(A longer article on summertime food ideas is here.)

During the hot summer months, folks enjoy barbecuing on backyard grills, having leisurely picnics at the beach, or even putting up fresh produce to use later.

If you're interested in a site that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about barbecuing and grilling out, Barbecue'n on the Internet is it. You'll find detailed descriptions of the different grills, such as wood and water smokers, and wood and gas grills. You'll learn about the cuts and tenderness of meats, grilling tips, and types of wood. There's even a complete listing of recommended temperatures for your outdoor cooking.

Barbecue recipes, plus Pancetta the hostess pig, can be found at the Backyard Barbecue Buff. The site includes recipes for Crazy Chicken and Finishing Sauce for Ribs. You'll also find hints for barbecuing pork shoulder and pork ribs.

For summer food safety hints, A Barbecue Handbookwill instruct you on how to purchase and transport the foods from the grocery store to marinating and grilling them outdoors.

The Best from the Farmer's Market, 27 Great Summer Recipes, features recipes for fresh fruit and vegetables, such as Puff-Pastry Fruit Tarts and Grilled Sweet Corn.

No doubt about it, homemade ice cream is a must at your summer gatherings. The Ice Cream page features recipes such as Marshmallow Vanilla, Strawberry, or Chocolate Banana.

What could be better than a big, juicy, mouth-watering apple? Not much. At the Apple Recipes site, you'll not only discover delicious sounding recipes such as Apple Crunch and Fingerapple Pie, but you'll also find some tips on storing apples.

This one has got to be my favorite: The too busy to cook, I'm surfin' the Net Page. How do cool, summer recipes like Crab and Cream Cheese Spread or Poppy Seed Dressing sound? You'll find Five a Day From Dole recipes for fruits and vegetables and The Kid's Fun Cookbook.

Do you enjoy the pleasure of growing your own food? Preserving Food Safelyoffers detailed instructions on the canning, freezing, and drying of food.

So Easy to Preserve, Freezing contains detailed directions on freezing fruit. You'll learn how to freeze almost any type of fresh fruit, such as sour cherries in a syrup or sugar pack.

Next week, let's look for some pet sites.

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

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