Summer is the season for indulgence--indulgence of the healthy kind rather than the troublesome "holiday" indulgences of winter. The warm air causes us to gravitate outdoors for summer activities like camping and swimming, and the garden is firing off its bounty at a rapid clip. Summertime is rich with flavors and experiences, so, when planning this issue, I tried to uncover topics--some are old summer standbys like watermelon, and some perhaps unfamiliar like crafting homemade cider--to inspire you to embrace the season.

The heart of summer--July and August--signals to me not only a time for patriotic pride and outdoor fun, but the start of something more ethereal: heirloom tomato season! At this time I start nagging all of the farmer's market sellers about when their heirlooms will be available and I start gathering piles of recipes in earnest anticipation. When I was queried about doing an article on the Munak's heirloom tomato farm in Paso Robles, Calif., how could I say no? After sampling their scrumptious sausage, pineapple and green zebra tomatoes last fall, I now have a hard time even looking at supermarket varieties. Tito Morales' "Anatomy of a Tomato Farm" eloquently conveys the Munak's humble beginnings and comfortable place on the California farmers' market scene. Their passion and dedication to success--but not too much success--is simply textbook! If you've ever considered selling--rather than dumping on your neighbor's front steps--your excess produce, don't miss contributing editor Sue Weaver's "On the Road." She takes us through the steps of setting up shop roadside including pricing and marketing strategies, business licenses and permits, training staff members and collecting money. While "country" is a way of life for most hobby farmers, it is apparently a hot selling point for roadside shoppers. Start stuffing those scarecrows!

Ah, and how about a nice pond to cool yourself off in ... or fish in ... or grow things in ... or water your livestock with? There are so many things you could do with a farm pond, be sure to read Rick Gush's "Project Pond." His great ideas, details and the usual resources will help you get started overhauling that stagnant pond in the back pasture, or building a new one from scratch. And when the workday is done, who's not eager to support the cause? The cause of family farms that is. Farm Aid, the enormously popular annual concert founded and organized by recording artists Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, is just around the corner. Contributing editor Carol Ekarius spoke with Mellencamp in March about the origins of the concert and the reasons it still takes place today, 19 years later. Farm Aid supports many small farming organizations with cold, hard cash and, in the face of factory farms, has kept many families on the land as a result.

Enjoy the season's excesses and don't forget to indulge!