Some links in this email are affiliate links- if you click through and purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.*

Hi Reader,

How was your first week of June? For me it was filled with my annual checkup, watering plants (the gray clouds I hoped would produce some rain only gave us a bit of mist 😞), and a date night with Brian to a brew pub and a fun movie (see more on that in the last section).

Don't get me wrong - I did enjoy the couple days we had of 80 degree days and I happily broke out my sundresses, but I can't believe how dry my soil is so early in the season. The previous week we planted some shrubs and I was surprised to see the ground completely dry even 2 feet down (granted, it was a completely sunny area, but still - it was even May then 😳).

As gardeners we know stuff like this happens, whether it's not enough rain or too much, and we've learned to adapt and roll with it. But I certainly know what I'm doing most of in my garden over the next few months!

A Berry Storage Tip

After testing this storage tip over the last few months, I just had to share it with you! I randomly saw berries in jars in some influencer's fridge and I thought it was just to make things look pretty, but in case it actually prolonged the life of berries, I decided to try it - and it really did!! Here's what it looks like in my fridge and what I do:

1. Grab a quart size jar and line the bottom with a square of cloth or paper towels (I just use the cut-up old t-shirts I use for everything in the kitchen).
2. Wash and remove the tops of the strawberries, adding them to the jar as you do. If some are more ripe than others, set them aside to add to the top of the jar.
3. Keep jar in the fridge and use as needed.

I'm sure you could use other containers, but I think the key is the bottom lining. I've had berries last a week with hardly any breakdown or mold. I've done this with blackberries and raspberries, too.

Try it out and let me know if you notice a difference in the life of your berries, too!

A Week Of June Dinners

You can find the full updated list of dinner ideas for June at the link in the blog section (where you can download a PDF version of the whole thing!), but here is a week I pulled using what we have on hand for next week:

• ​Mediterranean Pita Tuna Patties Board (Quick & Easy Meal Idea) (low carb? You can just use all the toppings to make a salad and place the patties on top.)
• ​Easy White Bean Salad with Shrimp or Chicken served on a bed of greens, grilled Easy Artisan Bread with Tomato Bruschetta Topping (if you have decent tomatoes - I still have a jar of canned bruschetta from last year I need to use up)
• Grilled chicken with Tex-Mex Spice Rub and Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Spicy Cumin Lime Coleslaw, grilled tortillas
• ​Creamy Pesto Pasta with cooked chicken, (I'll use leftover grilled chicken and a protein pasta), green salad with strawberries and Simple Strawberry Vinaigrette (I've been picking strawberries everyday!)
• Grilled sausages, Easy Grilled Vegetables, Grilled Potato Planks with Homemade Ketchup​

From The Blog

​Good Things List No.97​ Good things to do, buy, read, and watch: a trip through southwest England, packing and travel wins, book reviews (with 3 I DNF!) and more. READ IT HERE!

​JUNE Dinner Menus​ Four full weeks of June dinner menus including side dishes, real food recipes, and seasonal vegetables to make everyday cooking easy for the summer. RECIPES HERE!

A Few More Things

• Brian and I are listening to this 2023 biography of Corrie ten Boom who survived a notorious concentration camp in WWII and went on to give talks about how good God is while forgiving those who mistreated her. We had both read her classic autobiography, The Hiding Place, which of course is so good. But this author brings in a lot more going on around Corrie, in Holland, Germany, and other parts of the war that really bring home the conditions and what she and others were up against. I can't recommend this enough - be prepared to cry, rage, and be inspired to be a better person, loving God and others before self.
• I bought a black bra tank top (sturdier than a shelf-type top) from Uniqlo a few years ago and it's my favorite top for hot days AND it's what I always wear as my first layer for air travel. I was happy to see Uniqlo has a new set of bra tops for the season, and I bought two of these ribbed racerback tanks that I'm pretty sure will become my summer uniform (they are fitted, so I sized up).
• Brian and I saw the Nate Bargatze film, The Breadwinner, last week and we really enjoyed it! It was the kind of light, funny, and easy-to-watch movies (rated PG!) that used to be made more and I wish more people would go see it so Hollywood knows there really is a market for movies like this. 😃

I'm so glad you're here - I hope you have a wonderful week!

Know someone who'd appreciate this? Forward it along!

Remember it's easy to save recipes on An Oregon Cottage! Just click the heart when browsing to save your personal favorites! TIP: when you click on the link, it will take you to my site - click the heart like you see here to the left - it will be on the bottom right on the site. A pop up form will come up for you to create an account (or sign in if you already have). You need to create a password for this account (no info is kept besides your email) and then you can save all recipes and articles to this account and access it anytime to remember what you want and choose what to make!

*You can read An Oregon Cottage's full disclosure policy here.

Do you love these emails? To get an email whenever I post a new recipe or article, click here.