Reaping What You Sow...

Well now that autumn is here, we are enjoying the spoils of our labor from the summer garden. To be honest...we have tomatoes coming out of our ears! So, this afternoon I whipped up a batch of pica de gallo for the kids to enjoy with some tortilla chips tonight while they watch Halloweentown High on the Disney channel. Knowing my brood, the entire bowl will be gone inside 20 minutes! What do you think?

We used ingredients we grew in our garden, but you can purchase the same items in the produce department at your local market and enjoy your own anytime of the year. Here's how it's made:

Pica de Gallo

8-10 fresh ripe tomatoes
6-8 scallions (red onion is a good substitute if you don't have these)
Cilantro (a small bunch will do)
1-3 jalepenos, depending on your temperature tolerance
1 lime (optional)

Chop tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and jalepeno to a fine dice. Mix in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from the lime into the bowl, stirring to mix thoroughly. Cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (The longer the pica sits, the "hotter" it becomes as the flavors meld.)

Serve chilled with chips or over your favorite Mexican dish. YUM!