Fall is finally here! I abhor summer, with its beastly heat and stifling humidity. Every year, I dread its coming. However, summer does have one very good thing going for it: tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes. A tomato procured from the grocery store cannot even come close to comparing to the flavors of one freshly picked. However, the much anticipated coming of fall comes at the price of these delectable fruits. Now is the time to stock up on fresh tomatoes.

You will want to get a lot to last you through the fall and winter. What to do with your bounty? They can be canned or preserved, or made into any number of sauces which can also be stored and saved. As a suggestion, I present one of my solutions: a simple salsa recipe of my own invention sure to send your taste buds into ecstasy. Feel free to tweak and adjust as fits your tastes; leaving the seeds in the peppers makes for a spicier salsa, for example. (Also, my wife says this recipe has too much cilantro for her tastes, but I, as a lover of the leafy green, would actually have liked more of it.) For best results, procure as many ingredients as possible from your local farmer’s market or someone’s backyard.

INGREDIENTS
1 onion
1 jalapeño pepper
1 banana pepper
3-5 cloves of garlic
4-6 medium-sized tomatoes
handful of cilantro
juice of one lime
1 good shake of salt and pepper

Chop the onion and peppers. Sauté until the onions are softened and almost translucent. Crush the garlic and add to the pan. Seed and chop the tomatoes and sauté with the vegetables for a minute or two, just enough to soften them slightly. Remove from heat and add cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, or leave as is for a chunky salsa.

Photo: Erin Day