Mike AdamickThis is the summer of trees.

Any tree. Every tree.

My daughter and I were at the park the other day, and suddenly she freezes. Her eyes go big. She whispers, "Oh, I can climb that one."

Her voice is misty and dreamlike, and her face is turned upward, sort of the way I act when I see a cupcake stand.

Related: 20 places my kids have to visit before they grow up

I follow her gaze. It's an oak tree. It must have been planted during the Jackson Administration. It towers over us, its boughs rough and gnarled and calling to her in a way only kids can hear.

Climb! Climb me!

If I'm kicking around the house, maybe making dinner or tidying up, and I realize I haven't heard the kid in a couple minutes and can't find her anywhere, I know just where to look.

We have a fig tree in our back yard. It is only about 15 or so feet high, and its limbs are too saggy and fragile to climb very high. The fruit it produces each year is somehow rotten with sweetness and yet never ripe.

One year, I think,

A delicious activity for the whole familyWant to live out your Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory fantasies? Turns out you can! Inspired by the 1971 musical, The Daily Meal checked out all of the delicious ways to learn about food production. From jelly beans to potato chips, there are food factory tours and tastings to satisfy any craving-so beat the heat indoors at one of these fun food factory tours or events.



Click to see the Top Food Factory Tours in America

Factory tours offer a fresh, creative way to keep the family busy, especially on a tight budget, as several of the tours are completely free. No, you won't be able to run around and gnaw on two-foot gummy bears, sip from a chocolate river, or score an Everlasting Gobstopper. That said, many of the tours include munchies like chocolate, cheese, and potato chips. It may not be the healthiest activity, but it will certainly be a memorable one.

Check out these 10 Fast-Foods to Eat Before You Die

Aside from the tasty bites, the food factory tours and tastings share

A look at the most innovative food trucks out thereWith food truck fever continuing to sweep the nation there are now trendy mobile eateries that serve everything from cupcakes to sushi to on-the-go consumers. Yet for every run-of-the-mill Korean taco truck and sandwich stand there are a handful of mobile food ventures that are pushing the envelope with new and innovative dining concepts.

Click here to see The Coolest Food Trucks Ever

Throngs of restaurants do their best to serve locally sourced ingredients and support local food artisans, but Lulu's Local Eatery takes the concept a step further by using herbs and fruits harvested on the roof of their food truck. And the Roving Mammoth in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. is constructed on top of a Snowcat so that it can offer slope-side burritos to skiers even under the harshest conditions.

Check out these 8 Ice Pop Flavors You Didn't Know Existed

Ever imagine ordering a brick-oven pizza from a truck? The pizzaiolos behind Del Popolo in San Francisco created one of the first mobile pizza ovens

Photos: Selma Dakota, Extreme Images; Jonathan Chester, Extreme Images; Ardie A. Davis

by Ardie A. Davis and Paul Kirk, Epicurious.com

The humble rib, a delicacy since man discovered fire, is one of America's favorite things to eat. But the vast majority of the time we feast on ribs at roadside rib shacks and barbecue joints rather than make them at home. If you've never grilled or smoked ribs on your own and don't know where to start, or even if you know a lot, listen up. We've run and competed in hundreds of rib contests, and there's always more to learn. In this basic primer we'll share our secrets to shopping for, prepping, and grilling or smoking ribs, plus provide recipes from our new book, America's Best Ribs. But, before we jump into the details, here are 10 dos and don'ts for mastering ribs.

See also: Healthy Comfort Food Recipes for Any Day

Ardie A. Davis and Paul Kirk's Rib Commandments

1. Fresh First, Frozen Second: There is no doubt that fresh meat is best, but frozen ribs can be delicious, too; if using frozen meat, always thaw before cooking.

2. Avoid

Summer is a time for fun outdoors. Unfortunately a day at the beach or pool is also full of potential safety hazards. Bright suits, whistles, and SPF are just a few of the essentials for keeping your kids safe this summer. Safety can be a notsofun word for kids, so we're keeping things fun around here. Check out these must-haves for a safe and happy summer.

- By Rachel Faucett

Follow Rachel on Babble

For even more tools to keep your kids safe this summer, visit Babble!

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By Woman's Day Staff

family walking outdoors

Hello, summer! To make the most of it, read our best advice from over the years for every sunshiny-day activity, from backyard cookouts to fun getaways. Photo credit: Thinkstock

1 | Simplify the menu. Try to make everything ahead so you have only one last-minute food to prepare, in addition to grilling. July 1991 Photo credit: iStock

2 | Charcoal is ready for cooking when it's covered with white ash. September 1979

3 | Space food evenly on the grill and two to three fingers' width apart. About a quarter of the grill should be left empty, so you have room to move food away from any flare-ups. June 2011

4 | Find and remove all standing water. A few flowerpot saucers can produce enough mosquitoes for the whole neighborhood. July 2010

5 | Barbecued foods are messy; balancing plates and glasses is hard. Make sure every guest has a seat at a table. July 1991

6 | Figure a little more than a pound of meat

Summer is upon us and it brings a bounty of wonderful delicious fruit and berries. They are full of flavor, juice, and vitamins. This smoothie will refresh you.

What you will need:
2 cups of freshly frozen berries (use strawberries, sliced peaches or nectarines, blueberries, bananas, rasberries, pitted cherries in any flavor combination that you want). If you usually don't freeze your own fruit/berries, buy a bag what you like or freeze a batch a night before. One regular sized store bought bag is usually 2 cups of fruit.
1 cup of Vanilla Soy Milk (you can use Very Vanilla Soy Milk or any other milk that you prefer, like Almond, Hemp, Oat, or use a regular milk)
If using regular milk, add a quarter to a half of teaspoon of vanilla extract for a warm welcoming flavor
Blend to perfection and sip or spoon away!

If you prefer exotic, I suggest that you add a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh basil and a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh mint when you blend. It will add a depth of

Turn an ordinary tomato into a garden!













By Jordan Laio, Networx

If you've ever kept a compost pile, then most likely you've seen some volunteer squash or tomatoes growing out of it at some point and thought to yourself, "How did that grow there? I didn't plant it." Well, the nature of seeds is to grow, and of course many of the fruits and vegetables we buy from the store have viable seeds which are waiting to grow. The compost pile usually presents ideal conditions. As does your garden (hint hint).

So why not plant your favorite veggies from the grocery store? After all, there's no magical distinction between, for instance, the beans in the bulk bins at your local natural foods store and the beans sold in seed packs.

However, not all grocery store food is created equal and there are some seeds which will not bear fruit, but many that will. Like with all seed-saving, it's important to use non-hybridized varieties. Hybridized means the seeds were produced in such a way that their first generation will bear fruit, but