Like most New England gardens, rhubarb can be found in the Comida garden. Renny’s challenge was to somehow find a way to use it in Mexican cooking. Pondering this while eating some mango-corn salsa, the idea of a sweet and spicy rhubarb salsa was born and it is now a greatly anticipated seasonal special.

Makes approximately 3 cups.

2 cups rhubarb, diced into small pieces

1 cup radishes

3 green onions

2 fresh limes, juiced

2 teaspoons of honey or agave nectar

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and membrane removed

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon chile powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup cilantro, chopped

Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat, stir in the rhubarb for 2 minutes to blanch, then drain and let cool.

Dice the radishes, onions and jalapeño pepper and place in a large bowl.

Using a mortar and pestle, take the pepper, salt, chile powder, sugar and cilantro and lightly grind them together. This allows the aromatic flavors of the cilantro and spices to be released and evenly distributed throughout the salsa.

Stir the cooled rhubarb and all of the ingredients together in a bowl, then fold in the lime juice and agave syrup or local honey to taste (I prefer using local honey—it’s also better for you!).

Note: If the rhubarb stalks are thick, peel them first.