Jul 08 2025
Juicy watermelon, crisp cucumber, salty feta, fresh mint, and jewel-like pomegranate seeds come together in this colorful summer salad. A light honey-lime dressing adds just enough brightness to tie everything together without covering up the fresh flavor of the fruit. This is exactly the kind of recipe that belongs on the table when the weather …
Jul 08 2025
A warm evening on the patio, a walk through the garden, or an afternoon near the water can leave behind one irritating souvenir: an itchy mosquito bite. For most people, mosquito bites are more annoying than dangerous. They usually produce a small red or swollen bump that itches for a few days and gradually disappears …
Jul 07 2025
If lemon balm is taking over a corner of your herb garden, that is actually a pretty good problem to have. Its soft green leaves have a fresh lemon fragrance and a mild citrusy flavor that works in far more than herbal tea. Fresh lemon balm can brighten drinks, salads, savory dishes, fruit, and desserts. …
Jul 04 2025
Tall purple flower spikes rising above narrow, grass-like foliage make blazing star one of the most distinctive perennials in a summer garden. Also known as Liatris or gayfeather, this North American native is especially valuable when you want a plant that looks dramatic without demanding constant attention. Blazing star is also a wonderful choice for …
Jun 22 2025
For many, summer is a time for freewheeling fun, without the typical responsibilities of an academic year or simply maintaining one’s own comfort in the winter. But for the Japanese, summer is a time to reflect on those who have gone before us with gratitude and appreciation. One of Japan’s biggest festivals happens in mid-summer …
Jun 20 2025
There is something unmistakable about the beginning of summer. Evenings stretch later, gardens seem to grow overnight, outdoor tables fill with friends and family, and sunlight lingers long after dinner would have been eaten in darkness just a few months earlier. All of that growing daylight reaches its annual peak at the summer solstice. In …
Jun 18 2025
There is something about eating outside that makes even a simple lunch feel like an occasion. Spread out a blanket beneath a shady tree, open a basket filled with good food, pour something cold to drink, and suddenly an ordinary afternoon feels like summer vacation. The best picnic foods aren’t necessarily the fanciest. They are …
Jun 17 2025
Summer can feel wonderfully endless when you are a kid—and occasionally a little too endless when you are the adult trying to think of something everyone can do. Fortunately, memorable summer days do not require expensive camps, elaborate supplies, or a perfectly planned schedule. Some of the best activities begin with things you already have: …
Jun 16 2025
A garden filled with flowers is beautiful to us, but to a bee, butterfly, hummingbird, or moth, it can also be a place to eat, rest, reproduce, and survive. That makes National Pollinator Week a perfect time to look at the yard a little differently. Instead of thinking only about what makes a landscape neat …
Jun 11 2025
Few movie settings can change mood as quickly as a beach. Put a character beside the ocean and the story can suddenly feel romantic, adventurous, nostalgic, carefree—or terrifying. Beach movies have taken almost every possible form. Hollywood has sent teenagers to California surf breaks, lovers to Greek islands, FBI agents undercover among surfers, families to …
