This past Saturday was the last Farmers Market for the year in our community and I made sure to be there. And boy, was I glad. I discovered a vendor I'd missed in times past.

"Miracle Salsa" is Emily's product-her own recipe using the three miracle foods-apple cider vinegar, raw honey, and fresh garlic. In a huge container filled with ice, she had five different variations on her salsa set out for everyone to taste test.

They were all amazingly delicious, but the genius to what Emily does is that all her salsa variations come from a base mix, which she was selling along with her prepared salsas. We were also able to taste test this base mix. And it was scrumptious.

And from this base mix you can not only make several different salsas (mango peach, mild or hot jalapeno, cranberry, and fresh tomato, just to name a few), you can also make shrimp cocktail sauce; Chinese hot mustard sauce; sweet and sour sauce; steak sauce; cranberry cream cheese dip; ginger veggie dip; cucumber onion salad; and several salad dressings, including 1000 Island, vinegar and oil, poppy seed, creamy, and spicy sweet dressing.

Here's Emily's simple technique: Depending on what salsa you are making, you start with 4 tablespoons of her Miracle Salsa Base, and then add your other ingredients. For instance, if you wanted fresh tomato salsa, you'd mix together 4 tablespoons of Base Mix, one pound of diced fresh tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped chives. That's it.

If you wanted to make cranberry cream cheese dip, you'd start with 1 tablespoon of Base Mix, and mix in 1/8 cup honey, 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, and ¼ cup chopped cranberries. Voila! You're done.

Or for 1000 Island Dressing you'd mix together 2 tablespoons of Base Mix, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, and 2 tablespoons of pickle relish. Finished!

But this Base Mix has even more uses. The other night I was making taco salad for supper and upon tasting the cooked and seasoned ground beef, I felt it needed "a little something." So I stirred in 1 tablespoon of Emily's Base Mix and was not disappointed. It did the trick.

My daughter splashed a little over some cooked brown rice and steamed veggies that she fixed for lunch yesterday. And my husband tried a tablespoon blended into some sour cream and a mashed avocado. "Best chip did I've ever made!" was his conclusion.

So by now I bet you're hoping for the recipe for this Miracle Salsa Base Mix. And oh how I wish I could give it to you (because then that'd mean I had it to give). But I don't have it. It's Emily's secret. And it should be. It's how she earns her living.

So we two alternatives: 1) We can order it from her. It's $10 for 12 ounces; her website is miraclesalsa.com and her phone number is 801-792-3215. Or 2) we can take the ingredients list and dare to experiment to come up with our own miracle base mix.

The ingredients are:

• Apple cider vinegar (ACV)
• Raw honey

· Fresh garlic (I would think minced garlic in a jar would work as well)

• Fresh rosemary
• Cayenne
• Fresh minced ginger
• Salt

I do intend to buy more of this from Emily, but until then I also want to experiment with this ingredient list. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing maybe 1 cup of ACV, 1/8 cup honey, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon minced ginger, and salt to taste-maybe 1 teaspoon. What do you think? I'll report back, but meanwhile, if you do a little experimenting as well, let me know what you come up with. The concept is genius, don't you think?