I love salsa in large part because it is delivered to the table with chips or at some party on a table. Just dive in—no effort involved.

Except, what if you have a ton of tomatoes from your crazy good harvest from the garden? Then what's the easy solution?

Salsa? Well, actually, I am thinking of Pico de Gallo. Though I really didn't know the difference and I used the names interchangeably. Actually, it was more that I called everything salsa if it had tomatoes in it.

Making Pico de Gallo is easy, and making it awesome is just as simple! With just the right inclusion and substitution of ingredients, the results can be crazy delicious!

In this hot weather, getting my vegetables and fruits (tomatoes are a fruit, and we think of them as vegetables) in a dip seems just right!

And when the utensil is edible, salty, supplying a starchy vegetable, "whole" grain, and a fruit (corn chips—what are they?) to transport the Pico de Gallo is like a complete meal!

The term "pico de gallo" translates to "rooster's beak" in English.

While the name's exact origin remains uncertain, pico de gallo's creation can likely be traced back to the indigenous peoples of Mexico. They utilized local ingredients to prepare flavorful and nutritious dishes. Over time, the dish evolved and gained popularity, eventually becoming a staple in Mexican cuisine and garden parties.

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This recipe started as any normal salsa recipe would. Except, when I was putting it together I realized didn't have any citrus acid like lemon juice available, so I rooted around in the pantry looking for acid and chose the Espelt de Garnatxa vinegar.

The result was Wowza! Super delicious, and the vinegar made it cooler and more refreshing! With time, the flavor becomes even more alive and vibrant.

See the Pico de Gallo Fresh Salsa Recipe here!

Beyond a little chopping, this recipe is so easy and smells fabulous while you are making it. A simple Stir to Combine Recipe!

See the Mung Bean Curry Recipe here!

Having consumed our fair share of bagged corn nuts with overly giant-sized kernels, we were intrigued. You know the old saying, "bigger is better"? More fun to say than it is in practice! It is when it comes to corn nuts, anyway!

When it comes to taste, flavor, and crunch, these little, normally-sized corn kernels are da bomb! Crunchy through and through, each one crunches just right. Eat one at a time, and you will get 11 crunches (of biting) before you are done, depending on your crunch speed, about 6 seconds of time!

With three flavors—Toasted Corn, Spicy Toasted Corn, and Salt and Pepper Toasted Corn—there is something corny here for everyone! See below.

Starting with non-GMO corn kernels, the just plain "Toasted" version is my favorite. A little oil and salt, and it is perfect in every possible way! I thought bigger kernels were better, but not anymore.

It's hard to explain exactly why we love these so much, but they are the perfect munch food. For your desk or a long car ride, they are the just-right grab-and-bite-sized treat.

Toasted corn is exactly that, corn kernel unpopped, unboiled, but toasted and most often oiled and salted.

CornNuts (Kraft Foods), Cornick (Philippines), Diana (El Salvador), Cancha (Peru, Ecuador) are all variations of a Corn Kernel that is "toasted". The base variation is seasoned with oil and salt. Garlic, chili cheese, adobo, BBQ, ranch, etc. are just some of the many flavor variations available today.

Toasted corn was first introduced here in the US by Albert Holloway in Oakland, California, in 1936. Originally sold as a free tavern snack food (in 1900 there were an estimated 265,000 legal and illegal taverns), it later became the CornNuts with a hybrid of the Cuzco corn from Cusco, Peru, being grown in California.

Shop now for Toasted Corn!

A handful of mixed nuts are hard to beat. Finding the right mix is harder to do than you think. And that's where Fastachi's Cranberry Nut Mix, which has been with us for virtually forever, comes into play.

This is our go-to, always-have-in-hand staple—the best bag of nuts you can find.

This mix, the nuts themselves, hand-salted with sea salt to perfection, double-sifted to ensure whole nuts in your hand, with just the right combination of soft, hard, harder, crunchy, salty...it doesn't get much better than this.

A handful of the right nuts is a good mouthful for creating joy for life!

This cranberry nut mix is simply roasted in small batches with sea salt for clarity, perfection, and a clean, distinctive flavor. Fastachi's secret way of incorporating sea salt to the nuts makes these so special. We have enjoyed these assorted roasted nuts for years and find that they are perfect for an office snack or a party mix. These are good!

From the producer, who describes it best...

"The cranberry nut mix is a one-of-a-kind twist that leaves a tart and salty taste dancing on your tongue. The assorted roasted nuts are chewy and have a crunchy texture with cranberries, salted pistachio meats, salted almonds, roasted unsalted almonds, salted hazelnuts, roasted unsalted hazelnuts, salted peanuts, unsalted peanuts, red skin peanuts, sesame peanuts, and salted cashews. They will keep you coming back for more."

