It is the time of the year when strawberries can be found not only at the farmers’ markets but even at the grocery stores in their full glory on a regular basis. And it coincides so conveniently with the Summer solstice time of the year! So, Strawberry Salsa for Summer Solstice it is! (We even have an alliteration going on here!)

Surprisingly enough, the strawberry salsa recipes are abundantly available online. But, when you think of it, it is not that strange after all and, of course, it makes sense: Tomatoes are also technically fruit! Using strawberries instead of tomatoes can be a fun way to change up your everyday salsa. Or you could use strawberries in addition to tomatoes when short of time, feeling a bit lazy or do not have enough strawberries.

The basic recipe will call for nice, ripe strawberries (but you could  easily use up all those not-so-ripe-ones, too!) and fresh cilantro, as well as one beautiful lime, but the rest could be substituted or changed up. I added corn to my version of the salsa, as a) I had some organic corn, and b) felt that I needed to bulk up my salsa. I am happy to report that the tastes married well, and the yellow corn also added an aesthetically pleasing dimension to my salsa – it looked very pretty and summer-ready! Variations for this summer time salsa-beauty are endless… and I (personally) always feel invited to improvise.

So, the very basics:
Juice and (zest, IF the lime is organic!) from 1 medium lime
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and diced (or more or a bit less)
½ cup (or more) chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mix it all and let it sit a bit, taste and decide, if anything else is needed.

If in a hurry then use:
Trader Joe’s Red Salsa Autentica. It  works well as the base.

If feeling industrious then start with/add:
1 ½ teaspoons honey or maple syrup
(optional) 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (use a small one for less heat, or leave in some seeds for more heat)
½ small red onion, chopped
pinch of fine sea salt (if needed)
could add chopped fresh tomatoes as well

Article and Photography Contributed by Indra Strong