Good morning and welcome to Biscotti and Bracelets.
As you know I was born and raised in the South. Except for six months that my husband and I lived in Alabama, I have lived in Florida my whole life. There is a reason we are called the Sunshine State. Florida's heat and humidity is brutal. On the upside though our Winters are lovely. Winter in Florida is cool and comfortable.
That being said the heat and humidity is something I still have not gotten used to and I don't think I ever will. It is currently the first week of June and the heat index is between 100 - 107 degrees everyday.
We do not have air conditioning so we use the same tricks our parents and grandparents used to keep cool.
- Box Fans
We always have our windows open. I love having fresh air coming into the house. We place box fans in all of our windows. The bedrooms have extra wide windows so we are able to place the fans in each bedroom window. The living room has the same type of windows as the bedrooms and each living room window also has two fans per window. Our kitchen has two windows directly across from each other and I place one fan in each window. The kitchen is actually the coolest room in the house. This works great for me because I spend most of my time in the kitchen.
When using box fans in the windows it's important to have a thick valance over the top of the window to block out the sun. Just make sure it's not blocking the fan.
- Frozen Wash Rags
Yep, you read that right. In the morning run cold water over wash rags. I typically do two rags for every person in the house. Once wet fold the rags and place each one in a Ziploc bag. Place in the freezer. During the hottest time of day take and place frozen rag across the back of your neck to cool down.
- Front Porches
Front Porches are an absolute must in the South. A house isn't complete without a front porch. Having a covered area set up outside with comfortable furniture and plants so you can rest in the shade is very important. It's also a great place to kick back and sip on sweet tea and lemonade and get together with neighbors for a while.
- Crushed Ice
You will need a big insulated cup to use. Before you worry about not having a fancy machine that crushes ice, don't worry about it. All you need is a bag of ice and a hammer. Use the hammer to bust the ice up really well. Add crushed ice to insulated cup and eat ice all day to help keep you cool.
- Last but not least Stay Hydrated I can not emphasize this enough. The humidity in the South is brutal. Drink plenty of water, Gatorade, tea, just stay hydrated.
Enjoy the South