#summersweetness

Indulge in the perfect combination of sweet strawberries and tangy white balsamic vinegar with this creamy and decadent ice cream recipe. Roasting the strawberries intensifies their flavor, while the addition of balsamic vinegar adds a subtle complexity to every bite.

Ingredients: 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and halved. 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar. 1/2 cup sugar. 2 cups heavy cream. 1 cup whole milk. 3/4 cup sugar. Pinch of salt. 5 large egg yolks.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375F 190C. Toss strawberries with white balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup sugar, then spread on a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven until softened and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Puree roasted strawberries in a blender until smooth. In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, whole milk, remaining sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to steam. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Slowly pour a ladleful of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Gradually whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the strawberry puree until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, preferably overnight. Churn the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer churned ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours or overnight. Serve and enjoy!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

A refreshing and creamy ice cream bursting with the natural flavors of mixed berries. Perfect for a hot summer day or any time you're craving a cool treat!

Ingredients: 2 cups mixed berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries. 1 cup heavy cream. 1/2 cup condensed milk. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 1 tablespoon lemon juice. 2 tablespoons sugar optional, depending on sweetness of berries.

Instructions: Wash and dry the berries, then hull the strawberries if using. In a blender or food processor, puree the berries until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the berry puree, heavy cream, condensed milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and sugar if using. Mix well until fully combined. Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm. Once frozen, scoop the berry ice cream into bowls or cones and enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

These Low Carb Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles are a guilt-free treat packed with fruity flavor and creamy texture. Perfect for hot summer days or whenever you're craving something sweet!

Ingredients: 1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced. 1/2 cup coconut cream. 1/4 cup almond flour. 2 tablespoons lemon juice. 2 tablespoons erythritol or preferred sugar substitute. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pinch of salt.

Instructions: In a blender, combine strawberries, coconut cream, almond flour, lemon juice, erythritol, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds. Insert popsicle sticks into each mold. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until solid. Once frozen, remove from molds and enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

These Beach Birthday Cupcakes are a fun and adorable treat for a beach-themed birthday party. The colorful decorations and moist vanilla cupcakes will transport you to a tropical paradise.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. 1 1/2 tsp baking powder. 1/4 tsp salt. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened. 1 cup granulated sugar. 2 large eggs. 1 tsp vanilla extract. 1/2 cup whole milk. Blue food coloring optional. Cupcake liners. Beach ball cake toppers. Flip-flop cake toppers. Surfboard cake toppers.

Instructions: Preheat your oven to 350F 175C and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined. If desired, add blue food coloring to achieve a beachy color. Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cupcakes are cool, top each one with a beach ball, flip-flop, or surfboard cake topper. Serve and enjoy your delicious Beach Birthday Cupcakes!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 18-20

Indulge in the refreshing sweetness of Nice Pops Frozen Delight. This creamy and fruity ice pop is bursting with flavors of mixed berries, crunchy nuts, and a hint of honey. Perfect for cooling off on hot summer days or satisfying your sweet cravings anytime!

Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream. 1 cup whole milk. 3/4 cup granulated sugar. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pinch of salt. 1 cup mixed berries strawberries, blueberries, raspberries. 1/2 cup chopped nuts almonds, pistachios. 1/4 cup honey.

Instructions: In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let it cool completely. Once cooled, pour the mixture into ice pop molds, filling them halfway. Add a few mixed berries and chopped nuts into each mold. Drizzle honey over the berries and nuts. Insert ice pop sticks into the molds. Freeze for at least 6 hours or until completely firm. To unmold, run the molds under warm water for a few seconds. Serve and enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck It is still hot, yet a cool breeze wafts through the patio where I am writing under an awning. I can’t bear being inside an office when I can do my work outside on my trusty Mac laptop with a full view of nature, the soothing sounds of a gurgling fountain, and the perfumed air from my roses and…

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“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck

It is still hot, yet a cool breeze wafts through the patio where I am writing under an awning. I can’t bear being inside an office when I can do my work outside on my trusty Mac laptop with a full view of nature, the soothing sounds of a gurgling fountain, and the perfumed air from my roses and viburnum. In winter I long for days like these, warm, sunny, and sweet.

Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies are darting about, oblivious to my presence. The fiery orange crocosmia, also known as coppertips or firecracker plant, is on display and attracting pollinators. I adore this exotic perennial because the corms are easily transplantable, it blooms when so many other plants are dormant. It is showy in floral arrangements. Although it is a sun lover, I’ve also planted it in sheltered shade for longer-lasting blooms.

Bees are gathered on my bronze fennel. I cut a few fronds of seeds to sprinkle on my vegetables for tonight’s meal without bothering the buzzers. Walking my property, I noticed that my many hollyhocks were being eaten by the painted lady butterfly caterpillars. Painted lady butterflies are found throughout the world and because they are such beneficial and beautiful pollinators, I am happy that they dine on my hollyhocks.

My fragrant four o’clock plants didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to bloom in the late afternoon or early evening. My flowers bloom like clockwork every morning from nine to eleven. Many years ago, my mom gave me seeds from her species growing on our ranch. They have perennially sprouted and supported a multitude of pollinators, including the nocturnal moths. As a kid, I remember that her four o’clocks bloomed on time in the late afternoon.

Other sweet summer blooms include daisies, echinacea, birds of paradise, plumbago, and gladiolus. The sky-blue color of plumbago is mesmerizing. Buds on my crape myrtle trees are about to burst open and I’ve observed crape myrtle trees blooming in numerous yards.

A few not-so-sweet summer trespassers:

ü  You may notice powdery mildew invading your rhododendrons, crape myrtles, viburnum, roses, and other plants when the temperatures are hot during the day and cooler or humid at night. This fungal disease looks like a dusting of flour on your leaves, and although it doesn’t kill the plant, with mild cases recovering on their own with improved airflow, normal treatment is necessary. One of the best and least expensive preventative measures is to spray sulfur in advance of symptoms. In the early stages of infection, an effective organic treatment is to use a 50/50 combination of milk and water sprayed on the entire plant (leaves and stems) twice weekly until results are achieved.  An unpleasant sour smell may develop in the hot sun, but your plants will no longer be sickly!

ü  Rust is another fungal disease that targets roses, especially in summer.  It manifests with orange and/or black spots on the leaves and stems. Sulfur or copper can be used as a preventative measure. A few of my roses showed signs of rust. I quickly removed and destroyed the leaves to prevent further spread. I also improved the air circulation by removing surrounding plants and weeds, making sure that the roses were being watered at the roots and not by overhead sprinklers. Always disinfect and sanitize your pruning shears with alcohol so as not to spread disease.

ü  Do you have bindweed in your garden? This little cousin of the morning glory is an invasive climbing plant that strangles other plants and can easily take over a landscape. The flowers are dainty and pretty, but don’t be fooled. It is going to take patience and persistence to rid your garden of this noxious weed. The root system can spread to twenty feet wide and deep. The seeds, which can last for twenty to fifty years in the soil, disperse through the movement of birds, wildlife, and irrigation. Two types of bindweed have taken up residence in my orchard. I hope to one day eradicate it through perseverant pulling of new sprouts which will eventually cause the rhizomes to lose their strength. If you see bindweed in your garden, do not ignore it. Dig out the roots as soon as you see it. Be forewarned. Once bindweed has established itself in your garden, without chemical intervention (which I don’t use or recommend), you will be battling this intruder for years.

Back to the summer sweetness:

ü  Add to your summer sweet garden with a rock cairn. Throughout history, stones have been piled high as memorials or markers. I suggest a rock cairn as a fun family nature project. Make a game of it.

ü  For a punch of splashy color, unleash a border mixing different heights and flower shapes with sweet alyssum, marigold, petunia, rudbeckia, and gaillardia.

ü  Sit under a shade tree with a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade to read a book. If you have children or grandchildren, they will enjoy the true tales of animals in my series, Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures, available in bookstores, Amazon, or my StarStyle® Store, https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store

Give working outside on your patio or deck a try. The chill of winter is only six months away.  Savor the warmth and sweetness of summer.

Savor the warmth and sweetness of summer.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing. Photos at Lamorinda Weekly: https://lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1812/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Summer-Sweetness.htm Substack: https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/p/the-sweetness-of-summer? l

For more gardening advice for all seasons, check out Growing with the Goddess Gardenerat https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 which was just honored as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com. Her newest children’s picture book, Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!, from the series, Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is available at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store. Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures. [email protected]  

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