Summer Produce

Summertime in Louisville has always been an almost magical time of year. As kids, we went wild riding our bikes, playing is the park, and the ever popular neighborhood water fight. After living away for years, I have rekindled my love for summertime in the River City.

Concerts on the Great Lawn have replaced water fights, but the amazing produce is the same. In June I look forward to the bounty of Watermelon, Peaches and Cherries. My local Grocer has this fruit practically stacked to the ceiling, and it is a sight for sore eyes. These wonderful fruits from my childhood are 'ripe for the picking' and I have my work cut out for me!

After years in the subtropics, coupled with the fact the universe seems to be getting much smaller, I have a new, adult love....the Mango. This perfect, sweet orb of firm orange fruit can be a little daunting to cut, tricky to gage its ripeness, and expensive, compared to its north of the border fruit cousins. These minor obstacles are nothing once you have had that first summertime bite of juicy mango. I have been known to incorporate Mango's into my breakfast, lunch and dinner....gobbling down each sweet, peppery bite! The once exotic in these parts Mango has become pretty main stream, showing up in salsa, Salads, flawlessly paired with Ginger and even featured in a pretty funny SNL skit.

I love summer and look forward to eating juicy fresh fruit until I start to daydream about sweet potatoes this fall.