In this time off during the summer, I cook all the time, only out of my home kitchen more and for smaller crowds.  Gathering fun ideas for the upcoming year, enjoying farm fresh produce, playing, swimming and more fills our days.  This week we will be picking fresh blueberries at Sprinkle’s Blueberry Farm in Winston-Salem, a July tradition in our family.  The honey from Sprinkle’s is wonderful, too, a mix of pollen from the blueberry bushes and other flowers, and their tomatoes are almost as much a reason I go there as the blueberries. Or, if you’re in the mood for a great day trip, try Bev’s Blueberries in Virginia, just an hour from Winston and tucked into the gorgeous hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Not much can beat a fresh picked berry, warm from the sun and so sweet as it pops on your teeth.  Making memories that last a lifetime…

As I type, I find it hard to believe it is time to go blueberry picking and, according to my calendar, we are already into the middle of July.  Isn’t it amazing how time has such a way of sneaking past us?  I have not spent much time in the kitchen, or blogging for that matter.  While I miss it tremendously, the slow days with my family have been beckoning like a lighthouse looking for the sea.  Last week we spent a week at the beach, and enjoyed a lot of time on the water.  We spent many late afternoons at low tide on the marsh going crabbing, one of my favorite things to do.  There is something about the excitement at the slight tug on the line as a crab walks away with the bait, or pulling up a crab pot to hear the chatter and bubbles of a bunch of crabs interrupted from their snacking.  Maybe part of it is something about saltwater, and being outdoors in general, that seems to refresh the soul.

While I typically practice catch and release, those yummy crabs I simply can’t resist sometimes.  I keep the larger males, throw back the females, and head inside to a big stock pot of water, pour a glass of wine, and wait to enjoy!  Below are pictures of “before and after”.  Just another reason why I like to enjoy the best of food and life, sometimes in the most simple of ways.

Before…

…and after!