From my earliest days, I remember spending time in the gardens tended by my grandparents. Along with a love for McClard’s BBQ and Ozark hill music, I believe that time spent in their gardens built the foundation for a love of warm days that give me a chance to dig my toes (and fingers) in the dirt.

My great-grandfather Biggs grew tomatoes in his back yard in Hot Springs. He died when I was young, but I still remember the pride in his voice when he took us out to inspect the raised beds along the chain-link fence behind his house.

In those days, I would only eat a thick slice of home-grown tomatoes with a generous spoonful of sugar sprinkled over the top. Today, I can’t think of any preparation of tomatoes that I won’t eat. In salsa, homemade pasta sauce, fried and green, bisque… it’s all good.

My grandmother Whillock planted a spectacular vegetable garden on ¼ acre and it was never a chore to help with the weeding and harvesting when I visited each summer. Strawberries were my favorite. To this day, I can’t eat a chilled strawberry – they are so much tastier at room temperature!

What summertime crops and recipes are you looking forward to this summer?