Independent: Politically autonomous; self-governing; free from the influence, guidance or control of another or others.

Independence: The state or quality of being independent.

It’s important, occasionally, to remind ourselves why we’re celebrating one of our more important holidays of the year. The upcoming Independence Day, aka Fourth of July, was originally created to commemorate the official adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which followed the winning of this country’s freedom from the rule of Great Britain.

I wonder how many of the kids who are eagerly awaiting the fun, games and fireworks of the Fourth festivities have any idea why we’re celebrating, or what the Declaration of Independence actually represents. “A proclamation by the Second Continental Congress declaring the 13 American colonies politically independent from Great Britain, formally adopted July 4, 1776.”

We pretty much take it for granted now the hard-won independence this country enjoys, and cannot even imagine what it would be like to be under the control of another world power. We’ve gone to war more than once to ensure that freedom continues, and even as we celebrate our independence on Monday, we’re sending thousands of troops and trillions of dollars to other countries who are, we’re told, fighting for the same independence from oppressive rule.

Come Monday, parades will fill streets in virtually every city and small town of this land; American flags of every size will fly overhead and wave from hands large and small and of all colors. Veterans, young and old, will snap a smart salute as the flags pass by; politicians and dignitaries will smile and wave from convertibles. The blare of brass bands will have our feet tapping; long-winded speeches will have our eyelids drooping.

Barbecue grills full of hot dogs, hamburgers and ribs will fill the air with the aroma of Fourth of July, and loaded picnic tables will become the main attraction until it’s time for the big event of the day, the fireworks. Sure, I know some displays will happen on the Third, and for days before the Fourth, the sound of firecrackers will be everywhere. But whether you watch it from a blanket under the stars or on television, the Fourth of July spectacular finale is always breathtaking.

Independence, (my definition): A quality never to be taken for granted, greatly to be treasured and always to be celebrated.

RECIPES

No Fourth of July picnic table will be without at least two or three salads; this year make sure one of them is this burst of color and taste, Skyrocket Salad.

SKYROCKET SALAD

1 to ½ lb. snow peas, trimmed and strings discarded

2 each large red bell peppers and yellow bell peppers, cut into 1½-inch julienne strips

2 cups peeled jicama, cut into 1½-inch julienne strips

3-4 T. fresh lemon juice

3-4 t. grated peeled fresh ginger root, (or to taste)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ cup quality olive oil (perhaps a bit more, to taste)

In a pan of boiling water, blanch the peas for 15 seconds, drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking and keep them crisp. Drain well and cut them diagonally into thin slices. In a large bowl, toss the snow peas with the bell peppers and jicama strips.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, ginger root and salt and pepper to taste. Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking, and continue whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Pour over the salad and toss well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves about 8-10.

As long as we’re on the subject of picnic salads, here’s a kicked-up version of coleslaw that may have you abandoning the old fashioned bowl of slaw your mother always made.

SPICY SLAW

3 large red bell peppers, cut into matchstick strips

2 jalapeno chilies, minced

2/3 cup olive oil

½ cup red wine vinegar

3 T. sugar

12 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

Toss peppers and chilies in a large salad bowl.

In a small saucepan over med. heat, bring oil, vinegar and sugar just to a boil, stirring often. Pour over the peppers and toss to coat. Allow mix to cool, then add cabbage and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

A pitcher of cold lemonade for the Fourth of July picnic? Of course. But how about another pitcher of lemonade with a special summertime twist, blackberries.

BLACKBERRY LEMONADE

1½ pints fresh blackberries (or a 1 lb. pkg. frozen unsweetened blackberries, thawed)

12 cups sparkling water

2 containers (12 oz. each) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

3 T. sugar (or use Blue Agave sweetener, or sweetener of choice)

Lemon slices and mint sprigs, for garnish

Puree the berries in a food processor then strain through a sieve, pressing on solids to extract puree. Transfer to a large pitcher. Add sparkling water, lemonade concentrate and sugar or sweetener. Taste, adjust sweetener to taste. Cover and chill until very cold. Serve over ice garnished with lemon and mint.

Has there ever been a Fourth of July picnic table without a pot of baked beans? I think not, but again, how about kicking those beans up a bit for a change.

BAKED BEANS, HOT AND SMOKY

4 cups dried Great Northern white beans, picked over

1 smoked ham hock

3½ t. salt

2 cups finely chopped onion

3, or to taste, minced garlic cloves

1¼ to 1½ cups purchased tomato based barbecue sauce (your preference)

1 bottle (12 oz.) hot salsa (tomato based, not green)

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup unsulfured molasses

Place beans in a heavy large Dutch oven. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over med.-high heat. Remove from heat and let beans stand, covered, 1 hr. (This is a quick-soak method, eliminating soaking beans overnight.)

Drain beans; return to same pot and cover generously with cold water. Add ham hock and bring to a boil over med.-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer beans and hock 20 min. Add 2 t. of the salt and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about

20 min. longer. Remove ham hock and reserve. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack in center. In the same large pot, combine cooked beans, about 1½ to 2 cups of the reserved liquid, onion, garlic, barbecue sauce, salsa, brown sugar, mustard, molasses and remaining salt. Push the ham hock into the center of the bean mixture, cover pot and bake the bean mixture for 1 hr. Uncover and bake until bean mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally, about 40 min. longer. Remove ham hock and discard. Serve beans, or cover and refrigerate until shortly before ready to serve; rewarm over low heat, stirring frequently.