The Herbalist’s Happy Hour – Crafted Cocktails and Tapas from the Garden is the perfect book for summer. A great reference for cooking up easy, fresh, delicious drinks, cocktails and appetizers for entertaining and enjoying. Get it  here 

Palisade Peach Festival
Experience all things peaches on the western slope. August 11-13, Entertainment, food, farm dinners, kid activities. and more.  https://palisadecoc.com/events/palisadepeachfest/

Loveland 34th annual Sculpture in the Park
Sculptures from 160 sculpture artists featured next to Lake Loveland. August 12-14. https://www.sculptureinthepark.org/

Breckenridge Festival of Arts
A mix of music, dance, film, visual arts, and entertainment up in the mountains. August 12-21.
https://www.breckcreate.org/bifa/

Colorado State Fair
The big guy at the Pueblo fairgrounds with a rodeo, carnival, top name acts, and the usual big fair fare. August 26-September 5. https://coloradostatefair.com/

Free Days
Denver Art Museum, Tuesday, August 9
Denver Botanic Gardens at York St. and Chatfield Farms, Tuesday August 16
Four Mile Historic Museum, Sunday, August 21
Denver Museum of Nature and Science free night, Wednesday, August 17, 5-9
Hudson Gardens, daily

When We Were Birds – Ayanna Lloyd Banwo 
Loved this book, swept me away and I couldn’t wait to get back to it.

Four Thousand Weeks - Time Management for Mortals - Oliver Bremen
Reject the cult of constant productivity and busyness. It’s not what you produce and consume that counts, despite the gospel of our modern culture, it’s how you live.

Mariia Shriver’s Sunday Paper Interesting perspectives on current events and people making a difference. Thoughtful and positive. Comes out every Sunday. https://www.mariashriversundaypaper.com/

Crested Butte
Just got back from working the wildflower festival at Crested Butte, CO. A gorgeous little mining town deep in the Rockies. Lovely place to visit with amazing views, a quaint downtown, winter skiing, biking, and so much more. A great escape from the heat dome. https://travelcrestedbutte.com/

Crestone, CO
I always take a solo sabbatical for a few days after a heavy work week. I spent a few days far from the maddening crowd in Crestone, a little village tucked up against the Sangre de Cristo mountains. It is close to hot springs, The Great Sand Dunes National Park, an alligator farm, a UFO exhibit, and other diversions. Sort of a New Age mecca, there are shrines and monasteries to visit, 2 small grocery stores, great camping along a creek, and lots of Airbnb’s for rent at reasonable prices. The views are gorgeous and there are lovely hikes in the mountains. Fairly undiscovered and great for a getaway.  https://www.uncovercolorado.com/towns/crestone/
 

The garden is in full bloom and productivity as the harvest months begin. Is your garden looking a little tired from all the heat? Add a shot of fertilizer to perk things up. Continue to remove old blooms from your annuals and perennials, and clip back your herbs, using them in your summer dishes and drying them for your winter pantry.
You can put in seeds for your fall crops, including salad greens, radishes, beets, kale, and Swiss chard. Harvest your tomatoes, beans, peppers, etc., bigger isn’t always better. A lovely small zucchini is going to be a lot tastier that a baseball bat. The more you harvest the more you get, so clip away. Too much? Donate to neighbors or your local shelter or food bank.

Tomatoes were not widely eaten in the US until the late 1800’s. Belonging to the nightshade family they were considered poisonous. Today we know that tomatoes contain Vitamin C, A, iron, and potassium along with lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant which helps in preventing cancer. You will absorb more lycopene from cooked tomatoes than raw.

Farm fresh tomatoes will soon be nothing more than a memory. Before that sweet juicy flavor retreats for another year make the most of it with recipes sure to complement those end of summer meals. To really bring out that tomato flavor in sauces and soups add a bit of honey, agave, or sugar. Sage advice I got from an Italian grandma. Once we’re back to store bought, try cherry tomato varieties which give more of that fresh tomato taste in the off season.

Aqua Fresca – Three Ways

Sicilian Bruschetta

Mexican Summer Salad with Lime Dressing

Super Easy Peach Melba