Every summer, I grow my own tomatoes. Giddily and enthusiastically. Almost to a fault. I receive my heirloom seed catalog each winter, earmark the hell out of it and plant new varieties each year — starting the seedlings indoors during February for a late April outdoor planting. Watching them grow (quite impatiently, I might add) is a uniquely geeky pleasure since I know what comes to fruition after all the loving nurturing. The harvest! If you follow me on Instagram, you won’t really see pictures of my pets or family… but red, yellow, and green heirloom tomatoes.
The caveat of this tomato obsession is a tsunami of fruit. The little cherry ones end up in salads, sun-dried for recipes or oven-dried for tomato powder. Big ones ripen later in the season and are used in tomato sauce, gazpacho or an easy heirloom tomato salsa recipe like this one. Many are given away at work and to friends. Sometimes whether they want them or not. Waste not, want not.
To make this fresh heirloom tomato salsa, you don’t have to use heirlooms but you will need perfectly ripe tomatoes — the kind you find in grocery stores that care about produce from about June until October. Or at farmer’s markets (find a farmer’s market near you).
Easy Heirloom Tomato Salsa
Makes 2 1/2 cups. Keep tightly sealed up to a week in the fridge.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh, ripe tomatoes, loosely chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 Tablespoons jalapeño or fresno chili peppers, finely minced
1 Tablespoon fresh garlic, minced (not jarred)
1 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Directions
1. Dice tomatoes and strain off the juice with a colander. Discard juice or use it for something else like soup.
2. Place tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix to combine.
3. The salsa benefits from an hour of rest in the fridge but if you can’t wait, hey, you can’t wait.
4. Serve salsa with lightly salted tortilla chips as an appetizer or add it to guacamole, use as a sauce for grilled chicken or to add more nutrition to scrambled eggs.
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