If I could have garden fresh pico de gallo readily available all the time, I wouldn't complain. Out of all the recipes I made with my garden harvests over the summer, this was my easy and quick go-to.
Grab a hand full of tortilla chips and dig into this delicious salsa.
For The Gardener
It made me so happy to be able to grow most of the ingredients for this recipe right in my own vegetable garden this summer. I grow in zone 6a Massachusetts.
When I'm picking out things like bell pepper seeds to grow, I make sure to look for varieties that mature quickly. I also look for varieties that can be grown in small spaces since I grow in raised beds. Here's everything I grew to make some garden fresh pico de gallo!
King Of The North Bell Pepper (68 days) When they say this pepper has a heavy yield, they are serious! I've always had trouble finding an early maturing pepper that is a solid producer. This pepper is perfect if you are a Northern gardener. I've added it to the list of seeds I will be growing year after year. You can find them here.
Early Jalapeño Chili Pepper (60 days) These peppers have the perfect kick for any pico de gallo or salsa recipe. It's important to note that this variety does have a lower yield than other hybrids. This can be remedied by sowing a few extra seeds. These plants produced well and gave me some great harvests! You can find them here.
Lunch Box Pepper *Optional* (55 days) I love throwing in a few of these vibrant beauties when making some pico de gallo. They are sweet, mini-sized peppers with a great flavor. This variety has an excellent yield and is one of my favorites. You can find them here.
Gardener's Delight Cherry Tomato (65 days) These delicious tomatoes truly are a delight. The plant is compact and perfect for small spaces. The vigorous vines grow 6' tall and produce clusters of 6-12 tomatoes. You can find them here.
Patio Choice Yellow Cherry Tomato (45 days) This is the perfect early maturing cherry tomato for raised beds. They are disease resistant with big yields. The 1" diameter yellow cherry tomatoes are full of flavor! You can find them here.
Cabernet Red Onion (100 days) This variety produces medium to large globe shaped onions with a gorgeous deep red color. They have a great flavor and you can store them up to 6 months. You can find them here.
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley (60 days) This is the type of herb where if I have an open spot in my garden with nothing growing, I'll throw it right in! It's super easy to grow and I just love it. It has excellent flavor, is easy to chop and also works perfectly for drying. You can find them here.
The Biggest Secret To Growing The Best Ingredients?
Grow varieties that do best in your climate. If you live in a climate with a short season like mine, look for early maturing vegetables. Trust me, it makes a big difference in success. It's such a satisfying feeling picking and harvesting your hard work and turning it into something delicious!
Pico De Gallo or Salsa?
So, what exactly is the difference? I actually didn't know until I started making all of my summer favorites fresh from the garden! I learned that it's all about consistency.
Pico is served chunky, raw and hand chopped. With salsa, it's blended and has a more of a liquid consistency. Also, salsas will include ingredients that have been boiled or roasted (like the tomatoes).
Switch It Up!
Bring On The Heat - Are you all about heat? Substitute your jalapeño peppers with some Serrano peppers. Feeling extra brave? Try a habanero out!
Make It Sweet - Add in some pineapple or mango to switch up your regular recipe!
Add Some Flavor - Excellent additions to pico de gallo are avocado, corn kernels and black beans just to name a few.
Easy and Quick Pico De Gallo
Angie RoseEquipment
- Cutting Board
- Chefs Knife
- Medium Sized Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Red Cherry Tomatoes diced
- 1 Cup Yellow Cherry Tomatoes diced
- 1 Large Jalapeño Pepper chopped (seeds removed)
- 2 Green Bell Peppers chopped (seeds removed)
- 1/2 Cup Red Onion diced
- 1 Clove Garlic minced
- 1/4 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley roughly chopped
- 1 Lime
- Salt & Pepper For Taste
Instructions
- Dice and chop your tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and parsley.
- Add your diced and chopped vegetables & herbs into a medium sized bowl.
- Squeeze the lime over ingredients. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper.
- Give it a taste test. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Cover bowl and let chill in your fridge for 20 minutes.
- Enjoy with tortilla chips!
Notes
Do you have any pico de gallo tips and tricks? Share with us in the comment section below! As always, thanks for reading and happy gardening!
27 Comments
monica young
December 11, 2020 at 10:29 amYummy it looks delicious and colorful, we are making some Mexican food this weekend and I will add this to our menu
Shelley King
December 11, 2020 at 9:29 amPico De Gallo is one of my favorite things! I miss having a garden and always having everything fresh. This is also perfect movie food when we have movie night! YUM!
Adeina Anderson
December 11, 2020 at 8:23 amSuch a refreshing recipe. I can’t wait to make this and try it with my taco soup.
chada
December 11, 2020 at 6:29 amI tried this recipe and I love it.I actually added some mango cause it was on sale and I needed to use it up and it was great .
Monica Simpson
December 11, 2020 at 12:41 amI need to make this. I have decided recently that pico is way better than salsa. Adding mangoes sounds so good too.
Alyssa
December 11, 2020 at 12:25 amWow it’s amazing how you’re able to grow your own garden and have fresh vegetables ready at your doorstep. Love this recipe of yours and will try it this weekend!
Rose Ann Sales
December 10, 2020 at 11:31 pmOh my… You really did a great job with your backyard.
Nikki Wayne
December 10, 2020 at 10:06 pmOmg,your harvested veggies looksso good! Especially the tomatoes. It looks so juicy.
Bri
December 10, 2020 at 7:41 pmI always use Roma tomatoes. I’ll try cherry tomatoes now!!
Allergy Spot
December 10, 2020 at 6:41 pmThis looks so good, and allergy-friendly too! We have a tree laden with limes at the moment so I’m going to make some for the weekend.
Pam Wattenbarger
December 10, 2020 at 6:17 pmI am really enjoying reading all your recipes and gardening posts. And, it’s definitely good to purchase the plants that will do best in your zone!
Amber Myers
December 10, 2020 at 3:55 pmI love pico do gallo! I will have to make this for sure. I love putting it on my tacos.
Tammy
December 10, 2020 at 1:50 pmI love this stuff. So good for anytime of the day.
Ben
December 10, 2020 at 12:09 pmI used to put salsa on everything, but then I discovered pico de gallo. Now I put it on everything instead. I can’t wait to ry this recipe. I love how fresh it is.
Michele Morin
December 17, 2020 at 2:41 pmThanks, Angie!
Kat @The Hobbit Hold
December 10, 2020 at 10:58 amThis looks so fresh and delicious! I’d love to have my own garden though and make this every day 🙂