I’m not a cilantro fan, but watermelon as a salad with a little heat is actually yummy.

The ingredient list is easy:

Chunks of watermelon – bite size
Cilantro chopped
Jalapeno – diced really itty bitty
Red Onion – diced really small

Toss and serve.

Enjoy!

1.  Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food – Recently I’ve felt duped by some of the vendors, and even the local market stores.  Not every vendor grows their own food or knows the farmer who grows the food.  We have found boxes that list an auction site as the place the vegetables have come from instead of a single farmer.  I have started asking for the source of the tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.  When I go to the stand, I will ask the farmer where they get the vegetables from.  They have to be the farmer, or know the farmer.  They have to know whether the farmer uses pesticides or fertilizers and how long before the market, the vegetables are picked.  If they don’t know the farmer, you don’t know the farmer – or your food.

2. Don’t buy more than you can use.  This year we did more canning than we’ve ever done before, and maybe more than we needed to do.  I don’t think I will end up with a lot of left over though.  You need to make sure you are going to use it all.  Throwing food away that you have worked to can or put up is just as bad as letting it rot in the fridge.  Having too much that it goes bad is wasteful whether it goes into the composter or not.  Water, gas, fertilizers, etc all go into that food, and will be wasted as well.

3. In most cases, if you buy it at the market you need to use it, or preserve it quickly.  Have a plan and a process in place.  Plan your meals around what you’ve bought.  If you are going to can, or freeze, take care of it right away so that you don’t lose anything to rot.  I hate having to cull through and find that I should have processed it right away.  We did much better at that this year, which made me very happy.  We also learned to stop buying when we thought we had enough.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for a deal, but be reasonable.  I have asked my favorite farmers for a deal on quantity, or if the basket looks to be low or picked over.  I’ve even not asked and gotten it because I am a good customer.   When I am making salsa or sauce, something I need quantity for I will ask for canners ahead of time and let them know that I will be ready the next weekend to buy.  I also ask what they’ve got that’s a good deal.  They don’t want leftovers so prices change when the quanity is high or if it is scarce that year.

5.  Go back to your favorites, and introduce yourself.  If you give them time, they will give you time back.  I bought string beans – I was going to buy just a small basket, but my husband wanted to buy the big basket.  Tony the farmer said, “Hey – Okay these are redneck beans, snap this end, this end and peel the string down both sides.”  He wanted to make sure I knew how to start the prep on the beans.  I parboiled them and froze them but I was glad he showed me the first steps.  This week my husband said he wanted another watermelon, so I asked Tony if he had something nice and sweet.  He picked up a watermelon he had sliced already, gave my husband a taste and asked if that was good.  Of course we bought one.

Do you have any suggestions for getting the best out of your farm market?

New 100% Natural Lipton Iced Tea is available in four flavors: long-time fan favorites, Green Tea with Citrus and Iced Tea with Lemon, as well as two new flavors: Iced Tea with Blueberry Pomegranate and Green Tea with Passionfruit Mango. New Diet Green Tea with Watermelon joins the beloved Diet Green Tea with Citrus flavor.

To celebrate the new line and National Iced Tea Day, Lipton is also treating tea drinkers to unplugged music programming. Check out “The Natural Side of Music” online videos featuring cuts and conversations with music artists.

  

Put ‘em Up!  – A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling by Sherri Brooks Vinton. I have been vocal about my favorite Blue Book of Canning.  It’s the standard by which I judge canning books.  Sherri’s book – Put ‘em Up gets my seal of approval.  The explanations are good, and the illustrations are clear enough for anyone to follow.  The first part of the book starts with equipment and then follows with different ways to put food up – different food preparations and preservations.  Sherri discusses blanching, jams and jellies, pickling, salsas, chutneys, relishes, butters, sauces and ketchups as well as freezing, infusing, drying, fruit leathers and steam canning. She has a quick, but necessary little section on botulism and identifying what is bad from what looks bad but isn’t.

If I were to suggest a start to putting something up, I always say start with applesauce.  It’s a pretty good no fail, low cost canning project, though, if you have a food mill or strainer like I have it will go faster.  My first canning project was applesauce and I’ve never looked back since then. I didn’t have a mother that canned, so I learned by reading canning books, if I can do it, so can you.

Sherri starts with apples and goes alphabetically through to watermelon with different recipes for each fruit/vegetable.  For apples alone she has dried apple rings, apple preserves, homemade applesauce, appled brandy, spiced apple chutney, mincemeat, apple jelly, and apple butter (one of my mom’s favorites.)  Skip forward to watermelon and you’ve got watermelon granita, watermelon liqueur, pickled watermelon rind, heirloom watermelon jelly and watermelon aqua fresca (think watermelon limeade). 175 recipes in all, some I’ve never heard of before, but I definitely want to try. There are even recipes for tomatillos; can ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.  The back of the book has an index by ingredient as well as a resource section that seems really useful.  My grade is an A.

About Sherri Brooks Vinton – Sherri Brooks Vinton in the founder of Farm Friendly LLC, which helps eaters, restaurateurs, and organizations support local agriculture.She is a former governor of Slow Food USA, and a member of the Chef’s Collaborative, Women’s Chefs and Restaurateurs, Northeast Organic Farmers Association, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the author of The Real Food Revival and lives in Easton, Connecticut. Her Website is sherribrooksvinton.com.

We went to a Harvest Market this weekend and bought some tomatoes, then at another Farm Market found a box of canners.  Canners are tomatoes that may have little spots and bruises and may not be first quality, but are fine for canning and usually are sold for a lot less than first quality tomatoes or vegetables. To us, this was a real find, because we canned whole tomatoes to be used over the winter.  Money savings, food wasn’t wasted, because we bought it, and achievement because we did it ourselves – those are a few of the reasons we can.  We also put up some more salsa.  My daughter has let us know that she’s going to raid the pantry this weekend when she visits, and that’s another reason we do it.  Here are the directions for Canned Whole Tomatoes from Sherri’s book Put ‘em Up!  I’ve canned whole tomatoes before and found her instructions to be very clear and easy to follow and it’s on the recommended list.

Canned Whole Tomatoes

For each quart of canned whole tomatoes:

• 3 pounds of plum tomatoes (such as Amish paste or Juliet)
• 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or 1/2 tsp citric acid
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional) * I left the salt out

1. Fill a clean cooler halfway with heavily iced water and bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water no more than 6 tomatoes at a time, and return to a boil.  Blanch until the skins begin to loosen, 30 to sixty seconds.
2. Scoop the tomatoes out of the water with a spider or slotted spoon and plunge them into the ice water. Continue blanching the tomatoes in batches.  Remove from the ice bath and drain.  Core the tomatoes , and peel away the skins with a small paring knife.
3. Put the lemon juice or citric acid and the salt, if using into clean hot quart jars.  Pack the tomatoes into the jars one at a time pressing firmly enough to compress the hollow core and release enough juice to cover the tomato but not so hard that the fruit is crushed.  Continue packing tomatoes in this manner, being careful to press out any air pockets.  Tomatoes should be covered by 1/2 in with their liquid.  Leave 1/2 inch of headspace between the top of the liquid and the lid.  Top with a little boiling water, if necessary, to achieve the proper headspace.

Can – Use the boiling water bath method.  Release trapped air.  Wipe the rims clean; center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands. Process for 85 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store on cool dark place for up to 1 year.

Here are some recipes and cocktail suggestions for YOUR last day of summer relaxation.  Sit back with your feet up and absorb that summer vibe because it’s only around for one more day. 

Recipes:

Tequila Lime Chicken

Grilled Garlicky Agavero Tequila Shrimp Kabobs with Lemon and Fresh Bay Leaves - halfway down the page

Margarita Cupcakes – gotta have dessert

Tequila Lime Steak Fajitas -  This uses a London Broil  – I love fajitas

Shrimp Pasta with Chipotle Lime Tequila Sauce -  Pasta and shrimp are a great combination

Cocktails:

Watermelon Limeade – It’s my favorite drink of the Summer – just add a splash of Tequila to your glass.

Sweet Summer Cocktails – Slurp, don’t sip.

Tequila Sunrise   – or maybe just Sippity Sup

The American Flag Cocktail – for those of you who want to end the summer with a patriotic salute.

Watermelon and Peaches – Oh My!  This really is the best of the summer.

Enjoy your last summer day of the 2010 season – and for my friend Linda Lindsey who has summer coming up  – These can start your summer off just right.

Disclosure :  I’ve been given Don Julio Blanco to try out, and I did.  My opinions are my true opinions.

• 1/2 HoneyDew Melon- seeded (substitute other melon as desired)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 – 2 cups  ice
• 2 tsp agave

Throw everything into a blender.  Whirl until slushy like.  If you want wine or alcohol, stir it in.  Drink.  Nothing better than a cool, refreshing drink on a hot summery day.  Time to sit by the pool.

360 Triple Melon Soda

• 2oz 360 Vodka
• ½ cup Honeydew Melon
• ½ cup Watermelon
• ½ cup Cantaloupe

Directions:

Muddle the melons gently in a cocktail shaker. Add 360 Vodka. Fill with ice. Shake sharply and strain into a martini glass with a melon base. Top with soda and enjoy!

I don’t know what the weather is like in your corner of the world, but where I live we’ve been dealing with 90 and 100+ degree temps, with no rain. We have a brown, crunchy lawn and wilty flowers. While my family does seek relief with air conditioning and a swim in our pool, we also enjoy other ways to keep cool.

Here are our favorite ways to beat the heat without having to turn on the A.C. or don a swimsuit.

1. Water

Make no mistake, water is the most important thing you can take into your body on a hot summer day, and nothing will cool you better. Without water you will become dehydrated, and might even get heat stroke. Water helps to keep your body temperature at a healthy level.

Take your drinking water to a luxurious level by making “spa water.” Fill a pitcher of filtered water with ice, cucumber slices and lemon slices.  Drink it while lounging poolside and you’ll feel like you’re undergoing a day of pampering.

2. Watermelon

As soon as you buy watermelon, slice it up, put it in an airtight container and place it to chill in the fridge. Watermelon is delicious, quenches the thirst and even has medicinal properties. It’s rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants, and helps to reduce inflammation, and even aids those who suffer from asthma.

When my son and his friends are running around in the backyard, stopping to enjoy a slice of ice cold watermelon, while sitting at the table on our back deck cools them off and rejuvenates them for the next round of playing.

Check out Diana’s Watermelon Limeade for a truly refreshing beverage.

3. Iced Coffee

Iced coffee is a favorite summer drink as it means we can have our coffee and drink it too. I use leftover coffee from the morning, but if the weather is too hot I go for decaf as the caffeine can cause dehydration. My family prefers soy milk to regular milk and vanilla soy milk adds a little flavor to iced coffee. Enjoy it out on your back deck while reading a good book or catching up on your magazine subscriptions.

4. Lemonade

Is there anyone who doesn’t enjoy lemonade? Made right, it’s a delicious treat that will cool off the hottest of days. Add strawberry or raspberry syrup for flavored lemonade or add iced team for an Ng family favorite – Lemonade Iced Tea.

To really cool off, add the juice of a couple of real lemons (so it won’t get too diluted) and a bunch of ice and toss in a blender for frozen lemonade, add rum for a icy grown up treat.

5. Homemade Ice Pops

Growing up, my mom made ice pops using Kool Aid and ice pop molds. I prefer healthier drinks for my family and use fruit juices to make our own ice pops. My 8 year old and his friends enjoy making different flavored ice pops to enjoy.

6. Salad

When I was a kid back in the day, my family cooled off at dinner time by eating dinner under the shade of an old maple tree. As we didn’t have air conditioning, we ate foods that weren’t too heavy, because heavy foods just made us feel hot and bloated. As a result we ate lots of grilled foods and salads. We ate Traditional salads, pasta salads, tuna salad, egg salad and potato salads. They were made in advanced and cooled to perfection. My family doesn’t eat so many “mayonaisy” type salads but we do enjoy cool salads on a sultry day.

7. Ice Cream

Whether you buy it in the supermarket, head for the ice cream parlor, flag down the truck or make your own, ice cream is everyone’s favorite summer treat. Mr. Ng likes to make mint chocolate chip ice cream with our ice cream maker using a vanilla ice cream recipe and adding chopped bits of Andes Mints. It’s delicious – even Grandma D. approves.

