Massachusetts Grown and Fresher

This time of year I often eat several vegetarian or near vegetarian meals a week. The UMASS Extension Service is certainly making that easier. Every Tuesday they have a representative at the NRT Farmers Market providing samples of a vegetarian recipe. The idea is to promote buying local produce-"Massachusetts grown…and fresher!" Yesterday's recipe for salsa was a simple twist on an already simple recipe:

Cool Summer Salsa

1 large cucumber (1 cup) peeled, seeded, and diced

1 orange, peeled and diced or one small can mandarin oranges

1 small tomato, diced

2 green onion or scallions, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (adjust amount to taste)

1 tablespoon olive or other salad oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Wash and prepare vegetables and orange

2. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients

3. Use as a chip dip or spoon over grilled chicken or fish.

The Mass. Dept. of Agriculture would be proud of me. I bought a cucumber and some large orange cherry tomatoes from Farmer Val and got scallions and tomatillos from Farmer Adam's assistant Ann. Yup, I changed the recipe replacing the orange with the tomatillo. I also added some of Karen's Cumin and Coriander Rub, a minced slice or two of Vidalia onion and a little salt. It was great. Hard to describe the taste of tomatillo tart with an underlying sweetness. They are related to the husk covered "ground cherries" that have become popular at Farmer's Markets in recent years. I didn't have a chance to get to the supermarket so the tomatillos replaced both the orange and the lime juice. A half a cup of the original recipe has only 60 calories. I served it with a big bell pepper stuffed with Bell's stuffing, onion, mushroom, and some blue cheese crumbles.

 Patrons of the NRT Farmer's Market should know that Marie Pray's famous peaches were available at the market for the first time on Tuesday. She will have more on Saturday. By the way, Langwater Farms fruit trees may begin producing as early as next year.