Make as You Go, Pico de Gallo

Homegrown tomatoes, jalepeños and cilantro have added a special touch to our homestead Pico de Gallo.

As summer’s end brought inconsistent weather, autumn stepped in, and we began to bring in less and less tomatoes. This just about puts a damper on canning tomatoes. We had too many to have for just sandwiches, but not enough for major preserving… What can you do? Use the tomatoes for a refrigerator jar of “make as you go” pico de gallo. What I love most is that it’s using up what you have on hand- this recipe is a guide, but really, no exact amounts are needed. It’s all approximate. We’ve made a couple big jars with end-of-season tomatoes and peppers. We like to scoop up this colorful pico de gallo with tortilla chips, garnish eggs, use with nachos or tacos…and I’ve even taken spoonfuls of it on its own- it’s that good.

Here’s what you need for “make as you go” pico de gallo.

3 small tomatoes or 1 medium-large tomato, cored & cut into wedges

1 jalepeño, cored and seeded, cut into chunky slices

(we used a variety from mild to hot)

¼ onion

¼ tsp. Minced garlic

½ tsp. Salt

1 TB. fresh cilantro leaves

You CAN hand chop all of these ingredients… but it is really easy to just use a food processor. Add all of the ingredients and pulse until you have the consistency you like. We like a chunkier consistency- the colors are so beautiful and fresh. I only pulse about 4-5 times.

I use a canning funnel and dump the processed pico de gallo in a large mason jar. I repeat the steps about until I am out of ingredients… making it as I go. Since we grew a variety of tomatoes, some tomato types retain more water than others. I found it necessary to strain out the water. Let this jar of goodness have a chance to sit sealed in the refrigerator at least overnight for the flavors to deepen.