Mix vanilla ice cream with some left over coffee and blend for a frozen coffee treat or freeze ice cream between two big cookies for ice cream sammiches.

8. Smoothies

Smoothies are our summer breakfast. Low fat Vanilla yogurt, berries, mango, kiwi, banama, pineapple, and peaches plus some ice make a cool, nutritious meal everyone enjoys. Add carrots and no one will know the difference.

My family doesn’t know this but I also toss in a handful of flax seed (not too much or the smoothie will turn thick and lumpy) and Omega-3 fish oil for some healthy brain food. If I’m making breakfast smoothies to order, I’ll grind in each person’s respective vitamins.

9. Iced Tea

I prefer my iced tea brewed and unsweetened as I find today’s “Sweet Teas” way to sweet for my liking. I also choose flavored herbal teas such as peach or raspberry to make Sun Tea. We put about a dozen tea bags in a clear gallon jug and leave in the sun to brew. For a grownup treat add a splash or rum or vodka.

10. Frozen Grapes

Place a bunch of grapes in the freezer for two or three hours, when you retrieve them you’ll have a sweet snack. This is a Weight Watcher trick I learned. When I want to nosh, I suck on some frozen grapes instead. They’re sweet, cool and keep my mouth busy so I don’t over indulge. Kids enjoy frozen grapes as well.

What are some of your favorite cool, summery treats?

We doubled the recipe (actually maybe we quadrupled the recipe) and ended up with about 2 gallons of Watermelon Limeade. Instead of throwing ice into the cooler, I filled a zipper plastic bag with ice cubes and floated it in the drink so it wouldn’t be diluted.  Then we served it over ice.  This was the perfect drink, absolutely the best to drink when it was hot out.  So much better tasting than soda ;the adults were allowed to add a little white rum or tequila to their drinks.  I am disappointed I forgot my mint, it would have given a little extra something to it, though the drink was delicious.

It wasn’t until later that I read it was a recipe by Emeril Lagasse.  Organic Gardening Magazine did a feature with a few recipes and an interview with Emeril.  He has a new book out called Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh.  I haven’t read this book, never mind reviewing it, but the Watermelon Limeade is in this book as well as some of the other recipes in Organic Gardening. 

Do I have photos? No, but it was beautiful.  How about a recipe?  This recipe is from Emerils.com.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cubed watermelon (seeds removed), or 1 quart watermelon juice
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste
• Lime slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place half of the watermelon cubes in a blender and process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl; discard the solids. Repeat with the remaining watermelon cubes. You should end up with about 1 quart of watermelon juice.
Add the lime juice and sugar to the watermelon juice, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste, and add more sugar if necessary. Transfer the limeade to a nonreactive pitcher and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Serve over ice in tumblers, with lime slices for garnish.
Yield: 5 cups, 4 to 6 servings

I advise tasting to see how much lime and sugar you like in it.  Ours wasn’t tart at all, and I used less than a half of a cup of sugar per quart, because it didn’t seem to need much.  In fact, I made a simple syrup by heating up water and sugar to dissolve it, then added it to the jug.  It wasn’t much sugar at all really because the watermelon was so sweet.  

Every Saturday before July 4th, our township puts on an awesome fireworks display. It’s a big event here and the treat it as such. They open the field at 4:30 and provide music from local bands, food via tents from local restaurants, inflatable amusements such as slides and jumping castles for the kids and lots of folks to chit chat with.

My family goes every year – my son looks forward to two things the most: Fireworks and ice cream. My husband and son like to wander the grounds to find fun things to do and I stay back and “watch our stuff.” Generally this means I get an hour or so of uninterrupted reading.

We like to have an evening picnic for the firework festivities. We mostly bring fresh fruits and salads. I don’t know why, but we rarely bring junk food along. For some reason watermelon and peaches go better with the 4th of July theme than chips or salsa. Some families go all out with the dinner spreads but we generally barbecue before we go, arriving at 7:30 or so. Instead we bring ice cold watermelon, sweet peaches, grapes so delicious it’s hard to eat just one, and cherries, pitted before we left so we don’t have to take time to do it there.

We brought friends this year, well actually family with a cousin our son’s age. On Thursday we’ll be visiting their town’s firework’s display. And yes, we’ll be packing plenty of fruit.