Stone Fruit, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

If you’re constantly stuck in a salad rut, either green or fruit, try this hearty stone fruit and vegetable salad.

It calls for a combination of stone fruit and summer veggies tossed in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. The fruits release their natural juices, so no additional dressing is needed. The vegetables in the fruit salad range from sweet to savory. I absolutely love it and I’m sure you will too.

What’s in this summery stone fruit and vegetable salad?

This simple recipe is a great example of how different and unexpected flavors come together to create something truly amazing.

It is based on the expression “What grows together, fits together”. If the produce is grown in the same season in the garden, chances are they will go well together in the kitchen. Get a selection of the freshest fruits and vegetables you can find and cut them into similar sized pieces.

• drupe: This recipe calls for peaches, plums and cherries. Other fruits that would work are nectarines, apricots, blueberries, or even diced watermelon.
• tomatoes: For this salad, it doesn’t matter which tomato you use, as long as it’s ripe. Use grape, cherry, plum, slicer, or another heirloom variety. A garden-ready, fresh tomato is the ultimate summer product. When it’s tomato season, I wholeheartedly recommend eating them as often as possible!
• chili pepper: I just add a bit of freshly sliced ​​serrano peppers for a touch of sweet spiciness. If serrano is too spicy, try a jalapeño or diced poblanos.
• cucumbers: We want some crunch to counterbalance the soft stone fruit. Crisp, juicy and refreshing cucumbers with a grassy, ​​melon-like flavor are a cornerstone of this recipe.

Did you know that cucumbers are over 90 percent water and the phrase “cool as a cucumber” is scientific fact? The internal temperature of a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside air. Yes please, I want built-in coolness in my salad.

• olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is best here as the combination of fruits and vegetables can handle great flavor.
• Herbs: This recipe calls for mint or chives, but the combinations are endless. Coriander or tarragon would also work well.

What is a drupe?

As a Georgia girl, I think eating a perfectly ripe peach is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Mind you, it should be above the sink. Peaches aren’t the only stone fruit in town though! They are known as drupes, with a pit in the middle.

Stone fruit is in peak season during the hottest days of summer, peaking from June to September. Here are other favorites:

• nectarines
• plums
• apricots
• cherries

Just aside: did you know? Olives and coconuts are botanically stone fruits (both are great in this salad). Raspberries and blackberries are also not berries. Technically, they’re lots of little drupes clustered together.

How to choose and store stone fruit

My favorite thing to do is eat stone fruit fresh out of hand, but knowing how to select, store and utilize ripe fruit offers endless enjoyment.

• Look for stone fruit with tight skin and firm flesh.
• Store unripe stone fruit in a ventilated, cool, and dry place away from sunlight and heat.
• Stone fruit is ripe when it is soft to the touch and has a fragrant, sweet aroma.
• Stone fruit continues to ripen after harvest.
• To prevent ripe stone fruit from spoiling, it is best to eat it as soon as possible. Refrigeration changes their texture and taste.
• If they’re too soft and overripe, consider cooking them instead.

Here’s how to serve and store this summer salad

In the summer heat, chilled dinners are a luxury. This salad is a fridge-friendly meal that can be served with poached fish, shrimp, or chicken.

It’s deliciously decadent with fresh creamy mozzarella or burrata. Make-ahead-friendly, it’s also a bold and sassy side dish for summertime potlucks.

This salad will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days. If the fruit is overripe during storage, puree it into a fantastic stone fruit gazpacho or turn it into a salsa with the addition of chopped onions and more peppers.

Fan of fruit in hearty salads?

• Classic chicken salad
• Grape and walnut side salad with blue cheese dressing
• Easy Cucumber, Peach, and Basil Salad
• Radicchio salad with citrus fruits
• Plum and Peach Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette