Wow, has this summer flown by or what?
I feel like we were just grilling ribs on Memorial day and now I’m seeing back to school supplies out. Time flies when you’re having fun as they say.
I’ve been reflecting and reminiscing about when does it really feel like summer? There’s the obvious Memorial Day kick off weekend, and barbecues with friends and family and then one of my favorites — the first day I put my toes in the sand and stare at the ocean all day. My favorite summer sensations seem to revolve around ones that take me back to my childhood and often are food oriented.
Like my first cucumber sandwich of the summer — I have fond memories of my mom making us crisp, cool cucumber sandwiches on a hot day, always buttering one side of the bread as Mary Moon always did with ANY sandwich she made. She’d often cut them into quarters so they’d be “party sandwiches” . To this day I still make “party sandwiches” whenever I make a sandwich. My husband Joe has finally stopped rolling his eyes when I do it and just enjoys the sandwich in party form. Pinkies up not required.
Watermelon is also a biggie for me. We get a CSA box every week from Taproot Farm. We recently got watermelon in our box. It’s an old school watermelon with seeds. I’ve been eating watermelon all summer, it’s one of my faves. Sometimes the ones from the CSA are LOADED with seeds and you get kind of spoiled after having the seedless ones that are available now, but I have to say this last one we got from the farm made my heart sing. Was there a lot of seeds, yes, but it was manageable. It was the brightest red color, it was sweet and it just screamed with watermelon flavor. It took me back to all of the Fourth Of Julys (which is my birthday!) at my Aunt and Uncle’s cottage at Cottrell Lake. We would always have watermelon slices on a white paper plates. You’d be wrapped in your towel after a swim, sitting in the grass, in the sun and we would see how far we could spit a watermelon seed—now that’s summer!
Fun fact I just learned about watermelon, in addition to being great for hydration, it’s also great for digestion! It contains prebiotics, which is a fiber that helps stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the large intestine, who knew?!
I’m basking in these last weeks of August celebrating all things summer, gearing up for our annual two week retreat to the beach. Right around the corner is pumpkin hunting season …
I’m curious to know when does it really feel like summer to you? Don’t forget your sunscreen!
