Savor summer and all of its abundance both now and in the future with these easy and fun projects.
Take advantage of this special time of year to enjoy all of the special gifts from the earth that you may miss when this precious season passes.
Savoring summer is not about trying to do all the things or spend every waking moment harvesting and preserving. It is about adding a few projects to your to-do list that can easily be done in the busiest of lifestyles that will bring joy in this season, while also keeping it on hand for the next.
Make a Jam
Save some your favorite fruits in an easy to make jam. This is a great first time canning project for beginners and yet serves so many tasty uses for experienced folks as well.
Make it sweet or savory. Can up berries or cucumbers. Get creative or keep it old school. A single batch of jam is easy, even fun and a great way to bust out summer no matter what season it is outside. And honestly no jar from the grocery store will taste as delicious as your own homemade jam.
Dry Herbs for Tea
Hang some mint, lemon balm or another favorite herb to dry. Store the dried leaves in glass jars.
Brew a cup, then sip and relax on cool fall or winter evenings and savor the lingering warmth and flavor of summer.
Press Flowers
Pretty flowers abound either in the flower garden or in a local park. Stick the blossoms between some papers and put a heavy book on top. Let those flowers dry and press until flat. Use these flowers as the basis for crafts or even to stick inside the pages of a book given away as a gift. These beautiful blooms will hold their color and provide a bit of joy whenever seen.
Finally iced tea that you won’t forget in the other room! These recipes give show you how to use what you have to craft teas with the flavor and healing benefits you need. Get my Guide to Iced Tea to help you get creative and stay refreshed!
Can Salsa
No one will never be sorry for having spent time making & canning salsa. Homecanned salsa is very different than the commercial stuff – it’s more amazing but also tends to be thinner. Keep it simple if this feels like too much work with just a batch or two and use it for special celebration meals or occasions.
Freeze Dinner & Dessert
In the middle of a blizzard or other nasty winter weather event, having a summer meal froze in the freezer can be a bright spot of joy.
This doesn’t have to be a ton of extra work. It’s not that big of a deal to make a double batch of cabbage rolls for example. Eat a batch tonight, freeze the other for later. Make two fresh cherry pies, eat one now, freeze the other.
Participate in the Community
Go to a festival or two, participate in the invasive weed pulling or park trail maintenance. Every single one? No, but do something to cultivate a community that feels good. Build friendships and support local non-profits and businesses. Simply participate now when the weather is nice so that those places can exist in the next season and beyond.
Craft an Herbal Remedy
A little preparation work now might just be the difference between miserable flu and comfort later. Make the elderberry syrup and have it ready when cold season looms. Again, keep it simple and personal, no sense in making a high-blood remedy if no one has high blood pressure. A few simple cold & flu remedies at the ready will be so welcome later when sleep is all a body wants to do.
Create a Body Product
Use the summer flowers and herbs for a specially formulated body butter, bath salts, and soaps. Use those gorgeous rose petals for everything from bath bombs to lotion bars. Infuse red clover into oil for a homemade lip balm. These are simple projects that can make a body feel good in any weather and also make for great gifts.
Gather Natural Materials
As you take walks or hikes through the weeks of summer, pick up those rocks, shells, twigs, pine needles, and more. Create jewelry or baskets. Decorate jars with drift wood for natural candle holders.
Use these things to decorate the home or give as gifts and every time the eye lands on them be reminded that every season comes and goes and can be celebrated.
Dye Something with a Plant
Dye fabric, yarn, or that old tank top. This doesn’t have to be a giant chemistry experiment. Black walnut hulls can easily dye fabric or yarn without the need for mordant, for example. Try giving that old pair of jeans or sweater a new color. Dye some yarn for a winter hat. Use the summer abundance and be reminded of the season each time the item is worn.
jeanette wyatt
Tuesday 26th of June 2018
i love this! from the photo of growing strawberries to yes, i do that, (canning and preserving) and i make my own soaps and do experiment with diff blends and molds for the seasons. no fragrances, for sensitive skin like mine. i did not really realize this about myself 'til i started reading your posts! the idea for adding lip balm to my collection for a gift basket has got me excited!! do you think coconut oil (its thick and jarred) would be a good base for lip balm??