Plus: storing vegetables, planning a fall garden, and more!
 | | Thank you, Linda Rosemarie Landry in L'Ardoise, Cape Breton, NC, Canada, for this week’s photo! | August has arrived! It’s time to get in that last bit of summer fun. And while doing this might look a little different this year, we hope that you and your loved ones continue to find time to relax and unwind.
One of summer’s quintessential experiences is the backyard barbecue. If you haven’t had one yet this year, there’s no time like the present! If you’ve never barbecued, don’t be intimidated: Cooking over an open grill takes a bit of practice, but it can be very rewarding. Plus, it works for one person as well as a whole household.
If you don’t yet own a grill, there are a lot of options, including gas (perfect for the impatient chef who wants to fire up and go), charcoal (giving food that delicious smoky flavor), and electric (great for city dwellers!), among others. Check your local retailers: In these waning days of summer, you might be able to cook up a deal!
For aspiring grill masters, here are a few tips to get started:
- Always start with a clean grill. Before you turn the grill on (or ignite the charcoal), lightly brush or spray your grill grates with oil to keep food from sticking. Be sure to let the grates come to temperature before you begin cooking.
- Don’t put cold meat or veggies on the grill. Let them come to room temperature first. They’ll cook more evenly.
- Remember the 4-by-4 rule to determine temperature in charcoal grilling: If you can keep your palm 4 inches over the coals for 4 seconds, it’s at medium heat.
- The best time to clean your grill is when the grates are still warm. With the back of a spatula, scrape anything on the grates into the fire, then use a wire brush to scrub the grates clean (being careful not to leave behind any bristles).
Check out more grilling tips and easy recipes to get started! Also, here’s a quick and easy instructional table for perfectly grilled vegetables!
Your summer garden is likely in full swing—so much so that you’re pondering what to do with the excess. Try these simple tips for storing fruit, vegetables, and herbs for the fall and winter.
Speaking of fall: Have you started thinking about your autumn garden? There are lots of edible options. Leave the planning to us with our all-new Fall Planting Calendar, which calculates frost dates, the best time to start seeds indoors, planting by the Moon, and more!
Finally, tonight and tomorrow, be sure to enjoy a warm summer night under the Full Sturgeon Moon. Also, get ready for the Perseid meteor shower, which—during its peak from August 11–13—will put on one of the best shows of the year!
As sure as the Sun will rise and set each day, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is here for you, now and always.
Your Friends from The Old Farmer’s Almanac |
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| “Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days, and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.” –Ada Louise Huxtable (1921–2013), architecture critic and writer |
| | |  | | Here's the caption: You know what else is great about corn? It goes great on the grill! For harvest and storage tips (plus, tips on growing your own next year!), grab a copy of The Vegetable Gardener's Handbook ➡ Almanac.com/veggiebook |
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