Hot! Humid! Make sure you are drinking enough fluids to keep yourself cool. In the summer, we need a lot of extra fluid to stay hydrated. Drinking the right amount of fluids will make you feel less like a dropping flower. How much fluid? Depends on your age and what you are doing. Everyone's has a different activity level. We are supposed to drink about 10½ cups of liquid a day....men need more and women need a bit less. AHH, you may be thinking: "That's a lot of liquid to drink!!" At Harvest Home Markets, we have delicious, easy ways to help you get the liquids you need.

Start with what you eat: Snacking on summer fruits and vegetables, like watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, cucumbers, celery and tomatoes is a delicious way to stay refreshed and add extra nutrition on those hot days.

Drink the right liquids. Some liquids are healthier than others and can help you stay cool.. Sugary drinks like soda and flavored juices are loaded with sugar and your body generates heat to process them . More heat is not what you need on hot summer days! The best thing to drink is lots of plain water. You may be thinking "BORING!"

Take the "boring" out of water. Keep it cool in the fridge. Add refreshing flavor with herbs, pieces of fruit or even veggies. See tips below.

Refresh with a new iced tea flavor. Our favorite hot weather drink is African red tea, Rooibos Tea, poured over ice. Try it and you'll understand how people in Africa, beat the heat! See more recipes below.

Take a Walk on the Cool Side

Icy cold tap water with a hint of flavor can keep you cool and refreshed....and save you a lot of $$$. Plain or flavored, keep a large pitcher of water in the fridge so it's cool when you need it.

FLAVOR YOUR WATER:
Add fruit, herbs or spices to a pitcher of water cooled in the fridge overnight. Just keep adding water to the pitcher as you drink it. It will last about a week. Try some of these combos...

• A bit of mint adds a refreshing taste to almost any beverage.

• ½ a lemon and ½ a lime cut into slices

• 4 or 5 long cucumber stick about ¾ inch thick

• About ¼ to a ½ of pineapple cut in chunks

• Chunks of watermelon or cantaloupe; honeydew with a bit of basil

• More combos at https://deliciouslyorganic.net/flavored-water-recipes/

Minty Green Ginger Root Tea:

PREPARATION:

• Put 2-3 green tea bags in a teapot with 2 inches of grated ginger and a few sprigs of mint.

• Fill the pot with boiling water. 

• Let sit for 5 minutes. Pour over ice.

Peach Mint Tea

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 tea bags

• 4 ripe peaches, cut into ½ inch pieces

• 1 small bunch of mint

PREPARATION: 

• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add 8 tea bags. Let sit for 10 minutes.

• Remove the tea bags and chill.

• For a strong peach-mint flavor, add peaches and mint to water immediately. For milder flavor, add fruit before drinking. Remove the fruit after one day in the fridge.

Ginger Root Tea: A great stress reducer and good for digestion.

• Plain: Take a 2 inch piece of ginger root and crush it. Toss it in boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour over ice. Add a few sprigs of mint.

Green Teas: Mild in taste, easy to make, well for adding flavors plus improve blood flow.

"Cold Brew": Put a teabag of green tea in 6 ounces of water. Cover and chill in frig overnight or 6-8 hours. In a hurry? Make it with hot water like any tea.

• Add lemon or lime slices

• Mix in a bit of chopped apple or apple juice

• Sweeten with pineapple slices

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