Ground Cherry Salsa

Thank you to CSA member Rebecca for sharing her adaption of the following Cook's Illustrated recipe! She writes, "As long as it adds up to 3 cups, you can vary the proportion of ground cherries and tomatoes."

Ground Cherry Salsa
Ingredients

1 pound ripe ground cherries, halved or smaller (about 2 cups)
½ pound Roma or cherry tomatoes, diced (about 1 cup)
1 large jalapeno, seeds removed and finely minced
½ red onion, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon salt pinch ground pepper
2 to 6 teaspoons lime juice (1 to 2 limes)
sugar to taste (up to 1 teaspoon)

Directions

Place chopped tomatoes in a colander and let drain for 30 minutes. As they drain, layer ground cherries, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and cilantro on top. Shake colander to drain off excess juice; discard juice. Transfer to a bowl and add salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons lime juice. Toss to combine, taste, and add more lime juice and sugar to taste.

This salsa can be made 2 to 3 hours in advance, but hold off adding the salt, lime juice, and sugar till just before serving.

Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad

Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad 

makes about 8 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes

3 ears organic sweet corn

1 organic red pepper, chopped

1 organic red onion, chopped

1 18 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 C fresh cilantro leaves

1 C organic grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or whole

juice from one lime

1-2 avocados, cut into small chunks [optional]

1. To prep the corn, shuck each ear, and cut each cob in half.

2. Place the prepped corn cobs in a large pot of boiling water, and boil for 3-5 minutes, or until the corn is tender. [Alternately, you could skip this step and use raw corn kernels.]

3. Remove the corn from the water and let cool until you can safely handle them. (Since I was in no rush, I let the ears cool in the fridge overnight.)

4. After the corn has cooled, use a sharp knife to carefully cut the kernels from each cob.

5. Place the kernels into a large serving bowl.

6. Stir in the chopped red pepper, red onion, and black beans.

7. Add in the tomatoes and stir to combine.

8. Stir in the fresh lime juice.

9. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

10. Place in the fridge and let chill for at least half an hour. Give it a stir before serving.

11. If you want to take it up one more notch, top with chunks of avocado just before serving.

12. Serve the corn and black bean salad by itself or over a bed of quinoa.

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

This recipe is courtesy of Girl Cooks World blog.

Tomato and Watermelon Salad
Ingredients
2 cups halved or quartered small cherry tomatoes
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch to ¾-inch cubes
1 cup chopped, seeded watermelon, cut into ½-inch to ¾-inch cubes
1 avocado, cut into ½-inch to ¾-inch cubes
½ cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon of fresh basil, mint, or cilantro
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, avocado, herbs, and coriander.
2. Just before serving combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and whisk to combine. Pour over the tomato mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Be sure to add enough salt to make the flavors pop!

Marinated Tomatoes

From: Pioneer Woman

This is a good recipe for all the summer tomatoes that are starting to come in, from the garden and the farm share. You can use any kind of tomatoes - large, small, red, yellow, etc. A few ideas on how to use them: as a side dish for a grilled dinner, on top of sliced mozzarella with cracked black pepper and sliced basil, piled onto slices of toasted baguette for bruschetta (or, top toasted baguette with the tomatoes, add sliced mozarella, pop into the toaster or under the broiler to melt the cheese), add to a green salad, or spoon over some quinoa or cous cous for a summer side dish.

Ingredients

1 cup Canola Oil (I used less, and substituted olive oil)
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced
1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
2 pounds Tomatoes, Cut Into Quarters (if Big) Or Halves (if Small)
1 whole Baguette, Sliced, optional
1 clove Garlic, Peeled, optional

Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine, then add tomatoes. (You can increase the quantity of tomatoes if need be.) Use regular red tomatoes, or a mixture of red, yellow, heirloom, etc. Use different sizes of tomatoes, too--pretty!

Allow to marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, several hours if possible. Tomatoes will give off liquid as they marinate.

Use leftover tomatoes to make bruschetta: slice baguette and brush slices with olive oil. Grill on a skillet or grill pan until golden. Rub slices with garlic cloves. Top with tomatoes, allowing juice to drip on the bread.

Zucchini Feta Chopped Salad

This recipe comes from the Family Fresh Cooking blog. The author recommends enjoying this salad as soon as you prepare it as it tends to get watery when stored in the refrigerator.

Zucchini Feta Chopped Salad
Ingredients
2 large zucchini cut into quarters
1 chopped bell pepper
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
handful chopped cherry tomatoes
handful of chopped Kalamata olives
splash garlic olive oil (or plain extra virgin olive oil)
pinch of ground black pepper
some fresh or dried dill

Directions
Julienne zucchini in food processor. Put in medium bowl and gently toss with the rest of the ingredients.

Dried-out Cherry or Grape Tomato Pasta Addition

We are seeing the very first of grape tomatoes of the season! Cherry and grape tomatoes should not be refrigerated—they will store best if left out at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. They should be spread out on a plate on in a bowl or basket to avoid rotting and will keep this way for few days before drying out. If this should happen—don't throw them away! Steve Kirk, LFFC's Egg Manager, recommended this simple recipe from National Public Radio's The Splendid Table. Try it out to add a lot of flavor to a simple pasta dish.

Dried-out Cherry or Grape Tomato Pasta Addition
Ingredients
cherry or grape tomatoes, slightly dried-out
olive oil

Directions
1. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add cherry and grape tomatoes. Smush with a spatula and fry until slightly browned.
2. Allow to cool. Chop or crumble and add to desired pasta dish.

Baked Cherry Tomatoes: My New Favorite Side Dish

So simple, but so, so delicious.

drop 1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes (or as many as you like, really) into a baking dish. Drizzle with some good extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper and any other dried herbs you like. I used an "Italian Seasoning" mix of dried herbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so - the skins on the tomatoes should start to split and get a little squishy.

Deeeelicious!