By Randall Barnes

The strawberry is truly a special treat of the summer season. At harvest, most of the fruit should be heart shaped, but vary in size. Color should be vivid red to dark crimson skin, speckled with dry, diminutive seeds. The berry should have a flowery fragrance, be juicy, and have a sweet taste.

Wild strawberries, also known as Fraises Des Bois, will be about the size of a large raspberry and heart shaped. They can be red and white. The fruits are extremely fragrant, tartness is overshadowed by sweetness, and the taste is incredible, very power packed.

Berry Blast Smoothie
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Number of servings: 8
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 1.0

Ingredients:

2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
2 cups strawberries
2 cups blackberries
1 cup 100% cran-raspberry juice
1 cup low fat blueberry yogurt
2 cups ice

Directions:

Place all items into blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Strawbrosia Parfaits
Number of servings: 6
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 1.0

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced strawberries
1 banana, sliced
1 orange, peeled and sliced (or 11 oz can mandarin orange segments)
1 cup cubed pineapple, fresh or canned
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup (8 oz carton) non-fat vanilla or lemon yogurt
1/4 cup Grape Nuts
6 mint sprigs

Directions:

In a bowl mix strawberries, banana, orange and pineapple. Pour orange juice over fruit and toss. Refrigerate until chilled. To prepare parfaits: Divide one half of the fruit mixture equally into 6 parfait glasses. Top with heaping tablespoon of yogurt. Add remaining fruit divided equally; top with remaining yogurt. Sprinkle each parfait with Grape Nuts. Garnish each parfait with a mint sprig.

Rainbow Fruit Salad
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Number of servings: 12
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 1.0

Ingredients:

1 large mango, peeled & diced
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 nectarines, unpeeled & sliced
2 cups halved fresh strawberries
2 cups seedless grapes
2 bananas, sliced
1 kiwifruit, peeled & diced
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Dash nutmeg

Directions:

Prepare the fruit and place in a large bowl. Combine orange juice, lemon juice, honey, ginger, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Just before serving, pour honey orange sauce over the fruit.

Paradise Freeze
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Number of servings: 4
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 1.5

Ingredients:

2 large, ripe bananas
2 cups strawberries
1 ripe mango, cubed
2 cups cranberry juice
12 ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor container. Cover; blend until thick and smooth.

These recipes are from the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can get the nutritional facts and diabetic exchange information from the website for each recipe. The website is http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnparecipe/recipesearch.aspx

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) are leading this initiative and are in partnership with other health organizations. The goal is to achieve increased daily consumption of fruits and vegetables.

For more information on the Fruits and Veggies — More Matters health initiative, brand and logo, please visit PBH at www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org. You will also find activities and tips for getting children involved as well as more recipes.

Many of the beautiful ornamentals in your garden can also make for tasty snacks! Edible flowers are a great way to add unique colors and flavors to spring and summer dishes. Impress your friends and family with beautiful floral additions to your meals. When using edible flowers, be sure they have not been sprayed with any toxic chemicals. Also, when trying any new food for the first time, try just a little at first to be sure you don't have any adverse reactions.

Daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.)

Daylilies are one of my absolute favorite edibles. Their petals are slightly sweet and crunchy and would make a great addition to salads. You can also use them as a substitute for squash blossoms and stuff them. Several traditional Chinese dishes call for daylily buds. Dried daylily buds are called "golden needles" in many Chinese recipes. Remember that daylilies do live up to their name (the flowers only last about a day) so if you're using them fresh, don't plan on having leftovers!

Nasturtium

These peppery spicy flowers are a refreshing snack and a great way to add some pep and color to your salads. The leaves are also edible but are a lot spicier than the petals! Try mixing assorted greens such as romaine, radicchio, spinach and arugula with a handful of nasturtium blooms topped with your favorite dressing.

Sweet Violets (Viola odorata)

Although all Viola species have edible flowers (including pansies and violets), sweet violet is by far my favorite. These bloom profusely in the early spring and the sweet scented blossoms can be smelled from a block away on a hot day. They make a great companion to fruits and nuts in salads and make a beautiful garnish on sweets. Violet syrup, violet jelly, and violet vinegar are some other interesting ways to enjoy this plant's intoxicating scent.

Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)

All Dianthus have edible flowers, including carnations, but Sweet William is one of the most fragrant. The petals have a complex, spicy, clove-like taste and can be used to prepare sorbets and other sweets. I've found that each color of Dianthus has a slightly different taste. See if you can find the best tasting color in your yard!

These are just a few of my favorites. For a more comprehensive list of edible garden flowers, see this link:

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blflowers.htm?terms=edible+flowers

Lantana is a hardy, sun-loving and drought-tolerant flowering shrub. This evergreen shrub is fabulous and highly valued in any landscape for its very long bloom season. (In warm climates, it blooms all year around.) The highly drought-tolerant lantana is also an excellent addition to a xeriscape garden, providing plenty of flower color. Be sure to protect your lantana during frosty nights in the winter.

The blooms are tiny flowers in tight clusters, resembling a miniature bouquet. In full bloom, the shrub is heavily covered with a profuse showy display that attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lantana hybrids fall into two major categories: upright and trailing forms. The upright forms range in size from 2-5' tall by 3-6' wide. The trailing varieties range from 1-3' tall by 3-6' wide. Lantana hybrids come in many colors and color combinations including yellow, pink, red, purple, cream, magenta and lemon yellow, orange and pink, and yellow and orange.

Plant the trailing varieties in the front of your hedge, on a hill or an embankment. The larger upright forms are beautiful as a background specimen plants or in a cluster of three with other drought-tolerant perennials surrounding them.

Lantana is a rapid, vigorous grower. Don't be afraid to maintain the size and shape of each shrub with a good spring pruning to keep shrubs lush and full. Without this pruning, lantana can get woody. Lantanas also benefit from a regular feeding of Master Nursery Rose and Flower Food 5-10-5 every two months spring through fall, which will keep them in top blooming form.

We have many different lantana hybrids from which to choose. So stop by, and let us help you to transform your gardens to a water-wise flowering bouquet!

Let's face it, working in your garden or watering your lawn is not easy while yellowjackets are buzzing around you. The yellowjacket could be searching for food or trying to protect the nest it carefully constructed during the past season.

Although wasps are helpful in pollination, and some varieties actually feed on insects such as caterpillars and other crop destroying bugs, their venom can be harmful to those who are allergic to stings.

There are several ways to protect your garden visitors from the yellowjacket. The most natural way is by prevention. Wasps are attracted to food sources by smell, so eliminating any type of food such as soda or protein will keep these critters away. Do not squish a wasp, as the bug releases a pheromone that attracts others of its kind. Even worse, if you swat at the yellowjacket and miss, it will only try to defend itself by trying to sting you.

The easiest way to remove yellowjackets from your garden is by using a trap. The yellowjackets will enter the trap and get stuck. When using a trap, be sure to empty it weekly. We recommend Rescue Yellow Jacket Traps (available in disposable or reusable traps) and suggest placing a few strategically in different parts of the garden (away from entertaining areas) for best results. You can also spray the nest, if it is not near any vegetables or herbs. Note that spraying does put you in danger of being stung.