Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

Catch a sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Hold a yard sale

Glamp as often as it's cool enough :-)

Purge the hidden spaces of the house (closets/trunks/cabinets)

Edit my summer wardrobe

Shoot two styled photo sessions

Send a snail mail letter once a week

Host three summer social events (flower potluck, wine tasting, and chef's dinner)
Plan (at least) 5 random acts of kindness
Make a new friend
Spend afternoons dreaming with my husband
Continue our study of the simple life
 Work on details/begin networking for the summer Bloom shoot
Update the guest room and office paint
Put down a new floor in the kitchen and dining room
Try to find a new schedule for morningtide
 Live each day fully

Do you have a summer bucket list? If so, leave me a link in the comments - I'd love to read it!

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Saying Goodbye to Summer's Bounty

Although the ending of summer is never a sad thing in my world (it can never come soon enough!), it IS sad when we have to say goodbye to our vegetable garden for the year. Although we had high hopes for getting a fall crop in, it just didn't happen this time around.

Some sweet potatoes and beets are still snug in their soil beds waiting for their turn at the table, and we have several bolting annual herbs and one lone squash plant that are determined to hang on until that first hard frost.

For the most part though, it's time to say goodbye to our summer garden - and time to start plotting what we're going to try to grow next year!

Goodbye summer...goodbye... It's been delicious!

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Summer Moments of Joy

Do you ever catch yourself in a moment of uncomplicated joy? For a second (or two) in time you forget about the complicated life you lead, all the heaviness that tries to weigh down your heart, the bills that need to be paid, expectations that others have of you, expectations you have of yourself, and you just find yourself feeling so light and joyful, smiling ear to ear like a fool, and wishing you could live forever in these moments?

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Summer Is...Hydrangeas

Indulge me. This is my once-a-year swoon-fest over the flower that reigns queen of my heart: the hydrangea. My love for them runs so deep that I've planted over 50 here at Windy Poplars. All colors, all varieties, all species. Ever since I was a little girl, this was the one plant that has made my heart go pitter-patter. One of my gardening goals in life was to have a hedge of nodding mopheads taller than I was, rustling in the breeze. And now I do. Although I console myself in the springtime with the showy fragrant parade of the peonies as I await the arrival of my true love, the highlight of my summertime will always, ever be, these beauties:

Do you have a favorite flower?

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My Favorite Salad Herbs

Most of the time when I think of using my fresh summer herbs, I think of throwing them into an aromatic pasta dish, whirring them in a blender to make a flavorful soup, or perhaps infusing my water with them, but this year I've discovered something that I'm now quite addicted to: herb salads.

Early this spring, when all we were harvesting from our garden were mixed salad greens, I started tossing an assortments of herbs in with them and serving a simple light dressing on the side. These light, but delicious salads were a welcome addition to any meal, and were so easy to put together! No veggie chopping, just pluck off the leaves, wash, dry in a salad spinner, and serve.

I've tried lots of different combinations, but this is one of my very favorites:

What are your favorites uses for fresh summer herbs?

Let's Make a Pie Full of Peaches

Is there anything more succulent than a freshly baked peach pie? Ask me next week, and I might answer differently, but right now - in this moment - as the fragrance of the bubbling peach and pastry confection still lingers in the air - I say with conviction that there is not.

If you'd like my recipe, CLICK HERE.

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Special Summer Gatherings

We love entertaining outdoors here at Windy Poplars! There is something so relaxed, informal, and simple about an old fashioned hot-dog roast that appeals to all ages. Gathering 'round the campfire with good friends and good food? That spells S.U.M.M.E.R. to us.

Keeping the menu simple though, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your foodie sensibilities! Amp up the gourmet factor of your next roast by offering quality meat (we like 100% Angus beef with no nitrates added) - even throwing in some fully cooked sausage options if you want your campfires to be the talk of the town! 

Potato salad is an American summertime staple, so find a variation with a little something special to it, and make it your signature. Mine is Roasted Potato with Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Salad. Just typing it makes my mouth water! 

Baked beans from a can? Easily dress them up with an additional (rinsed and drained) can of butter beans, some cooked pancetta, and a swirl of maple syrup on top. 

And when it comes time for the grand finale? Make your s'mores bar something to write home about by offering two (or three or four!) varieties of marshmallows to choose from, and instead of the traditional milk chocolate bars, offer a selection of Ghirardelli squares.

All of these things can be prepped ahead (assemble and keep your beans hot in your crockpot), and then pulled out at the very same moment your friends are pulling in. Summer entertaining ease at its finest!

Do you have a favorite summer cookout recipe? Feel free to share the link in the comment section below!

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To Market, To Market

The advent of summer brings with it the return of the Farmer's Market every year. Such a place to delight the senses, find fresh local foods to build your weekly menu around, support regional artisans, and marinate in the heartbeat of your community.

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