon Salt
...and boil 15 minutes
Put it all in a jar and store in the refrigerator...