By Tomato week. Gayle's garden has exploded. She brought over a bag Monday with twelve tomatoes in it. Tuesday she brought over another bag. Wednesday she brought two bags. I made salsa, tomato sauce, a caprese salad, BLTs for dinner three nights running, and a big pot of gazpacho. The kitchen smelled like summer for five days. Josie ate sandwiches standing at the counter with tomato juice running down her wrist. Tyler asked me to teach him to make salsa. I taught him. He has been making his own salsa ever since, and his version has more cilantro and less heat than mine, which he defends vigorously. Tyler has opinions about cilantro now. This is the shape of a 15-year-old son becoming a 15-year-old person.
Drove a Lincoln-Des Moines run Tuesday through Thursday. Three days. Ate truck stop food Tuesday, leftover gazpacho from a thermos Wednesday, and a motel salad Thursday. The summer Peterbilt is a hot metal box with a cold metal heart and I love it.
Amber and I went school shopping Saturday — the UNK list was detailed and long. Sheets (she will live in a dorm with an extra-long twin mattress), towels, desk lamp, a small refrigerator, a plastic drawer unit, a stack of bathroom supplies. We spent four hours at Target in Kearney. We stopped at a Dairy Queen on the way home. We had Dilly Bars. We sat in the Taurus in the parking lot and licked ice cream and did not speak for fifteen minutes. Then Amber said, "Mom. I love you." I said, "I love you too, baby." We drove home. We put everything in boxes in the upstairs hallway. I looked at the boxes Sunday morning and cried a little into my coffee and then I pulled myself together because Josie needed a ride to her friend's house and a mother's life does not stop for her own feelings.
Gayle called Sunday night. She said, "Brenda. The garden is too much for me." I said, "Ma, I will help." She said, "I want to pull up half the tomatoes." I said, "Ma." She said, "My knees, Brenda." I said, "Okay, Ma. I will come over Saturday. We will pull up half." We will pull up half. I hate that we will. I understand that we will. The garden has been Gayle's proof that she is not done. Pulling up half is a thing I will help her do with dignity. She will still plant next year. She will plant fewer. That is the entire plan.
Tyler’s salsa had more cilantro than mine and he was right about it, even though I will never tell him that. After a week of tomatoes in every form I could think of — sauce, gazpacho, caprese, BLTs until we were sick of them — this salsa verde was the thing that felt like a fresh start. Tomatillos instead of tomatoes. A little acid, a little heat, something green and sharp to cut through all that heavy ripeness. I made a batch Sunday afternoon while the boxes sat in the hallway, and it tasted like the end of summer and the beginning of something else.
Salsa Verde
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 serrano peppers, stemmed (seeded for less heat)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Roast the tomatillos. Place whole tomatillos, onion, garlic, and serrano peppers on a baking sheet. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until tomatillos are softened and lightly charred in spots.
- Cool briefly. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer everything, including any juices from the pan, to a blender or food processor.
- Blend. Add cilantro, lime juice, salt, and cumin. Pulse until you reach your desired consistency — slightly chunky or smooth.
- Taste and adjust. Add more salt or lime juice as needed. If the salsa is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water.
- Serve or store. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, over tacos, or with grilled meats. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 20 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 150mg