Summer Fruit Salad

I look forward to going to the LaGrange Farmers market every Thursday and baking something special using some of the fruit I brought home. Sometimes I don’t even make it home before my son eats all the blueberries I bought.  I have now learned to buy twice as much! I also try to incorporate the herbs from my garden in my summer recipes.

Since it's been so hot this year, I've avoided using my oven when I can. This is a good recipe to incorporate any fruit you have from the market. I’ve added some simple syrup to sweeten it a little if needed.

Summer Fruit Salad

1 cup Strawberries

1 cup Blueberries

1 cup Watermellon

Lemon zest from one lemon

Mint infused simple (syrup to taste)

Finely chopped mint

A note about simple syrup: Simple syrup is a versatile staple for your refrigerator. It adds sweetness when you need it. Use it in teas, lemonade, on top of fruit, or add to cake layers for moistness. You can also infuse the syrup to punch up a flavor. Simple syrup is easy to make.

Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Mint leaves (or basil, lemon zest, tea, etc.)

Bring water and sugar to boil until all of the sugar is dissolved. Pour over mint leaves and steep for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup through a sieve to remove all of the mint leaves.

Fresh Lemonade

2 cups of simple syrup (plain for infused)

1 cup lemon juice

3-4 cups of cold water