Written by Madison Welch
Some of my earliest memories are from my backyard garden. My dad and I have been growing cherry tomatoes in our garden for as long as I can remember. Every summer I’d run out to the garden barefoot tohelp him pick the ripe ones. I’d carry them up to the house by holding out the bottom of my shirt like basket trying not to drop any on the way into the house.
Cherry tomatoes are one of the easiest things to grow. They need full sunlight and need watering every few days, about an inch per week (Source: University of Minnesota Extension). Red chili peppers do best in warm soil and should be planted about ¼ inch deep, spaced around 18 inches apart (Source: Clemson Cooperative Extension).
Even though I loved planting and taking care of the tomatoes, I never actually liked eating them. I always wished I did, especially since I helped plant, water, and watch them grow, and my whole family loves them. What made them special to me wasn’t the taste but the experience of watching something I grew come to life.
That’s why I was surprised when the Garden Memoirs project inspired me to give them another chance. Writing about my garden made me realize that I had never tried using my homegrown tomatoes in a way that I might actually enjoy. That’s when I thought of making homemade salsa using the cherry tomatoes and red chili peppers from my garden. It felt like the perfect way to finally enjoy something I had grown myself.
When the tomatoes were bright red and ready to pick, I brought them into the kitchen. I chopped them up, diced a few of the spicy red chilies, and mixed everything with fresh lime juice, onions, and cilantro. The first bite completely changed how I felt about tomatoes. It was fresh, sweet, and just the right amount of spicy. What surprised me most was how mixing them with other flavors made me finally appreciate something I had grown all along.
Making the salsa also made me think of my dad and all the summers we spent out in the garden together. This time, I got to take what we grew and turn it into something new. It reminded me that sometimes you just need to look at something from a different angle to see its value.
This little project reminded me that sometimes it just takes a new perspective to enjoy something you’ve known your whole life. Now, every time I make salsa, it tastes like summer and a little bit like home.
