Sensational salsas eschew plain old tomatoes and onion

Who says salsa has to be made from tomatoes? Or dumped from a jar?

With all of summer’s bounty, there are plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that make fantastic salsas. Scoop them up with chips or crackers, or add them to sandwiches, salads, burgers or tacos.

Apple-Pepper Salsa

1 large crisp-tart apple (such as Fuji or Gala), cored and chopped 2 bell peppers (any color), cored and chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/ 4 cup chopped fresh mint 1/ 4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 tablespoon lime juice Salt and ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, toss together the apples, peppers, jalapeno, garlic, mint, cilantro, vinegar and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes about 3 cups.

Cucumber-Corn Salsa

2 ears corn, husks and silk removed 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded

and chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 4 green onions, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill Zest and juice of 1 lemon Hot sauce, to taste Salt and ground black pepper

Carefully cut the kernels from the ears of corn. To do this, stand each ear on its wide end and use a knife to saw down the length of each cob.

In a medium bowl, combine the corn kernels, cucumber, celery, green onions, dill, and the lemon zest and juice. Season with a splash of hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Makes about 3 cups.

Strawberry-Fennel Salsa

1 bulb fennel, chopped 11/2 cups strawberries, hulled and diced 1 medium shallot, minced 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon 1/2 small hot chile pepper (such as jalapeno), minced Salt and ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, mix together the fennel, strawberries, shallot, vinegar, tarragon and hot pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 3 cups.