Fruit and Summer

Year to year you can sometimes forget what really thrills you about seasonal change. Spring is always the flowers, fall/winter is the advent of rain (though that cannot be depended upon). But summer.....summer is the food! Living in California we have access to really good fruit and veggies most of the year but during the summer something special happens......

During the summer your neighbor has fresh oranges, strawberries or, as today's morning walk proved....fresh blackberies! I was still picking them as Marcia went in to shower for work leaving me with her dog and mine. Stanley does not eat the blackberries but Sammie loves her fruit and was eating the ones trailing on the ground. Although I ate a few as I picked, I also came home with 3-4 cups! I still had left over fruit from the Berry Delicious Cake so a breakfast smoothie was in order...Blueberries, Strawberries, Frozen Banana, Blackberries and a splash of Orange Juice!! Heaven! I feel so energized! Berries are my favorite fruit group, I never want to eat a ton of bananas but a little is good. Mangos are delicious but messy. Never got into peach/nectarine/apricot but I will eat pineapple till my mouth is sore.

For veggies any type of tomato (yeah I know--technically a fruit) or potato is tops! And onions...I just don't understand people who don't like onions. A few "don't go there" veggies are peas, brussel sprouts, badly cooked or canned spinach, sauerkraut (fresh cabbage is so good and good for you but some one had to go and ruin it) I have 2 tomato plants that appear to be working their little selves into a frenzy. I really need to plant snap peas again. When we were on Cherokee I had some and would go out in the morning and just eat the right off the bush. Although I don't want to "garden" per se, I do like having a couple of things out there to pick fresh...and last year my tomatoes were yummy!