The farmers' market is a happening place right now -- full of vibrant colors of late summer's bounty, I can easily eat all of my fruits and vegetables from a 100 mile radius of my kitchen. This salsa is courtesy of my lovely CSA, which brought immediate tingles of excitement when I saw a tomato in our share. I knew right away that this tomato had a destiny: salsa. But I wanted to do something different. Not just any salsa would do for the first tomato of the season. Using mostly local ingredients, I jazzed this salsa up with some sweet Boothby Blonde cucumbers, a tiny light green hot pepper, and parsley. A few squirts of lemon juice and a handful of pumpkin seeds brightened up the taste like the rays of sunshine that have graced us this weekend, and made it a perfect pairing for homemade tortilla chips.
This weekend my sister Rachel came to visit us. She just turned 21, and is on summer break from college. It was fun to show her how the Portland community really supports eating locally -- between Rosemont Bakery, the farmers' markets, and showing her my CSA share, I think she was impressed at how easy it is to eat fresh food every day. It was fun to cook for her and introduce her to new foods like mung beans, beets, and this cucumber salsa.
First Tomato Cucumber Salsa
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- 1 hot pepper - or half, depending on your heat appreciation
- 1/4 cup of parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- juice from half a lemon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cumin
In a medium sized bowl, mix ingredients together and stir well. Serve on toasted bread, crackers, or tortilla chips. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
