Fall Season And Fresh Apple Salsa

Fall season across Virginia means the perfect time to get an abundance of local apples at various apple orchards. One of my favorite places to pick apples is in the Charlottesville region. A friend had asked me several years ago if I had ever considered making fresh apple salsa. What I found is firm crisp apples provide a unique crunch and sweet or tart flavor (depending on the apple) to salsas and pico de gallo.

With the vast variety of apples available based on where you live, you can really get creative and experiment with various fresh salsas. I prefer a honey crisp apple or gala apple with my fresh salsas. Friends who were following a 30 day health challenge asked if I could make it with Granny Smith apples as it has a lower hypoglycemic level. They all loved the tart flavor of the granny smith apples mixed with the savory salsa.

I enjoy making combo salsas including a Mango/Apple salsa, an Apple/Pineapple Salsa, a Mango/Apple/Pomegranate pico de Gallo and an Apple/Pomegranate pico de Gallo. The options and varieties of salsas are unlimited. I encourage a firm apple versus a softer texture apple as the softer apple may disintegrate with the fluid of the salsa.

Appetizer/entree options are vast. I enjoy serving fresh apple salsa over baked/grilled pork chops or baked pork loin slices. An apple/pineapple salsa is delicious over sliced ham. Fresh apple salsa or pico de Gallo add a fabulous fresh crunch and flavor over salad greens. I also enjoy serving fresh apple salsa over kielbasa slices. A delicious appetizer option is serving apple slices over a warm brie or a crostini topped with your favorite cheese topped with the apple salsa or apple pico de gallo. A healthy option is serving the apple salsa or pico de Gallo over cucumber slices. Another option is spreading celery slices with cream cheese and top with apple salsa. An apple/pomegranate pico de gallo would make for a colorful Thanksgiving topping for appetizers served over pita chips.

Just like with most all fresh salsas, make sure to use fresh lime juice or fresh lemon juice (not bottled) to help preserve the colors of the fruits. As with all fresh fruit salsas, fresh is best which means to consume within a day or two as you will notice color changes in the fruits and texture changes being exposed to liquid after a couple days. Take advantage of your locally grown fruits and visit orchards or farmers markets and #getcreativeinthekitchenwithsalsa . I hope you enjoy these photos of my fresh salsa courtesy of Tammy Venezia Photography 2016.