Sensational Summer

Summer is now in full swing and the seemingly endless stream of perfect clear blue sky days and balmy evenings continues to my delight.
The warm weather has also seen an explosion of growth in my lettuces that were planted in early June. I planted the seeds closer together than the packet suggested,assuming not all would flourish but apparently, it seems I have a knack for growing lettuce and they all came through. I have to keep thinning them out which leaves me with a constantly replenishing supply of baby lettuce leaves...yum!
The other "plantees" in the vegetable patch are doing okay... I have one strawberry growing, and I mean 1, uno, actual strawberry. My basil is doing really well and smelling divine and the zucchini, peppers and cucumbers look like they are growing well but who knows..I've never done this before.
Eating wise, I have been ultra busy and hardly at home so cooking is hit and miss. Plus with the warm weather, who wants to cook every night?
so lots of salads are being consumed and seeing as I don't have a salad spinner, I have been using another technique that I once saw on TV on "The Shopping Bags". You wash the leaves, then place them on a tea towel. Pull up the sides of the tea towel so there are no gaps and then wildly swing it around above your head. I recommend doing this OUTside. It works surprisingly well and I am always amazed at how much water comes out using this fun method.
Summer is also farmers market season and I try to head down to Lonsdale Quay each Saturday to go to the small but excellent market there. There are several produce stands as well as baked goods, sauces, honey and crafts. My most recent discovery is fresh snap peas from a farmer from Abbotsford. Now that I have sampled these perfect specimens, it is actually a crime to go back to the imported grocery store ones from China. They don't even compare. At another vendors stall, something else caught my eye...red scallions (Spring onions for the British readers). They looked amazing, and I have never seen them before. Very cool colour addition to my salads.