Fresh Tomato Salsa

*Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup red onion (or any onion), diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (removing the seeds and veins will get rid of a lot of the heat, keep them if you like it spicy)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2-6 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Pinch black pepper

Start by dicing your tomatoes. I had some beautiful heirlooms, including a Green Giant from the Friday harvest.

Heirlooms

Put your diced tomatoes in a colander set over a medium-sized bowl, so the juices can drain while you chop everything else. You can either leave your salsa chunky or run it through your blender for a smooth version. If you are planning on blending your salsa (which I did), don’t worry about chopping things too perfectly.

Next, chop your garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and onion and layer on top of your tomatoes in the colander.

Chunky Salsa

I used about half of a Red Wagon jalapeno with the seeds and veins. You can either remove the seeds and veins for a little less heat, or leave them in to turn it up a notch. Either way, be forewarned, our jalapenos definitely pack a punch.

Once you think enough juice has drained from your tomatoes (15 minutes was fine for me), you can empty the bowl and add your chunky vegetables. Next add your lime juice, salt, cumin, and pepper and blend until smooth or leave it chunky. This is what mine looked like when it was finished.

Salsa

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Just for fun, we made our own tortilla chips to go with the salsa. I realize this doesn’t involve any of your CSA veggies, but it’s really fun and tasty!

Heat some oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. The exact temperature isn’t that important, just make sure it isn’t going to burn your chips. While your oil is heating up, take some nice corn tortillas and cut them into quarters.

Chips