Homeboy Salsa - Amazing!

I've known about Homeboy Industries for a while. Founded by Father Greg Boyle in the late 1980s, they provide jobs, services, and support to former gang members in Southern California. Their slogan is "Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job." Up until now, however, I'd only heard the stories of their good work, I hadn't had an opportunity to actually experience the fruits of their labors.

Then today, in the grocery store, I see a table offering samples of chips and salsa from Homeboy Industries! I admit, I did not know what sort of expectations to have, but I was excited to give it a try in any case.

I was blown away. This might be my new favorite store-bought salsa (beating out Trader Joe's Salsa Especial). We tried the Morita variety, I believe there are two EDIT: FIVE others I'll have to try at some point. We had actually already bought our groceries when Kimberly alerted me to the sample table, and the sample was so good, we happily went through the checkout again.

What's the salsa taste like, you ask? Well, the Morita flavor is a quite spicy salsa with a fine smokiness from the morita peppers. It doesn't hold back, it's not overly sweet or salty, and it has a fresh texture that's a little on the smooth side. Really excellent, the kind of salsa you would expect from a good Mexican restaurant. It's also nice to read the ingredients, which are, in their entirety: tomatoes, water, garlic, expeller-pressed canola oil, morita peppers, and salt. Simple and straightforward. And not only is it delicious, but all proceeds benefit Homeboy's free programs (which include things like counseling, tattoo removal, education & training, community service, etc.). I definitely recommend giving it a try if you find it in the store. So far I believe Ralph's is the only supermarket carrying it, but hopefully other grocers will offer it in the future.