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Happy Cinco de Mayo! Time to dig into this fruity salsa

Recipe: Fresh strawberry-orange salsa with green onions

Fresh strawberries combine with oranges and chilies for a fruity spring salsa

Fresh strawberries combine with oranges and chilies for a fruity spring salsa Debbie Arrington

What would Cinco de Mayo be without salsa? A lot less flavorful.

But this Mexican-inspired celebration falls in early May – long before fresh tomatoes are ripe in Northern California. Instead of basic tomato-based salsa, try this fruity alternative using two spring favorites: Strawberries and oranges.

Combined with fresh green onions (another spring favorite), the berries and citrus add a hint of sweetness along with a juicy crunch.

Versatile as well as colorful, this fruity salsa pairs well with pork, chicken, shrimp or cheese enchiladas, tacos or quesadillas. Also use it to top grilled pork chops or pork tenderloin or dress up a chicken breast.

Or just grab some tortilla chips and dig in.

Strawberry-orange salsa

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 orange

½ cup fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

Salsa ingredients including strawberries and half an orange
Fruit and green onions flavor the spring salsa.

3 tablespoons green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon mild green chilies, diced

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon red chile flakes

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions:

Cut the orange in half. Peel and chop one half of the orange; reserve the other half.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped orange, strawberries, green onions, chilies and cilantro. Lightly toss.

Into a small bowl, squeeze juice of remaining orange half. To orange juice, add rice vinegar, olive oil, chile flakes, sugar and garlic salt; mix. Add to the fruit-onion mixture. Lightly toss.

Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.

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Garden Checklist for week of March 16

Make the most of dry breaks between showers. Your garden is in high-growth mode.

* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.

* Prepare vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.

* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch-thick under the tree (but avoid piling it up around the trunk). This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as cauliflower, broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (To speed germination, soak beet seeds overnight in room-temperature water before planting.)

* Before the mercury starts inching upward, this is your last chance to plant such annuals as pansies, violas and primroses.

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

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