Good morning dear readers! This warm weather has me pumped up for summer days in the garden and summer nights by the grill, and I can’t help but smile when I see lovely stacks of fresh berries popping up at markets around the city. Obviously these aren’t the same plump and juicy berries we’ll be buying from farmer’s markets in a month, but sometimes I just like to play make believe, you know?
And all the big-box retailers know that I’m not the only one pretending summer is here, and they’re stocking their shelves with piles and piles of fresh fruit for eager customers with their eyes (and stomachs) already on summer. For instance, Sam’s Club has giant boxes of mangoes and strawberries littering their aisles, and I walked away with a giant box of each late last weekâand I’m still trying to use them all! I’ve made two kinds of jam (Strawberry-Mango and Strawberry-Rhubarb) and two kinds of ice cream (Roasted Strawberry & Buttermilk Ice Cream and Mango Sorbet), and I still have fruit to spare.
