minted lemonade

The weather has been gracious but the heat will be back on with a vengeance soon enough. So, while I can still tolerate the sun I grabbed the smallest & sharpest knife in the kitchen drawer, put in my apron and plastic flip flops and went on out to attack the mint!

There are so many recipes, out and about, for refreshing summer drinks using fresh herbs. This one is so very easy and begs to be played with. Use your creativity with what herbs you can find... rosemary & mint...lavender... thyme...thyme & mint... orange & mint...mint & blueberry...lavender & strawberry...

Here goes genius (by the way, who said you can't add a bit of rum or gin?)



2 cups organic sugar
2 cups water
herbs

bring to boil in small saucepan to make simple syrup. as soon as the sugar melted i took the pan off the heat and let it cool keeping the herbs in the syrup. after it cools strain into the remaining liquids.

2 cups lemon juice (can you get your hands on meyers lemons?)
4 cups water

mix it and chill. garnish with your herbs.

watermelon gazpacho

Wish I had a photo of this soup but it was gone rather quickly. Here are some of the first fruits of the garden instead. There are some glam tomatoes in this picture. We have georgia peach, amish paste, japanese black and . . . hmmm. . . well, I forgot the name of the orange tomato.

Feel'n like you need a lycopene buzz? This dish is loaded with the anti-oxidant lycopene that acts as a cancer fighter and enhances your skin's ability to fight damage caused by the sun. Did I tell you that tomatoes are one of the only veggies (fruits really) whose nutritional value is boosted when cooked? Sun dried tomatoes are fab for you as they contains all the goods (skin and pulp

When the heat is high and tomatoes are plentiful this is a wonderful soup to try. You can google watermelon gazpacho and come up with dozens of recipes. I adapted mine from a traditional base. I was afraid that the soup would taste too much like salsa or sauce and decided on a basil and mint combo. I tried the soup with cilantro and it was refreshing but preferred the basil & mint.

• 3 cups watermelon puree
• 2 cups watermelon, finely chopped
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 cups fresh tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup green (or orange) pepper, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, green and white, sliced
• 2 T lime juice and zest from the lime
• 2 T fresh basil, julienned
• 1/8 tsp garlic, minced then mashed into a paste with salt using the flat of a knife
• 1/4 tsp scant, fresh ginger, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt

puree watermelon in a blender until you have approximately 3 cups. Gently mix all the ingredients! Puree until smooth or serve it "chunky." I prefer the later and used colorful tomatoes with a garnish of nasturtium.