Shop now for Fastachi Cranberry Nut Mix!

...imagine sweet perfection in a fruit you can carry with you and is always ready to eat!

Though we automatically pop these particular prunes into our mouths right away because they are such a treat, prunes are a special way to naturally sweeten your recipes.

Prunes do especially well with pork in savory dishes. Even simple ones like bacon-wrapped sausages with prunes are super easy to make and celebrate the prune.

California is the source of most of the prunes in this country, but France is the home of the most splendid prune of all—Pruneaux D'Agen from Agen, France.

When you try one of these pitted sun-dried plums for the first time, you realize that not all prunes are the same. Those dried, wrinkly, chewy ones you grew up with are nothing like these, which are a totally different eating experience.

Shop now for Favols Pitted Agen Prunes!

How Paula found this recipe is a wonderful story and shows that she lived her life to learn these recipes and share them in her cookbook. This one is from the Rif Mountains, where the people do their own thing. Paula Wolfert's cookbooks are fabulous and having at least one in your collection is essential!

See the Chicken with Prunes Rif Style - Djej Bil Babcock Recipe here!

Eat them right out of the bag! Not so sweet, in the summer they are a refreshing treat. More dry with sugar than a syrup sheen makes them perfect to handle with your fingers.

These delicious French candied orange peels are neither too sweet nor too stiff, and they're perfect for a whole host of applications.

Use them as-is to dip in your favorite dark chocolate couverture for a wonderful treat.

Or, you can dice them up and use them in an array of baked goods and confections; from cookies and cakes, to puddings and tarts. Classic bitter orange flavor, and nicely coated with inverted sugar, so they don't stick together.

Shop now for French Candied Orange Peel!

Shauna Ahern, The Gluten-Free Girl, is an amazing person, an amazing writer, and an amazing cook. Add to that, a very talented husband chef, and you have a winning combination, and a great book.

See the Curried Carrot Soup Recipe here!

We have carried this for years. It was the curry powder that used to be in every grocer across the country.

Established in 1876 for export to England, the Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder tin encases a recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation, maintaining the quality that the two founders, Merwanjee and Poonjiajee, created 145+ years ago.

Madras Curry is like many spice mixtures; there are many variations of the ingredients and proportions. Madras, (or Madrasapattinam) India, now called Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India, is on the Coromandel Coast and is the second largest port in India.

Sun Brand Madras Curry was one of the first Indian curries to be exported.

We carry Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder because many of our curry lovers tell us it is the best out there. Of course, you can make your own...but we like the very fine powder and the ease of having it in our Essential Pantry.

A yellow curry powder with a following! Try this Indian curry powder brand out and see what people are talking about!

Bring some flavor to your egg salad, hummus, popcorn, or just top your veggies, potatoes, etc. in your air fryer.

Shop now for Madras Curry Powder!

Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine. With the chicken, this dish makes a wonderful entree. Without the chicken, it makes a wonderful side to roasted chicken or turkey.

See the Curried-Chicken and Vegetables Pan Roasted Recipe here!

Add, then shake, then pour.

See the Sparkling Yuzu Brandy Sour Recipe here!

Without a doubt, some of the best sweetened, dried cranberries we have ever tasted. None of that super-sweet stuff here. These cranberries are sweetened with a touch of all natural sugar, so they are not overly sweet, and you can still taste that great cranberry flavor.

Shop now for Organically-Grown Sweetened Dried Cranberries!

This blend is a classic Furikake, using locally sourced plums, shiso, and salt.

Pickled Shiso, a Japanese herb belonging to the mint family, has a distinctive flavor resembling a combination of mint, basil, and citrus. The leaves of the shiso plant are often pickled with salt and sometimes other ingredients, creating a flavorful condiment. Pickled shiso leaves are commonly used as a side dish or a topping for rice, sushi, and other Japanese dishes.

Umeboshi are pickled Japanese plums, also known as sour plums. They are made by pickling ume fruits in salt and then drying them in the sun. Umeboshi is known for its strong sour and salty flavor.

Just like many very high-quality Furikake blends, it is the simple ingredients that are sourced and made using the very best processes that create a flavor punch that is versatile. Use this like you would a steak salt, but instead, sprinkle it over vegetables and simple meals of udon or rice.

Shop now for Kenchanzuke Pickled Shiso and Umeboshi Furikake!

Organic Romanian Red porcelain variety of hardneck garlic is hot, strong, spicy, pungent, robust and flavorful. All the bells and whistles apply to these large cloves - about 4 to 7 in each head. Originates from Romania.

Shop now for Romanian Red Organic Garlic!