Summertime Fun, Folklore, and Good Food

WHO NEEDS AN excuse to throw a party or try some great new recipes? Not us. But graduations, family reunions, and Independence Day offer a couple possibilities for entertaining family and friends. Try one of these recipes from the archives of The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Grilled Pork Kabobs

Seafood Jubilee

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Favorite Foods for Family Reunions:

Mother's Old Fashioned Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Health Salad

Bean-Hole Baked Beans

Sauerkraut-and-Sausage Casserole

Grandma Snow's Hypocrite Pie

Grandma Durussel's Coffee Cake

Pecan Pie Bars

For more recipes, go to our Recipe Search or Recipe Exchange Forum.

Or purchase one of our Kitchen-Tested Recipe books.

Use our Party Planner to figure out how much food you'll need for a summer cook-out for 12 to 65 guests. Or, read about How to Have a Picnic, 1876-Style. "The guests should be composed of persons who are willing to eat and enjoy their dinner under difficulties; who can eat with zest pasties and sandwiches in their fingers, and drink out of mugs, or glasses without stems."

When the down of a dandelion contracts, it is a sign of rain.

When spiders build new webs, the weather will be clear.

Lightning in summer indicates good, healthy weather.

The sunflower raising its head indicates rain.

A dream of gardens foretells great joy.

If watercress beds steam on a summer evening, the next day will be hot.

Listen for the sound of the first cicadas. The first frost of the year will occur about three months later.

An open anthill indicates good weather; A closed one, an approaching storm.

A spider on your wedding gown brings good luck.

Dust rising in dry weather is a sign of an approaching change.

It's time to enjoy your flowers, herbs, and veggies. Chives

Mulch around plants to keep weeds to a minimum and retain moisture.
Remove spent flowers to prevent perennials from using their energy on seed production, and to stimulate reblooming.
As soon as a fruit or vegetable is ripe, remove it from the plant. Pull up any plants that aren't productive or that are past their prime.
Water your garden early in the morning or in the late afternoon-times when the least amount of water will evaporate from the leaves.
Save and use rainwater to water your garden.
Aerate the soil in your lawn to allow water to penetrate.
Potatoes can be dug as soon as the tops have died down.
For a harvest that lasts all summer, sow beans every two weeks.

For more jobs in the garden this summer, check out Gardening Jobs by the Month.

For more gardening advice, go to our Gardening Section.

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