What Does May Bring to the Table That's Good and Healthy?

It's May. Hoorah. I love May, because it's my birthday month and Mother's day, too. But that's not the only reason. Flowers bloom and wonderful seasonal foods are ready to harvest for the table. Everything about May is super sensational.
As a young girl, my girl friends and I would giggle up and down the street where we lived to deliver May day flowers to neighbors. Now, that's a reach back in time.

We'd make cones from newspaper and put flowers from our backyard gardens inside the paper cones. We would tie a ribbon around the cone to stop the flowers from falling out, and place the ribbon over the front doorknob on neighborhood homes. We'd ring the doorbell and run for our lives. It was great fun. I laugh out loud just thinking about it. I guess I was about 10 years old or maybe 11. Wow! I'm getting old [boo hoo on that].

My favorite flower is Gardenia, but no gardenias grew in our garden when I was young. Daughter Kim, so thoughtful, gifted me with a Gardenia plant a couple of years ago. It's now a gorgeous sight outside my kitchen window. I love to bring the blossoms inside. The fragrance fills the room and my heart with smiles. But I digress...

What does May bring to the table that's good and healthy? It's no surprise that fresh flowers are good for our eyes and hearts -- but the delicious delight of fresh fruits and vegetables take center stage when it comes to health.

My dad grew strawberries
in a barrel and he smiled
when I picked and popped
them in my mouth.

From fruits like apricots, cherries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapefruit, honeydew melons (my dad's favorite), oranges, peaches, pears, plums, tomatoes and watermelon to vegetables like avocados, artichokes, asparagus, carrots, cabbage, onion, chives, spinach, peppers, potatoes and herbs such as garlic... it's a bounty of health that's available now for you and me.  

I plan to put flowers on the dinner table and take advantage of seasonal foods by serving more fruits and vegetables -- easy, flavorful salads and snacks that leave your mouth wanting more. After all, the best of the best food are fruits and vegetables and the time is always ripe to eat foods that are good and healthy for the body.

What ideas and recipes do you plan -- to take advantage of the wonderful fruits and vegetables now in season?