Cantaloupe Salsa

I’m not always the biggest fan of cantaloupe. If it is mixed into a fruit salad, it always seems to me that they skimp on the cherries and pineapple for the cheaper but less exciting cantaloupe and honeydew melon – usually in giant hard to eat chunks. I’ve come around slightly over the years and have been known to have a slice with breakfast or as a summer dessert. But salsa? I was wary…

A few years ago Beth saw this recipe online or found it in a book and decided to give it a try. I was apprehensive at first, but very pleasantly surprised. The sweet, juicy melon pairs nicely with some heat (jalapeno) and some sweet red or vidalia onion. I like this alternative to tomato salsa so much that we have it at least once a summer, and make a whole melon’s worth that lasts us at least a week. I have even thought that mixing in some other melon, or a peach or mango might be worth a try one of these days.

It’s too bad that local melon like this is hard to find. I was able to get a nice one at the store though, and paired it will all local peppers and onion for a salsa that’s almost native to New England. The taste is somewhat tropical, though, which helps make you feel like you are on vacation even though your sitting in the back yard or staring out the window at the rain.

The smaller the chunks of melon, the better, and you may even decide to take about a quarter of the melon and puree it in a food processor briefly to make sort of a paste that the leftover chunks of melon and onion can swim in. It’s open for interpretation. Throw in some sweet red pepper for some additional color. In my photo, I used a purple pepper that we had along with two jalapenos and a whole cantaloupe.

1 whole cantaloupe, diced into cubes less than a quarter inch in size
1/4 cup diced sweet (red or Vidalia) onion, or half a medium bulb
1 or 2 (2 inch) red or green chili to taste, minced. De-seed a jalapeno for a little heat, or use the whole thing. If using a hotter pepper like a red Thai, use just one unless you are adventurous.
2 limes, squeezed for as much juice as you can get (about 2 tablespoons)
Chopped sweet basil or cilantro to taste (about 2 tablespoons fresh, half that if dried)
A few shakes of salt (1/4 teaspoon)

Mix all the fruit and veggies in a large bowl. Squeeze the limes over the mixture and lightly salt the surface. Mix thoroughly. Ready to eat immediately, but can also last about a week in the fridge in a tight-lidded container.

Options: add garlic, other sweet fruits, cucumber or sweet peppers. Adjust hot peppers to taste. Use as a dip with salted chips or as a topping on grilled fish or chicken.

Zephyr Farms CSA

CSA Share Week 9 from Zephyr Farms

Since we knew we would be a bit home bound this summer due to our new bundle of joy (baby girl if you placed a bet, and yes, both babe and Beth are doing well), we enrolled in our first-ever CSA through the wonderful folks over at Zephyr Farms in Cranston, RI.

Luckily, we had the foresight to listen to the advice of friends, and we split our share with another friend. We pick up a bunch of produce every 2 weeks, and we also got half an egg share, which means a dozen eggs every time we pick up the produce as well. So far, it’s worked out great. The half share is plenty of produce for the two of us… a full share would have been way too much. The variety so far this year has been great as well, and we’ve even tried a few things we’ve never cooked with before, like fennel.

You can see on their blog all the great stuff that they have been harvesting, and I must say, the tomatoes that are starting to come in are fantastic. Also, grilled yellow squash and zucchini make a great topping to salads or pasta… I just grill a bunch ahead of time so it doesn’t go bad and I’ve got it in the fridge whenever I want to add some savory char to a dish.

This week we picked up 4 lbs of tomatoes, 3 lbs cucumbers, 3 lbs squash, bunch of beets, small head of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, sweet peppers, eggplant and the crown jewel, and something I completely did not expect – a small watermelon! So far, I’m very happy and impressed with the experience. To think… we’ll have produce rolling in until October!

Looks like I’ve got some cooking to do this week. I’ve also got some green beans and potatoes from the last share that I need to use. Hmmm… me thinks a ratatouille is in my future.