Tutti frutti, oh Rudy!

Summer is here and, as usual, we seem to think nothing has ever felt better!  Technically, summer isn’t here yet, but all through-out May we’ve had some pretty high temperatures – really high for this time of year!  The dog-days of August seem to have been pulled up to May as we enjoy the 30°C (85°F) average this week.  It’s inevitable for humans to complain about something in life – law of humanity, plus a pinch of German means the weather will always be complained about – and as you all know, with the glory of Summer comes a couple of gosh-darn things I always seem to forget during the cold, cold winter months.

As the temperatures rise, we lay out in the sun, drink Coke on a more regular (necessary) basis, and bring out the tees & flip-flops.  It feels great!  Not a care in the world, not a problem that can’t be solved – the sun makes everything all right!  And as the temperatures steadily keep on rising, we are slowly reminded of the pesky little things that make Germany one of the worst places to live in for the summer!  Although Leipzig offers loads of summer activities & fun, we can’t exactly spend our entire days out on the lake or picnicking at the park; there’s adulting to do.  Our apartment, like the rest of German housing, office spaces, & interiors in general, has no A/C or fans.  I’m serious…schools, kindergartens, doctor’s offices; they love to hang out in their ‘natural’ state (and stench).  Sure, everything is perfectly equipped for the cold in Winter – heaters, treated windows, coat hangers, bla bla bla…but come summer…NOTHING. NADA.  The torture of opening windows and waiting for any kind of breeze to sweep through is overwhelming, and even IF all windows are permanently open, interiors just seem to become some kind of dutch oven and keep us ‘cozy and warm inside’…the smells on top of it all, are my personal torture.  Oh, and do I need to remind you guys what open windows mean?  Not only is the noise pollution intense, but insects, spiders, mosquitoes all come in and enjoy the coziness of our apartment because – of course – there aren’t any mesh linings on windows to keep them out!

But, alas, I complain no more!  Summer is truly cherished after those bitter Winter months, and all these tiny things are no match for the wonderful things we are enjoying of right now.  The biggest one, aside from the sun (and our fabulous tans), is all the delicious fruit we get to eat again!  Sure, there’s fruit year-round, but the ripeness & juiciness that comes with summer fruit is unique!  The downside to the heat is that fruit goes bad pretty quickly, and at the market you can buy the perfect melon or the prettiest blueberries, but if you don’t eat them fast enough, bugs, mold, and all sorts of things will quickly start happening!  So, I came home with a full load of delicious fruit and decided to use a large part of it to prepare this delicious fruit salad that was the most refreshing after-school snack my girls could want as they came home under the hot, hot sun!

For the Fruit Salad

• 2 apples, diced
• 2 pears, diced
• 2 bananas, diced
• 1 cup of diced strawberries
• 1 cup of blueberries
• 2 nectarines or peaches
• 1 cup of chopped melon
• 1 orange
• 1 cup of rasperries
• 1 cup of blackberries

Simple chop everything up, dicing the fruit into fairly similar sized cubes and place in a large bowl.  Reserve the blackberries & raspberries for the end.  Mix gently to combine evenly and sprinkle the berries on top.  Although sometimes I add orange juice, this time the fruit juices cooperated on their own!  Serve immediately and enjoy!