Well, darlin's the sun is a-shinin' mighty fine here an' I kin see it's time fer yee-hawin' an' hoot nannyin'. An' I kin tell ya true, it shure feels good ta see summertime an' all them nice veggies the garden grows. Why my tomater plants is up ta my nose already an' I'm seein' them nice l'il blossoms that means tomaters is a-comin' soon.

Fer the meantime, I russled up some fresh fixin's that's purfect fer them summertime potluck parties or jes plain ole good eatin'. This here nice salad's light in the belly an' not such heavy eatin' like we do when it's bone chillin' outside.

I cooked up some nice pearl barley that goes such a long way an' don't cost a heap. It's one o' my favrite grains 'cause I jes loves the way it tastes an' it give me some good chewin' exercise too. If'n yer wonderin' did I lose my marbles goin' on so much 'bout barley--well, darlin' jes don't git yer knickers in a knot. That barley is darned good fer ya 'cause it's gonna give y'all plenty o' fiber. Did y'all know that one cup 'o cooked barley has 6 grams o' fiber in it? That's plenty ta crow 'bout! An' barley even has vitamin K! Now, did y'all know that? I learnt 'bout that today an' now I wannna tell everbody.

Now, all's ya do is git yer salad started with a cup o' barley an' cook that up. Then cook up some green beans or use yer leftovers. Once the barley is cool, why jes put all them nice fresh veggies together in a big bowl with the barley an' you got somethin' you kin bust yer buttons 'bout.

Nice thing is it's not gonna take all day ta git yer fixin's together an' it don't take no speshul pots 'n pans neither. You don't even have ta cook the corn 'cause it tastes mighty good jes plain raw.

'Nother thing I'm gonna tell ya 'bout is this nice salad is gonna keep ya fit as a fiddle an' won't make ya fat. It's got no oil in it. Oil jes plain adds calories an' don give ya much o' anythin' else. You won't miss that oil ''cause them fixin's is mighty good tastin'.

I surely hope y'all enjoy this salad--it's purty good eats, if'n I say do so myself.

Yer ever lovin' Aunt Nettie

BET-YER-BOOTS BARLEY SALAD

Yield: about 6 servings

3 cups (720 ml) water
1 cup (240 ml) barley
1 teaspoon salt

Kernels cut from 4 ears of raw or cooked corn
1/2 pound (225g) chopped, cooked green beans
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 bunch fresh mint, minced
1/2 cup (120 ml) finely chopped fresh parsley
Zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the water, barley, and salt in a 3-quart (3-liter) saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and steam for 50 to 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and allow the barley to cool.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled barley, and mix well.

Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.