Garden Fresh Pico de Gallo

The past few mornings, the air has been crisp and refreshing – sure signs that autumn is near. But I wasn’t quite ready to let go of the season of summer so I embraced it with this Garden Fresh Pico de Gallo.

This morning had enough of a chill that I started the car to get the heater revved up before taking off for town and it’s only early September! By mid-afternoon you realize you no longer need the jacket you wore to work and when you get in your vehicle at the end of the day, you have to crank the air back down from the 80° you had it set on in the morning.

Although summertime is coming to an end, I haven’t accepted that it’s time to replace fresh garden flavors with pumpkin spice and orchard apple flavors just yet. This non-recipe recipe for Garden Fresh Pico de Gallo is the perfect way to satisfy your craving for fresh summer flavors and it would be a perfect addition to a meal of these Shredded Beef Tacos and Mexican Rice.

I didn’t have all of the typical ingredients for traditional pico de gallo so I had an opportunity to be creative. Instead of red onion which I would normally use, I was able to use some of the green onion I had hanging out in the fridge. I didn’t have a lime but I had half of a bottle of lemon juice (totally not the same as fresh squeezed but remember, I was working with what I had).

I also had an assortment of cherry tomatoes but you can use whatever kind of tomato you have on hand. The garlic and cilantro also came out of my garden. Isn’t it fulfilling to pluck food out of the ground that you grew!  

Another great thing about this unconventional pico de gallo is that is can be put together in a snap. The most time consuming part was chopping the tomatoes.

As you can see, it’s a vibrant, colorful presentation and the bowl would have been a little more photo-friendly if I hadn’t eaten half of it before I took the photos. We won’t judge if you lack self-control when it comes to chips and dip (like me). I say dig in! For the remaining pico that you don’t devour right after it’s combined, you can cover the container and put it in the fridge to let the flavors marry. 

It’s of course great as an appetizer, served with tortilla chips. It’s equally delicious served with supper on taco night!

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What summer flavors are you savoring during these last few weeks of warm weather?