Chipotle's Salsa

Photo By Patti Raab

Hey farmer's market fans --

Chipotle was the new vendor yesterday at the farmer's market near the White House.  What is a national chain of restaurants doing at a farmer's market you may ask?  I was wondering too until I got to Chipotle's table.  Chipotle put on a live demonstration showing how easy it is to use summer produce and herbs to make your own fresh salsa.  The store also gave out it's salsa recipe which I have posted below for you to try.

Chipotle, which tries to source organic and local produce when it can, also generously gave out free samples of the freshly made salsa along with some great salty tortilla chips!  Thanks Chipotle!!

It was a beautiful sunny day in the nation's capital and the market was very busy as shoppers sampled and talked with the local farmers about the local varieties of fresh produce that were being sold all along the blocked off area within viewing disctance of the White House.  Office workers and tourists browsed the tables filled with delicious sour cherries, sweet cherries, small cucumbers, yellow squash, salad greens, and vine ripe tomatoes, ready to be chopped, cooked and hastily eaten.  I found some absolutely beautiful tomatoes which I consider the best of the best of summer's home grown treasures.  I'll be eating those right away!

Summer tomatoes are very versatile and when they are as fresh as they are right now and will be for the rest of the summer you can add them to almost any dish and they will amp up the flavor of whatever you're making.  Chopped, roasted or marinated, I never get sick of eating summer tomatoes.

For a great salsa, summer tomatoes are essential. If you've never made fresh salsa before, it's very easy.  Have fun making it and experimenting with different ingredients.  As a starting point, here is Chipotle's salsa recipe which the store gave out today:

CHIPOTLE'S TOMATO SALSA RECIPE

6 vine-ripened tomatoes

1/2 a red onion

2 jalapenos

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

sal and pepper to taste

Dice the tomatoes, onions and jalapenos.  Combine all the ingredients and season to taste.

Mangi!! (Italian for "eat")

Seize the Freshest of May

Yeah!!! The FRESHFARM Market by the White House opened yesterday for its summer/fall season and the freshest and greenest produce was on its' best behavior sitting in beautiful baskets just begging to be bought, tossed, grilled and eaten.

It's too early in the season for my favorite farm grown tomatoes, but yesterday's vendors showed off plenty of fresh salad greens, asparagus, kale, bean sprouts and other seasonal crops for urban workers to choose from along with coloful freshcut flowers and cookies and breads.

I could feel the beginnings of summer as I walked from my office to the farmer's market: warm sun, the smell of freshly cut grass and tossed mulch and a general feeling of relief in the air that winter is finally behind us, not to be seen for many months.

I love going to the farmer's market because I feel I'm rewarding my body and my inner chickness by eating foods grown from local farms.  I still buy from grocery stores but it's not the same since some of its produce could have been irradiated or waxed in transit. 

It can be a little bit more expensive so I don't buy a whole week's worth of produce but what I do buy is tasty and real.  Most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed, and many of the farmers try to grow the most nutritious produce possible by building their soil's fertility without the use of pesticides.  The fruits and veggies harvested from their soil nourishes those who eat the farm's home grown products, namely me.

Veggies are the name of the game and I am always trying to incorporate more of them into my diet or trying to find a new way to cook the veggies I already find delicious.  Eating raw and organic fresh food brings my body the nutrients it needs to fight stress (ugh!) and aging (hate that!).  Today's mantra is: the more I take care of my body the less I have to worry about getting sick or lying in a hospital.  Caring for your body and its good health is not being selfish; it is responsible and smart.

Farmer's markets are beginning to open everywhere, so please check out the following produce lists.  The  "Clean Fifteen" list put together by the Environmental Working Group is food grown with the least amount of pesticides, ranked from best to not-great:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagu
7. Sweet peas
8. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

The "Dirty Dozen" list, also compiled by the Environmental Working Group, is foods grown with the most pesticides, ranked from worst to less bad:

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

For more information about the lists, log on to EWG's web site at foodnews.org or ewg.org