Summer has always been my second favorite season (First being autumn, of course). Summer holds some of my fondest memories of my childhood. Summer's filled with trips to the lake, camping, hiking and just simply playing outside all day long. I now long for a summer off, yet that is not in my horizon at this time. I do have some things brewing that would make this possible in the future. But for now, for this time and this summer, i will enjoy it in the mornings, evenings and weekends.
This summer started early in New England. With temp's reaching 100 degrees last weekend, we took it in. We took the canoe out on Hermit lake. We began eating every meal outside.
I make homemade buttermilk biscuits with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for the hub's birthday.
Along with homemade french fries & grilled pineapple with a maple glaze.
We have picked the first of the harvest, radishes.
My herb barrels are growing ~ growing ~ growing. Basil & Cilantro pictured above.
We spend all waking hours watching and hovering over our garden. Oh how i love watching our garden grow. While hubs hopes and tries to will the corn to get "knee high by the forth of July." As my father says.
We beat the heat on the first 97 degree day with a cold veggie salad with our own radishes and basil included, similar to Soule Mama's. Annie's mac & cheese and turkey dogs topped off the dinner.
Cold Veggie Summer Salad
Corn, fully cooked
Fresh Basil, cut/shred into small pieces
Cucumber
Tomato
Radish
Olive Oil
red wine vinegar
lemon juice
Cooked Orzo
~Mix all together. Amounts of each ingredient to taste~
This weekend also included my first visit to Surowiec Farm for the season. What a totally wonderful feeling. I love shopping at the farm for as much as i can. This weekend i picked up some sugar snap peas, zucchini and fresh delicious strawberries.
We have sold so much maple syrup this week, that we spent Sunday morning bottling more. I just Love syrup sales. It feels that we are really making an honest dollar on what we truly love. This lead to discussions and dreams of a farm stand for all the veggies from the garden that we won't be able to eat or preserve. It lead to the hope of the day we can really live completely off our land.
Dreams are a wonderful thing.
Especially when you have the same ones as your partner. It just makes you feel whole and happy.
It makes me feel that our life is going in the direction we desire.
We puttered around, and it was wonderful. Nothing on the schedule, just doing what we felt was right.
We had friends over for a Mexican dinner, then went out for ice cream, followed by fireworks in town. Our first use of our beach blanket of the year, taking in the summer night, full of bright skies.
I have spent evenings on the front porch, on clear, warm nights. Jason woke me up, just to show me the fireflies across the way. Wow, they are marvelous and so, so alive. There are thousands just lighting up my view.
I made fresh blueberry lemonade from Ashley English in my latest edition of Taproot!. (Simply amazing!) That magazine totally rocks. Anyone that doesn't have the subscription, is missing out. I can't wait for the next edition already.
Refreshing
I spent last Sunday afternoon, with my feet in the brook, reading Animal-Vegetable-Miracle. Then i ventured to the blanket on the lawn that was calling my name. I napped there with my pup. A wonderful way to put a close to the weekend.
Hubs helped his grandfather out, mowing the fields. He didn't mind, he didn't mind one bit. My man loves tractors. Especially this Farmall. This Farmall that is started with a crank in the front. Its a total classic and so beautiful.
Summer has begun.
And we are taking it all in.
Every morning garden walk and every evening firefly show.
