The sun is shining bright making the days long and warm, the honey bees are busy buzzing, and the farm fields are brimming with abundance…it must summertime on the prairie!

By mid-summer, the rivers are becoming lazy and the nut trees are ripe for the pickin’.

There are full grown corn fields as far as the eye can see.

Knee high by the 4th of July does not apply to our California corn.

It is ready to be harvested by early to mid summer!

Indeed, the summer season is a bustling time for our farmers.

And, being right in their backyard, we reap the benefits of their hard work.

The Farmer’s Market.

Once a week, the local growers bring their produce to sell directly to our town’s residents.

Every fruit and vegetable of the summer season, picked fresh.

Fresh corn from the stalk.

And sweet watermelon straight from the vine.

Pistachio, Almond and nuts of every kind.

And, if you can’t make it to the Farmer’s Market, there are country stores and local growers selling their crops in stands on every corner. There is no shortage of fresh picked produce.

There is such an abundance of crop that the long days of picking continue by the light of the full moon into the night.

The Farmer’s Almanac has even given the moon a different name each month, according to what is being harvested by it’s light.

The full moon in June is called the Strawberry Moon.

The full moon in July is the Hay Moon.

The full moon in August is the Green Corn Moon.

The September full moon is the Harvest Moon.

The moon rise makes for a spectacular sight.

Dusk makes way for cooler evenings.

A time when you look forward to being outside, enjoying the beauty of the summer night.

And nothing makes a night sweeter on the prairie than sitting on the porch, listening to the symphony of crickets and wind chimes, with a slice of fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

Click on the recipe card to enlarge and print.

{recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen}

Start with a 9 inch, unbaked pie shell.

Chop up rhubarb and slice strawberries.

Mix with sugar and cornstarch and pour into the pie shell.

Set aside.

For the crumb topping:

Mix brown sugar and flour together.

Add cold, chopped butter.

Cut butter into the sugar mixture until it resembles pea like crumbs.

Pour crumb mixture on top of the strawberries and rhubarb.

Add a few extra chunks of butter on top of the crumbs.

Bake at 400* for 25 minutes, then cover edges of crust with foil.

Bake an additional 30 minutes.

Make sure to bake the pie on a four-sided, rimmed cookie sheet as filling tends to bubble over.

Allow pie to cool before serving.