Summer arrived long before the Summer Solstice did in the heart of Texas.  The heat, humidity, and mosquitos made an entrance early in May.  Our only redemption is that we have had beneficial rains and some reasonably sensible temperatures at brief intervals.

It’s definitely summer and people are turning their thoughts to staying cool, maybe taking a plunge in a pool or wading in a stream along a hiking path.  And, there’s always sweet tea and lemonade on our minds!

But there’s more – summer means fresh vegetables and cold, sweet and juicy watermelons.  Last week I made a 40-minute drive to a large produce market that sells not only their own produce, but vegetables and fruits from all over the Texas Hill Country.  Plus they sell various kinds of pickled vegetables and jams made right there in their own kitchen. It’s always fun to walk in their door and see what has “come into season” that week!  But my favorite part of this trip were the rows of large sunflowers almost ready to be picked and sold inside the markekt.  To me there’s nothing that says summer more than sunflowers!