Summertime, Summertime
I know, some of you are rolling your eyes and saying, "Summer? It's barely spring here!" And certainly the calendar says summer is not due yet.
But here in Florida we're already walking around over-warm, wanting to stay inside in the air conditioning, have a cold drink, maybe ice cream, and read a good book. Our late afternoon thundershowers have already started and the newscasters are doing their gloom and doom routine about the upcoming hurricane season. Air conditioners have been running overtime for a month or two now and fewer neighbors are taking evening walks with their dogs. We all tend to stay inside during the season just like my Northern friends do in the winter but for very different climate reasons.
Can you tell summer is not my favorite season?
It made me think about how hard it is for our Amish friends who must do some of their hardest work in this season and not enjoy some of the creature comforts like air conditioning and that sort of thing.
I was writing a scene about summer and having my characters getting in the crops and while I sure don't want to be in a kitchen garden doing all that hard work of harvesting summer vegetables, the thought of them had me visiting the grocery store after today's thunderstorm . I spent a lot of time in the produce section and gathered ruby red tomatoes, dark green zucchini, yellow squash, and ears of corn and the first of Georgia peaches and put them into my basket. Such colors and textures and tastes. I can't wait to eat them. I won't get the satisfaction of the planting, nurturing, weeding, and harvesting like the Amish men and women but I think I won't mind having it a little easy. And although my mother's side of the family has farmed for generations and I always loved visiting the farm, I apparently not only did not inherit a green thumb, I usually kill anything I try to grow (my neighbor comes over and often takes the poor victims home and rescues them). So I HAVE stopped trying to grow my own produce.
So many of our readers love to cook and are particularly interested in Amish recipes. As we approach summer -- even if it's at different times around the country -- I'm wondering what Summer vegetable or fruit you like to prepare and eat in the summer?
I put the names of the readers who entered the contest for the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of A Time to Love in a sandbucket and drew out the name of the winner tonight. It's Brenda Harrell. Brenda, if you send in your mailing address in a comment to this site I won't publish it but I will mail you the copy of the book you won. Thank you so much to all who entered the contest, often with such sweet and thoughtful messages. There were so many I couldn't respond. Know that I will be having more contests for ARCs of the book as well as some very special things I'll be announcing in coming weeks.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Barbara
But here in Florida we're already walking around over-warm, wanting to stay inside in the air conditioning, have a cold drink, maybe ice cream, and read a good book. Our late afternoon thundershowers have already started and the newscasters are doing their gloom and doom routine about the upcoming hurricane season. Air conditioners have been running overtime for a month or two now and fewer neighbors are taking evening walks with their dogs. We all tend to stay inside during the season just like my Northern friends do in the winter but for very different climate reasons.
Can you tell summer is not my favorite season?
It made me think about how hard it is for our Amish friends who must do some of their hardest work in this season and not enjoy some of the creature comforts like air conditioning and that sort of thing.
I was writing a scene about summer and having my characters getting in the crops and while I sure don't want to be in a kitchen garden doing all that hard work of harvesting summer vegetables, the thought of them had me visiting the grocery store after today's thunderstorm . I spent a lot of time in the produce section and gathered ruby red tomatoes, dark green zucchini, yellow squash, and ears of corn and the first of Georgia peaches and put them into my basket. Such colors and textures and tastes. I can't wait to eat them. I won't get the satisfaction of the planting, nurturing, weeding, and harvesting like the Amish men and women but I think I won't mind having it a little easy. And although my mother's side of the family has farmed for generations and I always loved visiting the farm, I apparently not only did not inherit a green thumb, I usually kill anything I try to grow (my neighbor comes over and often takes the poor victims home and rescues them). So I HAVE stopped trying to grow my own produce.
So many of our readers love to cook and are particularly interested in Amish recipes. As we approach summer -- even if it's at different times around the country -- I'm wondering what Summer vegetable or fruit you like to prepare and eat in the summer?
I put the names of the readers who entered the contest for the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of A Time to Love in a sandbucket and drew out the name of the winner tonight. It's Brenda Harrell. Brenda, if you send in your mailing address in a comment to this site I won't publish it but I will mail you the copy of the book you won. Thank you so much to all who entered the contest, often with such sweet and thoughtful messages. There were so many I couldn't respond. Know that I will be having more contests for ARCs of the book as well as some very special things I'll be announcing in coming weeks.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Barbara
Posted by Barbara Cameron at 6/3/2010 11:53 PM 
Categories: Quilts of Lancaster County, A Time to Love
Tags: Amish fiction
Categories: Quilts of Lancaster County, A Time to Love
Tags: Amish fiction
Hey Barb,
Living in FL for so many years I can relate to 'summer's here' (and been here), fewer walks, nicer later in eve with dog - and to the "good ole' summertime" of growing up in NJ where besides having our Victory garden we could get from our aunts' homegrown good old Jersey beefsteak tomatoes, ears of corn, green beans, carrots, strawberries, blackberries, etc. all before DDT. Since, I've learned to love asparagus (my mother always did) just steamed with a little "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" rolling down the arm as you pick up a spear to eat it! Would like to have some more recipes for it hot preferably (tried with spaghetti, not bad)...thanks and happy summer 6/21??
Reply to this
Although I like warmer weather, I am not partial to the summer heat! The older I get the less I can tolerate it too! And I'm only 46! Imagine as I get older!!I love to cook,but I HATE turning the oven on when its so warm outside! But I love summer vegetables, fresh grown. One of my favorite things to make is on the grill so I don't have to heat the house. I take chicken or steak, seasoning, and a bunch of different fresh veggies and make individual personal foil tents with a small amount of butter so nothing sticks, and throw it on the grill, close the lid and let it cook. Everyone loves it, and you have great steamed veggies with it! We also love taking a bunch of raw veggies, chopping them up and just having them with our meal, sometimes even as our meal! And there is nothing like a homegrown tomato sandwich! When I was growing up we always had a garden in our backyard. We would wait and wait for the tomatoes to ripen, then go out with a salt shaker and eat the tomatoes right off the vine standing in the yard! Fun to remember things you thought you forgot!
Reply to this