Saturn Peaches are one of nature's sweetest, summer treats. They're currently in season, but you have to hurry. The season is short and there's only a few weeks each year to enjoy them. 

Summer Fruits and Veggies

Summer Produce

Summer rewards us for tolerating long, hot days with a bounty of great, fresh fruits and veggies. Our family frequently enjoys "Summer Supper" which is a mean entirely of summer's best sans any meat. The main dish is the bounty of fresh produce--sweet corn, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, etc. Here are some of our favorites.

Saturn or Donut Peaches

These peaches just came into our stores this week. They'll only be available for the next two or three weeks, then it's another year before we can enjoy them again. If you haven't tried these babies, you are missing out on some of the sweetest, juiciest peaches you'll ever wrap your tongue around. These are juice dripping down your arm white flesh peaches. They are flattened and are a flattened shape (like their common names indicate).

They are a little pricey, so bring your pocketbook. Don't bring any sugar. When they are fully ripe, they don't need any. These peaches used to be only available at high-end groceries, but they've become so popular that Wal-Mart Supercenters even carry them.

Pick the fruit with dark red coloring that are slightly soft near the stem. If they are hard and greener colored, you can ripen them in 1-2 days in a paper bag on your kitchen counter.

Sweet Corn

My mouth waters just thinking about fresh from the field corn. Local corn is coming in season in most parts of the corn-growing country. Don't be fooled by "yellow" field corn. To any sweet corn lover, this stuff is cattle feed and shouldn't be served on any table. You want to get the real sweet stuff. I think the white and bi-colored varieties are the sweetest and best.

Pick full ears and shuck it at the store if they provide bins. It saves the mess at home and lets you see what you're buying. Pierce one of the hulls with your fingernail. Juice should spurt out forcefully. That's the sign that the corn is fresh. If the ear is hard to pierce, then the corn will be chewy.

I always boil the corn (preferably the same night I buy it) in water with 2 tablespoons of sugar added. Don't overboil the corn. Once the ears look darker (usually 4-5 min.) the corn is ready.


Mini Watermelon

If you haven't tried the new mini, seedless watermelon, I encourage you to give them a go. We had our first ones a couple of weeks ago and were very pleased with this new variety. The mini melons fit very nicely in the refrigerator (compared to their larger cousins) and ours was sweet, juicy and seedless.

I bought ours at Sam's Club which was selling them two to a package. The ease and convenience of cutting, storing and serving these mini-watermelon makes them my first pick this summer.


What's your favorite summer fruit or veggie? Feel free to post your tips and preferences!

Enjoy a Summer Supper at your house.

Traveling With Kids

I haven't posted recently as we've been on the road visiting family. After 13 years of traveling thousands of miles in the car, I've learned a few things about road trips with kids. Here are some of my best tips.

Entertainment

Whether we like it or not, our kids are accustomed to being entertained 24x7. The car (or plane/train/bus) is no different, except that their movement is severely restricted. Try being strapped into a carseat for 8 hours and see how fun it is. If you don't want endless "Are we there yets?" then you need to plan car entertainment the same way you plan your hotel reservations (ahead of time-hopefully).

Babies & Toddlers

Infants are challenging to keep entertained on long car trips. There are ways to keep the crying to a minimum.

1. Put interesting pictures on the seat back to give the baby something to focus on.
2. Purchase a couple of fresh new toys to hang from their carseat as well as an old favorite.
3. Seat one adult (if you can) in back with the infant to help keep the child comfortable and entertained.
4. Buy a portable potty for toddlers (we used one in the car and it was a lifesaver!)
5. Don't be in a hurry. Plan extra time for your trip so you can stop every 2 hours or so and keep everyone fresh.

Children and Teens
The best suggestion I can give you is --Portable Video System. Whether a DVD or VHS, it is truly a lifesaver. We bought one when our children we preschoolers and haven't been without one since. It can keep you on the road and them entertained for hours, just bring plenty of movies to cover your road time.
Here are some other suggestions to break the monotony.

1. Dollar Store Toys -- or a few bucks you can provide some fresh toys to keep the kids entertained for at least part of the trip and when you get to the hotel. If they lose them on the trip, oh well, they only cost a buck.
2. Glow Sticks--after dark the video systems can be distracting for the driver and when it's past bedtime, you want the kids to sleep. The glowsticks are comforting too when you get to the hotel and the kids want a nightlight.
3. Car Games--Our family always enjoys going through the alphabet and finding something outside the car that starts with each letter. At night on two-lane, less traveled roads, we look for "peepers" (car headlights). The first to say "peeper" and spots a car gets a point and the one with the most points wins. Twenty questions also is a good way to pass time. Here's a nice list of some other car games.
4. Audio Players--for older kids tape, CD players, MP3s (with headsets) can eliminate the fight over which radio station should be playing.

Of course, all ages like snacks. Just remember to plan ones you don't mind cleaning out of car seats and the floor. Chips and popcorn seem to make awful messes and Cheetos, Goldfish, and Oreos don't look great on upholstery. In hot weather, fruit snacks can be a mess. (This is the voice of experience on all of these.) Sipper cups are lifesavers and probably should be used until you are at least 80.
Most importantly, try to get a little sleep yourself before you hit the road. It improves your patience with the inevitable hassles of traveling with kids.
P.S. Don't forget the blessings of Dramamine!