Late Summer Strawberries

Strawberries from the farm stand

Simple salad with strawberries

     romaine lettuce

     strawberries

     walnuts

     tangerine

     hard boiled egg

     vinaigrette

Hi Winnie and Steve,

I really like this time of year, and yet there is a mixed feeling I have also.  I like the cooler mornings and the angle of sunlight toward the end of the day.  I start thinking about cold weather and rain coming which conjures up images of reading more books and having a nice fire going.  I know I will also miss summer.  We try to get the last of our outdoor projects concluded.  The winter squashes were cut from the vines today, and I have been advised by the local farmers to let the squashes "cure" in the garden for two weeks to develop their sweetness.

I also like the late summer strawberries I can get at the farm stand.  We eat them greedily knowing it won't last long.  I toss them in salads and snack on them.  They are so sweet.  What a treat that bright red sweet flavor delivers.  Alice Waters wrote a book called:  The Art of Simple Food.  She says, "I love salad:  I love to wash it, I love to eat it.  As far as I am concerned, a meal without one is incomplete.  The salads I crave are combinations of lettuces, vegetables, and fruits prepared very simply and tossed, typically, with a lively vinaigrette." Sounds good to me -- especially adding those sweet strawberries.

Thinking of you.  Donna