The official date for the arrival of summer is June 21 but the 90-degree temperature outside is hollering, “SUMMER!” Summer is easily, by-far, hands-down, open and shut, the unequivocal best season; period. In case you missed my hint, I LOVE SUMMER! And right on the heels of summer is an abundance of YUM.
Summer and satisfied taste buds go hand in hand. June starts the parade with baskets brimming with asparagus, peas, radishes, and one of my favorites—strawberries. Take time in June to pick these sweet treats at your nearest you-pick-farm. Store bought strawberries cannot even compare to the burst of sweetness that a ripe just picked berry will bring to your taste buds. Google your nearest you-pick farm for an appetizing and delightful day.
July follows June in the parade of yumminess. Cucumbers, green beans, lettuces, peppers, apricots, nectarines, melons and all types of berries are only some of the fresh produce July has to offer. Sweet corn makes its debut just in time to help us celebrate our country’s independence and raspberry and blueberry picking are always on my July to-do list. Eating a fresh picked blueberry, the size of a large marble, picked early in the morning, still dripping with the morning dew will change your life.
August may be last in the parade but provides the most glorious bounty of all. Tomatoes show up on the scene and my diet turns red. Fresh salsa, sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette and feta, spaghetti sauce for now and later all steal the show. Watermelons are ready to be plucked and their sweetness will enchant you and I can’t get enough of fried zucchini.
Not everyone lives in the middle of farmland USA like me. There is an abundance of unfortunate folk that don’t know the delights that await them with the taste of farm-fresh produce and that is why farmers markets are an absolute MUST!
Google your nearest farmer’s market and your taste buds will thank you. Row after row of delightful stands offer all that the season has to offer. Pleasant folk selling the best from their gardens and products from their skilled hands are only the beginning of what you will find at a farmers market. It is a return to a gentler time when neighbors had time to visit and share the bounty from their land. Pleasant conversation and a vendor who asks about your family, since they remember you from last year, helps you to fall in love with this unique community.
Fresh produce picked at its peak of ripeness, Amish bread, noodles and pies baked the way they’ve done for generations, eggs from chickens who can roam anywhere they please and meat from someone you may have seen grazing recently, these are a few of the delights you will find at a farmers market.
Too often the calendar changes but our pace and habits do not. Be sure that when you flip that page from May to June that you flip that switch and enter summer with a determination to enjoy the parade.
All Market photos taken at the Kokomo Farmers Market by Anna Spence
Kokomo Farmers Market is held each Saturday 9 to 1 and the midweek market is each Wednesday 4 to 7 Downtown.
My Favorite Summer Salad
Spring Garden Strawberry Salad
Lettuce and greens of your choice
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 oz Gorgonzola or feta cheese crumbled
8 cooked slices of bacon crumbled
Any of the following:
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas
1 cup seeded and chopped English cucumber
Sweet Basil Vinaigrette
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 shallots chopped
3 TBsp chopped fresh basil (I grow a basil plant just for this dressing)
3 TBsp sugar
1 TBsp fresh lemon
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¾ tsp grd pepper
½ tsp salt
¾ cup olive oil
Process first 8 ingredients in a blender until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a slow steady stream.
Invite a friend for some refreshment.
Strawberry Limeade
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
4 cups cold water
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 large limes)
Stir together strawberries and sugar in a large bowl, crush strawberries with a wooden spoon and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Process strawberry mixture in a blender until smooth stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Press mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a large pitcher, using back of spoon to squeeze out juice; discard solids. Add cold water and lime juice, stirring until blended.
Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.
Now that summer has arrived, be sure to enjoy all of its pleasures!
https://www.debbiespence.com/product/75-seasonal-pleasures-summer/
Be sure to download my FREE book to inspire you to enjoy simple pleasures EVERYDAY.
Join me and all of our porch pals on The Breezy Porch Facebook group. This summer you will find encouragement, inspiration and more yumminess each and every day.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1938031722891363/
REMEMBER to enter our contest for your own Glamping Getaway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjTQYSPekJE
The winner will be able to choose one Friday or Saturday evening from 3 available dates. Check-in time is 3:00 and check-out time is noon. Showering facilities are not available. A camp commode in a separate tent will be your facilities. This prize is for 2 people. You can bring your husband, sister or friend. The date of your glamping experience will be arranged with the winner to best fit your schedule.
If the winner is from out of town, we will assist with travel ideas. The nearest airport is Indianapolis International Airport.
The contest runs from Tuesday May 22 through Thursday June 28, 2018 at 11:00 P.M EST. The winner will be announced on the Breezy Porch Blog, Tuesday July 3.
TO ENTER
To enter, send the emails of 25 friends who would enjoy subscribing to The Breezy Porch. Please be sure that the emails you send are valid and that your friends will enjoy joining us on The Breezy Porch. Each new subscriber will also have the opportunity to enter our contest. You may enter as many times as you want with each set of 25 emails.
SEND TO – debbiespence5@gmail.com
This contest is only valid if there are at least ten (10) entries.
I’ve included glamping photos from the internet since at this time our glamping site is not yet set up. However, each week during the contest I will be sharing photos as our glamping site is thoughtfully created.
I am so excited about this contest. I can’t wait to draw a winner and get to pamper that winner completely. This is my opportunity to share the things that I love with one of you.
So, send your 25 emails to debbiespence5@gmail.com and get ready to be “Glampered.”
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