We’re in a between place - it’s not quite summer and it’s not quite fall.
The days are warm and sunny, but the nights are cool and crisp.
School has started, but we’re still wearing shorts and t-shirts.
My garden is still producing summer crops – like these cantaloupes – all eight of them harvested on one day!
But my fall crop of apples in the orchard are already starting to ripen.
We picked 5 tubs of apples from a neighbor’s tree this week and canned almost 50 quarts of applesauce – and still have 3 tubs to work up.
The pears aren’t far behind them.
The cicadas are singing and the world is starting – very slowly – to turn brown.
One season is closing and another is just beginning.
A part of me is ready for the schedule and structure of the fall – yet another part of me already misses the freedom of the summer.
While my mouth still waters for another taste of meat on the grill, I find myself lingering over recipes for warm comforting casseroles and rich thick stews.
We’re hanging in the “between” right now, enjoying the sunshine and beautiful breezes.
For just a little while we can forget the heat and humidity of the past months and the cold and snow that are surely in our future.
Yes, we are most definitely somewhere between and I think it’s a pretty sweet place to be!
I have fruit flies. Again.
These nasty little buggers are hard to catch. You can’t swat them – they move too fast. Since I couldn’t get them with brawn – it was gonna take some brain.
So I googled fruit fly trap.
Oh my the things I learned! Did you know that fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs at one time?! Yikes!
One site even told me hold to make my own fruit fly farm so I could watch the entire life cycle through a 2 liter pop bottle! Oh joys! I think I’ll pass on that one.
I did find several do-it-yourself type traps designed to catch the little varmints and decided to try a couple different designs.
Design one – an old canning jar with apple cider vinegar and some ripe bananas as bait and a cone made from paper inserted in the jar. The theory is the flies can get in, attracted to the smell, but can’t get back out.
(Please notice the beautiful scalloped edge on the top of the cone! Would you believe I planned it that way? I didn’t think so. Actually – the only scissors I could find were Angel Girl’s pretty edging ones. Nothing’s too good for my fruit fly trap! Maybe I should add a decorative ribbon – say – a bright yellow?!)
The second model is also a canning jar with apple cider vinegar and bananas, but this one has a piece of plastic wrap stretched over it and secured by a rubber band. It also has small pin holes pricked in the plastic.
So far – they are both working. When I get a few fruit flies, I throw the whole thing in the freezer for about 30 minutes. It kills those critters dead. <insert evil laughter>
Then I sit it back out on the counter and attract some more.
Take that you pesky varmints!
The tomatoes in the garden are still trying to set on and ripen. We’ve had just enough to enjoy fresh, including this favorite dish of mine, spaghetti and fresh tomatoes.
It is my side dish of choice when ever we do anything on the grill!
Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes
Peel 8 medium tomatoes. Chop, seed and drain.
Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 clove of garlic (crushed), 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley chopped, 1 tsp. basil, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 of a green pepper (chopped) and 16 black olives, sliced.
Add tomatoes and set aside at room temperature.
Cook 8 oz. of spaghetti according to directions. Drain and place in serving bowl. Add tomato mixture and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
I’ve used whatever kind of pasta that I had on hand and it worked just fine! I like to cook a big bag of pasta (16 oz.) and divide it into two bowls. One bowl (for the kids) will get just Parmesan cheese and melted butter. The other bowl (for the adults) will get the tomato mixture!
It’s a fresh and delicious taste of summer!
The perfect summer day…
We’ve had a few this year. Days of mild temperatures, low humidity and light breezes.
Days when the birds sing, the butterflies flitter and the flowers wave in the breeze.
Days that call you out of the house, away from the computer, the dishes, the laundry, and the cleaning.
Days that make you close you eyes and breath deep and laugh out loud, thankful that you’re alive!
Laughing Song
When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling steam runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;
When the meadows laugh with lively green,
And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene;
When Mary and Susan and Emily
With their sweet round mouths sing “Ha Ha He!”
When the painted birds laugh in the shade
When our table with cherries and nuts is spread:
Come live, and be merry and join with me,
To sing the sweet chorus of “Ha Ha He!”
~William Blake
I finally picked our 2 cabbages from the garden yesterday.
Yes, 2 cabbages. Out of the 12 cabbage plants that I put in, only 2 stayed alive and produced a head. I guess the rest all drowned in the rain!
Since my husband and I both love coleslaw, I took one of the precious cabbages and made a batch of Ramen Noodle Cole Slaw.
It’s a summer time favorite by the more discerning palettes in our home (read: adults). None of my children will touch it willingly, yet.
Ramen Noodle Cole Slaw
Break noodles from 1 package of Ramen Noodles (any flavor) into bite size pieces in a bowl.
Add 1/2 head of shredded cabbage, 1/4 cup of chopped onion, 1/2 cup diced green or red pepper, and 1 small carrot, shredded.
Mix together 1/2 cup of cooking oil, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of sugar and the Ramen noodle seasonings.
Pour the dressing over the noodles and cabbage mixture and toss together. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours before serving.
It’s a fresh, tangy taste of summer!
