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Rain or Shine Ice Cream in Vancouver makes a honey lavendar ice cream.

It's summertime and the snacking is easy. Or maybe it's not. Maybe you're tired of alternating potato chips with a handful of almonds, and need a little guidance on how to spice up your snack life. Here are five snacks to add to the mid-meal menu this summer.

The snack: Jerky

The setting: Outdoors, whether the beach, on a picnic or during a hike

Jerky has typically gotten a bad rep. It's synonymous with gas station junk food, where it's found loaded with preservatives and artificial flavours in convenient, individual shrink-wrapped packaging. In the past few years, however, jerky has gone through a bit of a renaissance. Ingredient lists are getting smaller and more natural as butchers experiment with interesting flavour combinations and expanding meat offerings beyond the traditional beef. Today's jerky is a portable, healthy, high-protein snack to fuel long days outdoors. Recommended: Krave's black cherry barbecue pork jerky or Lorissa's Kitchen's ginger teriyaki chicken jerky (both can be ordered online).

The snack: Barbecued fruit

The setting: A casual backyard or cottage hang

Fruit has always been highly snackable. It's easy to prepare (if you need to prepare it at all), easy to transport and incredibly versatile. But have you tried it grilled? A quick turn on the barbecue caramelizes the fruit's natural sugars into a crispy, warm coating that complements a variety of flavours. A grilled fruit kebab is a wonderful alternative to a fruit salad, and guests and kids can have fun assembling their own. Ice cream over a grilled peach or plum makes for a delightful twist on that classic summer snack. Or keep it simple and throw a slice of watermelon (with or without a little balsamic vinegar) on the barbecue. Pro tip: A touch of olive oil will keep your fruit from sticking to the grill.

The snack: Fancy popcorn

The setting: The open road

Popcorn flavours have come a long way since the days when you picked up a packet of powdered white cheddar or dill pickle seasoning at the video store along with your rental. Handcrafted, gourmet retailers are popping up (pun intended) everywhere: The Toronto Popcorn Company boasts a flavour palette with options such as peanut butter, strawberry milkshake and steak barbecue. But the real advantage here are the endless do-it-yourself possibilities. Switch up the oils you pop your kernels in (try coconut oil, seriously) and add as many other treats and flavours you can think of (garlic butter, Parmesan, fresh herbs, chili powder, nuts, seeds, chocolate, candy, the list goes on and on). Experiment with your next batch, then store in an airtight container for road-trip snacking.

The snack: Floral-flavoured frozen treats

The setting: Under the blazing sun

Chances are you will find yourself waiting in line for ice cream at some point this summer: Keep an eye on the freezer for options that have flowers as an ingredient. Ice cream parlours have been moving toward more fresh and natural ingredients for a while now, and a few are testing out floral options such as violets, hibiscus and rose petals in their scoops. Vancouver's Rain or Shine Ice Cream, for example, has a honey lavender ice cream, a sophisticated take on a summertime favourite.

The snack: DIY S'mores bar

The setting: A busy wedding or family reunion

Summer is a time of celebration and you likely have a wedding or big family gathering on the calendar. Snack bars have become a must-have addition to the summer event menu. Pinterest is full of theme ideas, but I suggest centring it on that quintessential camping snack: s'mores. With luck, your outdoor venue has room for a fire pit, but if not, improvise with smaller gas- or propane-fuelled flames. Stock up on different types of chocolate and marshmallows, display some fruit and kebab skewers beside the graham crackers and you will have very happy guests.

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