Summer Tricks

Welcome to August, otherwise known as “only 30 more days until September”…

And when it arrives, we can count down the days until Sukkot, which is known as a charm as well as good timing to break the unbearable heat and present the first breezes indicating that yet another blazing summer is behind us.

The jellyfish will be gone soon, we are in the midst of the summer vacation, for better or worse, and it is hot – oh,so hot outside. Every time the forecast says “heat wave” or “שרב”, or both, especially when following the word “extreme”, something inside me feels sorry for the plants outside, those that display their thirst with wilted leaves and toneless stems.

Be kind to your garden these days, irrigate well early in the morning and after the sun sets (be sure not to leave muddy puddles that may invite mosquitoes) and say a few kind words to those superhero greens that manage to withstand this heat.

And in the meantime, a few things to keep in mind to make the summer a little bit more fun. The first, is about drinking. It is important to drink, when it is very hot it is even very important to drink, but not all of us do it, and certainly not enough.

What to do? Make something delicious – a smoothie, Kombuchaor juice, as I wrote previously. But you can also make it much simpler –have you ever encountered “flavored water”? The same but without all the sugar (unless you actually decide to add it).

Fill a jug with delicious water and some ice cubes, and add there a few slices of fruit – a couple slices of lemon or lime and Louisa leaves are the classic, but you can also use peach slices, or chopped grapes, watermelon or kiwi will also do a great job of adding flavor and interest to simple water.

And as is well known –out of sight, out of mind (or better yet, in the line of sight, in mind). Place the jug within sight and take many drinking breaks throughout the day.

The second trick is called “freeze them”. Anything that can be frozen, should be! Like what? Grapes on a toothpick (freeze without the toothpick of course) you get a super-speedy-popsicle; some watermelon juice is left on the bottom of the bowl?

Add some lime juice and freeze inside popsicle molds; Ripe bananas ready to go bad (summer makes it very difficult to manage theshopping logistics – fruit outside the fridge spoils very quickly) peel, wrap in cling film and freeze.

When you’ve had enough mango and there are still a few left in the basket – peel, cut into cubes and freeze as well. When the day comes, place them in the blender with a few other ingredients (for example – juice or coconut milk, raw cocoa chips, fresh pineapple) and you get a refreshing and delicious smoothie.

Bananas don’t necessarily require any addition. The blender will transform them into a wonderful banana ice cream. You can add some tehini, date honey or raw dates, then pour over frozen yogurt and invite your best friends to savor it together.

Another thing to keep in mind is “less is more”. In the summer we don’t feel like cooking nearly as much (and who can be bothered to even think about it, especially when the kids are home), and also – the body wants simpler and lighter food.

Therefore – corn on the cob may constitute dinner, on their own, just as watermelon and melon slices with a bunch of grapes are a perfectly satisfying breakfast.

You can begin your day with a green-shake. Start off with simple combinations like watermelon, lime and lots of greens (I found it delicious). Also salads can be simplified – sliced tomatoes with basil leaves, balsamic vinegar and olive oil make a beautiful salad (and to make it look even prettier – you can add various types and colors of tomatoes and turn it into a real celebration).

Yours,