Savor Summertime Flavor with Fruit Salsa

in Recipes

Autumn is upon us and the dog days of summer will soon be a distant memory. While I won’t miss the oppressive heat, biting flies and the crowds of people cooling off at the mountain lakes, I will miss the summertime fruit most of all.

This summer, nectarines were in abundance. It seemed as if they were in every basket. I’m not complaining. I love nectarines. But aside from slicing them on top of my breakfast cereal or packing one in my lunch bag, my recipe repertoire was pretty light. Until I discovered fruit salsa.

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Nectarine Salsa

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

Nectarine Salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of large, ripe nectarines, pitted and chopped
  • 1/2 c chopped onion (I used white, but yellow or red would work too. The choice is up to you.)
  • 2 T lime juice
  • 2 t (or more to suit your taste) chopped, roasted jalapeño* (canned or fresh is fine too)
  • 1 t (or more to suit your taste) chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 t sugar
  • 1/4 t salt

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients together and let sit for an hour to let the flavors combine and the nectarines get nice and juicy.
  2. Enjoy! It's ready to serve.
  3. However, if you'd like to can the salsa to save for the cold winter days when nectarines are unavailable, this is the point to do it. Pack sterilized 1/2 pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head room, and process in hot water, boiling for 20 minutes.
  4. *Place jalapeños on a cookie sheet under a hot broiler (4-6 inches) and roast 5 minutes per side until blackened - 60-80%, not incinerated. Put cooked peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sweat for 15 minutes. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove them from the bowl and strip off the outer skin. It should slide off easily. NOTE: Always wear gloves when handling jalapeños or other hot peppers. You'll thank me later.

I have six jars of Nectarine Salsa tucked away in my cupboard. And it’s a good thing too. Nectarines are getting scarce at the market and there hasn’t been one in my basket for a month. While I haven’t tried any variations yet, I expect this recipe would work well with other fruits too – like sweet Utah peaches. Tropical fruits – pineapples and mangoes — might also be a nice option.

In addition to enjoying this salsa with chicken, fish or on a tortilla chip straight out of the jar, it makes a great gift. So make a few extra jars for friends and for yourself — and you’ll be enjoying the fresh taste of summertime all winter long.

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