tomatoes (and a no-cook salsa recipe)

One of my favorite summer things is home grown tomatoes.

We had the good fortune to be the lucky recipients of
a friend who was going on vacation's second picking of
not only tomatoes, but jalapenos--THANK YOU, Chuck!


So, of course, that equals a batch of salsa.

This recipe was easy to make, easy to adapt to our tastes,
and I like that it uses all fresh ingredients.

Ingredients--for all, you can add more or less, to make
this salsa just the way you like it! Chop the veggies
smaller or larger, depending on the texture you like:

* 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion (I used about 1/2 cup)
* 2 small cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 medium cloves)
* 3 LARGE ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped
* 2 hot chile peppers, Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped
(I used three--added some seeds for more heat)
* 2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
* 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice (I used 1/2 cup)
* salt and pepper

Preparation:
Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer; pour 2 cups boiling water
over them. Let drain thoroughly. Allow to cool.

Combine onion and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro,
lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend
flavors. As much as you'll want to dig in right away, believe me,
it's worth the wait!!