Summer brings us lots of fresh fruits and vegetables from our garden. One of our favorite garden fruits is the tomato. There’s something special about eating the fruits of your own labor, and the tomatoes we grow in our garden are picked fresh from the vines and are loaded with flavor. We often just eat tomatoes like a peach, fresh from the vine, with a little fresh basil.

While things are just getting going in our garden, the grocery stores are filling with fresh farm produce which is about as close to home raised as possible. Of course that depends on the quality of the produce buyer at your local grocer. The trend these days has been toward local grown produce, and grocery stores are pushing the quality of their produce offerings. But unless you live in the deep southern US, or in California, the odds are that tomatoes, and cucumbers sold in the store in June are not local and have been trucked in.

One of the simplest salads we enjoy with these two vegetables is Cucumber Tomato Salad. This recipe only takes about 5 minutes to prepare.

Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe

• Fresh Tomatoes
• Fresh Cucumbers
• Diced Onion
• Chilled garbonzo beans (chick peas)
• Italian Salad Dressing

To make Cucumber Tomato Salad
The amounts of tomato and cucumber varies depending on the size of the fruit. Allow about 1 cup chopped tomato, 1 cup diced cucumber, and 2 tbsp diced onion per serving. The cucumber and garbonzo beans should be chilled and the tomato should be at room temperature

1. Diced the tomatoes into bite sized pieces.
2. Peel the cucumber, cut in have lengthwise, then slice into 3/8″ thick slices. You can leave a little peel on for added color.
3. Peel and dice about 1/2 cup onion.
4. Combine the tomato, cucumber, and onion in a salad bowl. Add a little Italian Salad Dressing and mix well.
5. Add the garbonzo beans if desired. Or serve on the side for others to add on there own.
6. Do not refrigerate or you will destroy the flavor of the tomatoes. Serve immediately.