Hot Weather and Cool Drinks

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It’s been hot here in Finland. Maybe not very hot, but hot enough for me. When it’s above 28-30 degrees Celsius (82-86 F), I normally go hide somewhere cool. I make jokes about going to clean the root cellar …

 

Today there’s been a light breeze. No need to totally hide, but perfect for me to recline under the apple tree with a cool drink and some reading.

 

I have three recipes for cool drinks posted here on the blog. The one we make the most is Iced Tea. It doesn’t require much time, except to cool down. Today I made it with green tea, honey, and a touch of lemon. Served in a tall glass over ice. Very refreshing!

 

Another favorite of ours is the Rhubarb Drink. It doesn’t take much time either. Just boil the rhubarb, ginger and cinnamon. Mix with sugar and then let it cool. Very good!

 

A new favorite is the Spruce Shoots Mead. This one requires some waiting time. It takes four days from start to finish! But it’s totally worth it!

Of course, you need to find the light green new growth on spruce trees in order to do it. I highly recommend looking for the greens, but the season for picking them is coming to an end. I froze a few bags of it so we can enjoy making this any time of the year. I think it’ll be perfect for Christmas.

A cool drink we drink almost daily, especially with dinner, is made by just filling a pitcher with ice cold water and two lemon slices. Place it in the refrigerator while you cook dinner. The refreshing lemon flavor blends with the water in a very short time.We call it simply Lemon Water.

You can add some cucumber slices too! Serve over ice, if you want.

 

I took some pictures in the garden. The early plants have already bloomed out, but the lilacs are in full bloom now.

 

There’s some nice old stone walls around and about in the garden. I love them!

I also love the fern growing in the shade by the wall. It looks nice and cool and inviting.

Even the cats are lazy in this heat!

It’s late afternoon now. Time to go inside and prepare dinner. Even the word dinner sounds too hot! We’ll just have a Greek salad with feta cheese, and fresh baguette! And cool drinks!

 

Can you spot what I have in the basket?

Stay cool!

 

~Marina