mmmm...summer fruits & veggies :)

Oh the joy of summertime fruits and veggies...
I always have fun deciding just how I am going to use the wonderful food we grow and those foods given to us by family and friends. Our friends, Joel and Sarah, gave us some enormous zucchini from their garden. I really don't think I have ever seen a zucchini in person quite as big :)

My cutting board is not small....really this was a huge zuke....so I made some fried zucchini fritters..yummy!

Then found a recipe for chocolate chip zucchini muffins. They turned out great! I was even able to get my super picky five year old girl to eat them up. They freeze great and can be popped in the microwave for one minute. love them!
I took my children to a local farm....and just as we pulled in, a truck with several farm workers and loads of fresh blackberries was being unloaded. These berries were beautiful. Of course I came home with quite a bit of berries.....
I laid some out on a cookie sheet to freeze individually before I freeze them in bags. And yes....
that is a Sam Adams blackberry beer. I just had to indulge while I made the below picture...
BlackberryClafoutis. This was yummy, despite my really poor attempt at taking a picture.
I got the idea from a blog I follow (let me warn you her site is wonderful).... please click here and you will see her oh so lovely pics of her clafoutis. ((I enjoy saying the word, clafouti......I am a little crazy, you know!))

We do not get much sunlight in our back yard...but we really wanted tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. So we just planted them in our front yard :)
OH....the fruits of our labor. Well actually Rob's since he is the one that has been watering and taking care of the plants. I am just too busy with the kids, LOL!

hmmmm....tomato sandwiches...

I love summer!

The scents in our yard...

I love this time of year. I really love the scents experienced outdoors this time of year. Right now the smell of the honeysuckle that is growing on our fence makes me smile. We have chocolate mint (yes, there is such a thing) in a container by our hammock that smells like thin mints...mmm! We also have a giant rosemary bush, basil, thyme, and oregano in our herb garden. It is so fun to teach Ava about the herbs and let her smell them. ((now getting her the eat them is a different story, although she did try the chocolate mint :)
And of course what could be better than the aroma of yummy food on the grill. I think grilling all the time is wonderful...but nothing is better than a late cool evening after a hot day with good food on the grill and a bucket of cold beer/wine with friends.

I am so ready for the summer time, I love it!