I love the slower pace of summer and along with it, the farmer’s markets and fresh foods. I wish we didn’t have a deer ridden garden with little to show for our efforts, but that’s what we have at the moment. I wish I could pull all of our fruits and veggies from the garden throughout the summer! A few of my favorite summer foods are listed here in today’s Gimme 5:

1. Corn on the Cob – now, my dad would say it isn’t fresh enough unless you brought it straight into the pan from the field. I have to agree with him. Most of the corn in this area (SF Bay Area) has been cut for days. It is more akin to field corn than real sweet corn. But fresh sweet corn tastes the best with butter, salt, and pepper. I fall for recipes that have all kinds of spices and rubs for corn on the cob, but I always revert back to the old stand by, time after time. And it still tastes great!
2. Popsicles – I love to make popsicles with Country time lemonade in our tupperware popsicle mold/maker. (There are a few pieces of tupperware no household should be without and this is one of them!). I have fond memories of doing this as a kid and it is no different with my boys – they love this. It’s so simple – make the lemonade (the one with the sugar, not the fake sugar version), and pour it into the popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours, then enjoy! Every time! No kidding. (I did find a recipe for fudgesicles and will report back on that once we have gotten the kids off of the lemonade version…).
3. Watermelon (with seeds) – I don’t even really like watermelon all that much, but I do like to have it for dessert in the summer and I especially like to have watermelon seed spitting contests. It’s fun and gets everyone laughing in no time at all! Plus, we have been known to  make watermelon infused vodka for cocktails. This takes a little time (24-48 hours or so) and can be done with other fruits as well. Back to the seed spitting… everyone has a different method and it can get messy, but mostly, it’s a riot! Note to self – this dessert is best eaten/done outside.
4. Root Beer Floats – I think this one is self explanatory (and doesn’t come from the garden either). Jasper actually made root beer awhile back and it was great.  We used regular A&W Root Beer this time around. The homemade root beer has a deeper taste to it. There was an argument in our house about whether the ice cream goes in first or last. No decision on that argument – we left it up to each person making their own. This concoction is also best done outside if your root beer has been dropped on the floor by your 9 year old 🙂
5. Tomatoes – these are best when sun warmed, straight from the garden. OK – this is a really tough one. Tomatoes from the store don’t count; they are mealy and bland tasting. So these really have to come from your garden (or a neighbor’s) or in a pinch from the farmer’s market that same day. Add a little salt and munch away. Or make caprese salad and really enjoy the fruits of your labor!