One of my great joys in life is heading out to the garden to collect food for dinner. Weather like this simply adds to the adventure.
I’m usually very thankful for rain, but with all the wet weather we’ve had, it’s really slowing down some of the crops.
As you can see, my selection still mainly rests with cool weather crops. Here, we’ve got some snap peas, a variety of lettuces, a bowl of fresh-picked raspberries, and a bunch of wild mint and red clover flowers.
Two of my family’s favorite summer treats are made with some of the above ingredients.
When you add a handful of this
and this
to a quart of boiling water, it makes a most delicious tea. Add a little honey and let steep for several minutes. Serve hot or cold. Store in refrigerator.
Red clover is good as a blood cleanser, and mint aids digestion.
But, I’ve saved the best treat for last!
If you’re in need of a quick, easy, and crowd-pleasing dessert, here it is.
Ingredients:
- Fresh raspberries — as many as you like.
- Ice cream of your choosing (we like vanilla for this recipe).
- Sprig of fresh mint
- smallest size tortillas
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Canola oil
Directions:
- Pour enough canola oil to cover bottom of 10″ frying pan. Heat on medium high.
- When oil is hot, add one tortilla and let lightly brown on one side, then turn over to crisp the other side. The tortilla may start to puff up, and you can leave it puffed, or poke a hole to let the air out. Continue with as many tortillas as needed (one per plate).
- Place hot tortilla on plate. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Scoop a spoonful or two of ice cream on top.
- Add a handful of raspberries with a sprig of mint and you’re done.
Enjoy!
I want to come to your house! Here in Louisiana, we have gone for over a month with no rain – finally got a little bit of a break this week, but it’s not enough. Thanks for commenting on my %^$!!! Smart Dog post. We didn’t grow any vegetables this year because we have been too busy with building the house. However, the first time we tried to go tomatoes, my older Malinois stalked them. It was hysterical to see. She thought someone had hidden BALLS in the plants. Once she started the frenzy, the other dogs wouldn’t leave the tomato plants alone. We didn’t have much harvest because the dogs discovered that they too liked fresh, home-grown tomatoes.
Linda, my dogs have become connoisseurs of my peas. When the peas are gone they fight over the raspberries and blueberries. Tomatoes are a distant third favorite.
This post just made me stop and breathe. I can almost smell the rain and taste the tea and berries.
Happy Sigh.
Michelle, I’ve been meaning to thank you for the SheWrites link. Great place. Thanks so much! And thanks for being a good blog bud.
I’ll just take the bowl of red raspberries plain, thank you. My grandmother had one bush next to the gate to the sheep lot and nobody else in hte family would touch them so I got them all to myself. The fact that I loved them, and still do, in their eyes just made me stranger. Oh well, but I got all the berries.
That looks very yummy! Reminds me of my Mexican grandma’s “bunuelos”, she’d fry those up and put fresh strawberries all over them with a little cinnamon. The garden delights I whip up in the kitchen are: Pureed and strained watermelon, spring water and some glorious basil…..”Watermelon Agua Frescas” a la Cindy….I added the glorious basil to this Mexican recipe. Sun tea made with a big handful of lemon balm. Fresh made pico de gallo with our jalapenos, tomatos, onions and cilantro….oh my, I can eat tons of this stuff on everything, especially scrambled eggs. In the summer I make a wonderfully effective throat cure-all for the colder months. I take warmed honey (no, I don’t raise the bees for this one!), peeled and sliced garlic cloves (these I grow) and a piece of ginger. Let it all steep and keep in a jar in the pantry. When your thoat is itchy or downright sore, take a big tablespoon oif this when you go to bed at night. I’ll tell you, this is fantasic for knocking out what ails you. The honey is anti-bacterial, the garlic is antiseptic and the ginger is warming……beats anything storebought. And because of my Irish side, my medicinal herb garden yields such wonders in the form of teas, compresses for bug bites and tonics for well being. My Irish grandma taught me well the blessings of herbs.
Where would we be without our gardens and herbs? I feel such peace digging in the dirt. I swoon with joy bringing in armloads of bounty!
Bunuelos — so that’s what they’re called! I had this years ago at some restaurant and could never remember its name. We’ve been making it at home ever since. Watermelon and basil sounds like an interesting combo. I’ll have to give that a try. It sounds very refreshing!
And I’m adding your throat cure-all to my health recipe keepers.
Yes, indeed, where would we be without our gardens?! Since it’s my meditation, relaxation, and fun all rolled into one I, for one, would be a lot grumpier, not to mention less healthy… :)