Hot and sweaty days making you feel like a wilting flower? A cold shower helps. More importantly, getting enough liquids in your body will help keep you cool. During the summer season we need extra fluids to stay hydrated and keep up our energy. How much fluid? Depends on your age and what you are doing. Everyone’s different. We are supposed to drink about 11 cups of liquids a day, men need more and women need less. Find out if you are getting enough fluids by visiting the Hydration Calculator. Eating summer fruits and veggies helps. At Harvest Home markets, we have delicious and easy ways to help you get the liquids you need.

Start with what you eat: Snack on summer’s juicy fruits and veggies, like watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, cucumbers, celery and tomatoes. All full of delicious and refreshing juice and antioxidants for the hot days.

Drink the right liquids. Some liquids are better than others. Some help you stay cooler than others. Soda and flavored juices are loaded with sugar and make your body hotter. Not what you want. 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 flavors 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.

Stay cool. Enjoy the beauty of summer!

BEAT THE HEAT

RECIPE: New Refreshing Tastes for Tea and Ice

African Red Tea (Rooibos): A refreshing mouth feel you can’t beat.

Buy loose tea. Put 2 heaping

teaspoons tea in a teapot or glass quart jar. Fill with boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Pour over ice through a strainer to get rid of the tea leaves. Add more water if it’s too strong.

Add fruit or spices or different teas to create a whole new kind of refreshment.

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 it for 15 minutes. Pour over ice.

• Minty Green Ginger Root Tea: 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. Let cool and pour over ice.

TIPS: Take the Boring Out of Water

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

A splash of refreshment:

Add fruit, herbs or spices to a pitcher of water and keep 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.

• 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 a lime cut into slices

• 4 or 5 long cucumber sticks about 3/4 inch thick

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

• Visit 15 Flavored Water Recipes for more ideas

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