Trader Joe's Fall Harvest Salsa

For Day 4 of New and Seasonal Products Week, we present an item that fits both categories. 


This is a brand-new product from Trader Joe's. See the company's description of it here.

Allow me to get straight to the point: This is the best store-bought salsa I've ever had.

Now, that declaration, while true, deserves a caveat--which is that I have not been a salsa kind of guy. I have purchased, before this, exactly one jar of salsa in my life, and that was to keep on hand here for when Nina comes over. I have, however, sampled several at parties, dinners, and so forth. And of course I have salsa on tacos and burritos and as a chip dip when I'm eating out at Mexican restaurants. It's just that when it comes to jars of the stuff from stores, I have never encountered one that made me want to keep eating it until the jar is empty. This one does that.

It brings a whole new twist to the genre, what with the pumpkin and squash and fruits and veggies. You would think that such things would doom it to being untrue to its salsa roots. But they don't. The first taste impression remains a moderately hot, peppery, distinctly tomato-based salsa, with the flavors of the special autumnal ingredients only kicking in after that first impression. The wizards at TJ's have concocted something really special here, and they somehow did a complete end-run around the Blandification Committee.

We had it with TJ's outstanding Organic Corn Dippers (review to come), which I thought made a superb combination.

Here is a concurring opinion from the good folks at the "What's Good at Trader Joe's" blog.

This is tasty enough that it's making me rethink the whole salsa-in-a-jar thing. Have I been missing out on a whole category of yumminess, like I was with hummus for my entire adult life? This may require some exploration.

It's so good that I'm seriously considering adding it to my Top Ten list. I'm going to hold off a bit though. I'm still in the throes of ecstasy from having just tried it. And I want to hear what Nina has to say.

[Edit: OK, having seen that the passage of 24 hours since we ate it has not dimmed her enthusiasm, I am proceeding with the Top Tenification of this lovely salsa.]

Will I buy it again? 

Oh, yes. Next TJ's run, I'm going to take home several, knowing that this will disappear from shelves without advance notice as soon as the Christmas stuff starts coming in.


Nina's View

Oh was I skeptical! I looked with disfavor upon this jar. I envisaged pumpkin-spice flavored salsa and I was all about the NOPE. Nopety-nope. Gag. Will not eat. The fact that the number one ingredient listed is pumpkin just upped the negatory attitude. And then the inclusion of honey and sugar. NO WAYZ, I sez to myself.

But since Adventure Bob had these on the menu as an appetizer offering, who was I to say HELL TO THE NOES? Try it I must.

If you're anything like me (and I admit that it's a lot less likely than I used to believe), you'll be pleasantly surprised by how good this stuff is. It does NOT taste like pumpkin spice in any way. It's NOT too sweet, although it is certainly not as sharp as most salsas. Bob and I ate half the jar in short order. Had dinner not been in the offing, I would have helped him finish it off.

This item is not for salsa purists. It's almost a chutney. But it's darn tasty. Go getcha some.