The produce this time of year is glorious. I love how something comes into abundance for a few weeks, and just as I've had enough, like the local asparagus, it goes away, and something comes to replace it, like local sugar snap peas and snow peas---fabulous! (I don't think I'll ever get tired of those though). For the last several weeks, berries have been on special, switching from strawberries, to blueberries to raspberries and back. Oh so good! And this week it's the Washington cherries. Next week starts the sweet corn. It is so good, we eat some every day for the entire season. Fresh figs are also in season but I've been enjoying the berries and cherries too much. Maybe in a few days I'll get tired of cherries and try the figs.
In preparation for sweet corn season I've changed my schedule around. I work from home in the morning, eat lunch at home on the deck, bike in for the afternoon and evening activities, stop at the co-op on the way home for tomorrow's groceries, buy and eat some delicious fresh fruit right there, and then head home for a late dinner. As a result, I only eat two meals, lunch and late dinner. But lunch starts early, around 11, because I nibble during food prep. This works great for many reasons: I get a lot of concentrated work done in the mornings; it's summer so we don't have much going on socially at work and I'd rather eat lunch at home on the deck than alone in my office; summer in Wisconsin is fabulous and our memories of winter don't fade easily so I like to make the best of it; I'm not too full or too hungry when I exercise at 5-7 pm; I am hungry when I get to the co-op and have my fruit which tastes fantastic as a result; I don't have to lug dinner to work on my bike; because dinner is late, I don't go to bed or wake up hungry (or too full). This doesn't work during the school year, but is a nice change of pace in the summer. Since sweet corn season starts next week, we will change our plans this week and eat lunch downtown at everyone's favorite hangout on the lake (call "the terrace").
