All you need is a sharp knife, fresh vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, onion), some chiles, seasonings (garlic, cilantro, salt) and lime juice. You can toss in corn, black beans or anything in your pantry, from canned pineapple to water chestnuts.

And you don’t even need tomatoes: Here’s a recipe for a summer salsa made with watermelon. It can be used with chips, as a side dish or as a salad on top of shredded lettuce.

Fresh salsa is crunchy and more refreshing than the jarred varieties, where the pasteurization process cooks the vegetables.

• Try making strawberry salsa, too.
• This sweet cherry and mango salsa goes great with grilled salmon.
• Go global with these ideas for salsa recipes with international flair—from Caribbean to Indian to Southeast Asian flavors.
• Check out the different types of salsa.

Make a fresh summer salsa. Photo courtesy
Watermelon.org.

• Learn the differences between chiles, and why they’re inaccurately called “peppers.”