Cool Off With A Yummy Tomato and Cantaloupe Salad

Tis' the season for melons!!! I hope all of you will try out the watermelon recipe from yesterday. Today I want to share a recipe for a cantaloupe and tomato salad. Mmmmm...

Combine cherry tomatoes (halved) with 1/2 of a cantaloupe (cut up into squares), about 1/4 of a cup; fresh mint, a few tablespoons of EVOO, some kosher salt and black pepper (to your liking).

This usually serves about 4 people but it would be simple to increase the serving amounts if you were looking to share it at a picnic or family gathering. :)

**For those of you with sensitive tummy's, melons (namely, cantaloupe and watermelon) aid in digestion. Which is a wonderful thing because they do neutralize the stomach acids but naturally, those fatty acids must leave the body. Luckily this little summer salad is herbed with mint (which is a natural remedy for an upset stomach) to entice us all!!

ENJOY!!!

A Time to Share Watermelon and Basil

I came across an article in Real Simple magazine and their fresh pick for the month is the delightful herb, basil. There are 5 ways to enjoy basil listed in the write-up. My taste buds watered as I read the recipe for a Watermelon, basil, and feta salad. All thats involved is... cutting up some melon, drizzling it with olive oil, and sprinkle some basil (torn) and feta cheese crumbles; season with salt and pepper. Delight your friends and family at a cookout with this refreshing treat!!!!

Preview the article at www.realsimple.com. It's in the July 2010 edition.

If any of you have other basil recipes you would like to share...please post them :)

HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!

FRESH the movie |

FRESH the movie | 

Digging Up Some History

I grew up in historic Williamsburg, Va...just around the corner from Jamestown. Such a treat to live right across the street from the James River! During the famous VA hot summer months, I remember my mom packing up the sand toys along with some goodies to eat; then with a big smile on her face, getting my sisters and I to the beach just before 11am. A day filled with sand, sun, an occasional boatride and playing in the river with friends...what more could a kid ask for?!?!?!?! How about digging for clams? Every once in a while, our parents would have us dig for clams in preparation for the evenings clam bake. So as the tide rolled out...my friends and I would dig our hands in. Yes, our hands! We would fill our sanbuckets with all the clams our fingers could find. By this time, our little bodies were sun-drained and water-logged; time to head home for a quick clean-up (the clams and kids) so we could head back down to enjoy the local fare. As the sun would set along the river...the dads fired up the coals for the clams (perhaps a fish or two) and the moms would cut open the melons, set out the fresh yummy sides and set the mood with some tunes. We grubbed, we danced around the bon-fire and just enjoyed each others company. Times like that I miss...we lived (even though we didn't have much), we laughed, we shared and most importantly...we looked out for one another. My hope is that this blog can bring people together again. It may not be the same people and we may not always be there together physically, but we can post funny stories, share fresh recipes and practice that sense of community wherever we are and hopefully get families back to enjoying fresh/local foods; whether its from your own garden, farm, or body of water OR local farms/markets. LET'S GATHER AND SHARE!!!!