July approaches. One year in San Diego. ONE YEAR. The longest we've stayed anywhere since Pendleton, and this time it feels different. This time it feels like the beginning of permanence.
The tomatoes are producing. Dad was right — June tomatoes in Zone 10b. Red, warm from the sun, the flavor that makes store-bought tomatoes seem like a different food entirely. I picked the first one Tuesday and stood in the kitchen eating it like an apple, juice running down my chin, and called Dad.
'The first tomato, Dad.'
'How is it?'
'Perfect.'
'Of course it is. Those are Norfolk seeds in California sun. The best of both worlds.'
Norfolk seeds in California sun. The most Kevin Abernathy thing he's ever said.
Caleb helped me pick tomatoes the rest of the week. He approached each one with the reverence of someone harvesting gold. 'This one's RED, Mama! This one's ORANGE! Is orange okay?'
'Orange is okay. It's almost ready.'
'Can I eat the orange one?'
'Wait for red.'
'How long?'
'A few days.'
The patience required to wait for a tomato to ripen is the same patience required for everything in military life. Wait. Trust the process. It'll be ready when it's ready.
Made bruschetta with the first tomatoes. Fresh basil from the grocery store (Dad's herbs are still Norfolk-only), garlic, olive oil — the GOOD olive oil — on toasted bread.
The first tomato. Norfolk to California. The patience. The harvest.
After that first tomato—the one I ate standing over the sink like it was the most important thing I’d eaten in a year (it was)—I wanted to keep celebrating fresh, simple flavors all week. Bruschetta became a daily ritual, but one evening I swapped the tomatoes for this bright pear and pomegranate salsa, spooned over the same toasted bread with that same good olive oil. It hit the same note: five honest ingredients, nothing fussy, everything earned. Dad would approve.
5-Ingredient Pear Pomegranate Salsa
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears, cored and finely diced
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (from 1 small pomegranate)
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the pears. Core and finely dice the pears into small, even pieces (about 1/4 inch). Add them to a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add the pomegranate arils, red onion, lime juice, and cilantro to the bowl with the pears.
- Season and toss. Season lightly with salt and black pepper, then gently stir everything together until combined. Taste and adjust lime juice or salt as needed.
- Rest briefly. Let the salsa sit for 5 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavors to meld before serving.
- Serve. Spoon over toasted crusty bread, grilled chicken, fish tacos, or serve alongside tortilla chips.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 52 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 40mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 429 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
