Monday, July 14, 2008

Summer Pleasures


One of my favorite childhood summertime pastimes was playing in the laundry. My mother had a clothes line that folded out like an umbrella and in the summertime all the laundry went outside to air dry. The laundry load with the highest play value was sheets. On a hot summer day I would play house inside the cool, shady walls of the damp sheets hung out to dry.

For years after we bought our own house I wished for an umbrella-style clothes line. My husband had issues with it, though. I believe he thought a clothes line looked a bit ghetto. After about 15 years, my mother-in-law figured out that my husband wasn't going to get me one, so she bought me one and I love it.

It makes me happy to hang out my laundry. I feel like I'm cheating a bit, like I'm getting away with something. I get my clothes dry and don't have to pay for the electricity to dry them. Shhhh, don't tell! Plus, no fabric softener on earth can make sheets smell as delicious as drying them in the warm sun.

It's such a great feeling to find something so easy and so satisfying. Making raspberry sherbet is like that, too. I picked raspberries from my neighbor's yard, threw them into a blender with milk and sugar, poured that into my ice cream freezer and had fabulous sherbet, bursting with fresh raspberry taste in 20 minutes! Life is rarely this simple and pleasing, so intend to make the most of it while it is.



Raspberry Sherbet
- adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

4 cups raspberries
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice


Put the raspberries, milk, and sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth, then strain the mixture through a coarse sieve to remove the seeds. Stir in the lemon juice.

Freezer right away to preserve the beautiful taste and color of the raspberries. Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker to freeze. (Mine was quite soft when the freezing time was done, so I put it into the freezer to harden up.)

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a umbrella clothes line too! I don't have a clothes dryer. In the winter time it's a bit inconvenient with clothes hanging everywhere.
And you know how I feel about laundry perfumes, so agree nothing smells as nice as the sun and breeze on my clothes.
One of my neighbors is having a glut of raspberries right now. I must help her out! Raspberry sherbet sounds very refreshing,

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I used to do the same thing too with the laundry when I was little, haha!! But now that I KNOW how to do laundry, it's not very fun to play in it ;0)

Mmm, sherbet!! So refreshing, indeed.

Anonymous said...

I loved hanging clothes on the line, back when I worked at home and had all my kids at home. There's something much more meditative about hanging laundry than there is about transferring it from the washer to the dryer. And the smell and feel of the clothes, so wonderful too. Thanks for reminding me of that great activity.

Mama Mia said...

That Sherbet looks so refreshing! I wish I had an ice cream maker...

Mary said...

I like hanging clothes on the line too! And I'm totally bookmarking the raspberry sherbet!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

That is the best Lynn! The sorbet I can have now since that's just what is rolling around in my little ice cream maker. But now I want the clothes line too!!! Yes, I totally understand the feeling of getting away with something...no electricity! I always loved the clothes on the line at my grandmothers!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I haven't hung out clothes in ages. Just reading this is bringing that incredible smell and I'm lovin it.

Aimée said...

I thank you for this post Lynn, but my husband may not. I've been reminded that he has promised me a clothes line for some time now and his summer holidays are coming up in a week. One more job for the list! :)

LyB said...

That looks so beautiful and refreshing! And what a gorgeous color, so appetizing. :)

Patricia Scarpin said...

Aren't you MIL adorable? :)
This dessert is wonderful, Lynn, and I would not mind having it here now, winter and all. :)

Big Boys Oven said...

this is very refreshing!

Gigi said...

My mom had an umbrella clothes line. I used love playing under it when she would hang her sheets! So many fairy tale castles and princes!

And the sorbet looks amazing Lynn. The perfect treat for a hot summer day.

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Fabulously summery! Wish I had an ice cream maker!

Homemade Heaven said...

You always make summer look so tasty!

Helene said...

My favorite fruit, hands down, left-alone-on-a-dessert-island-one wish-food is raspberries so I am just drooling over this one!

Heather said...

i looove the smell o flaundry drying on the porch. when i lived in italy, we didn't have a dryer... there was something comforting about waiting to do laundry until it was a nice day, and then letting the clothes soak up that warm, radiant sun while the dried. I always loved slipping into things when they came off the line. it just felt homey. what a wonderful memory you brought up :) and this sounds delicious, too!!!! i do love raspberries. are you sending this to sugar high fridays? i think it would be a hit!

Deborah said...

My mother in law has a clothes line in her back yard, and I've always wanted one. And the sherbet just screams summer!

kickpleat said...

i soooo need that book! the sherbet looks wonderful...raspberries are my favorites!

Peabody said...

I loved running through the hung laundry. And I am loving your sherbet.