BUY IT
-- Four District designers have cleaned out their closets and pooled their treasures for Capital Consignment's Designer Cast-off Sale (through July 31) at 4909 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-986-1414. Co-owner Judith Carrig is expecting 208 pieces from these designers, whose names she won't divulge, to arrive over the course of July. Shoppers can find beds, sectionals, tables and mirrors from Baker, Century, Henredon, Kittinger, Nancy Corzine and Niermann Weeks at the three-year-old store that specializes in previously owned high-end furnishings. Sale merchandise will be marked an additional 10 percent off the traditional one-third-off-retail discount.

-- For the rest of the summer, Sparrows Antiques (4115 Howard Ave., Kensington, 301-530-0175), which specializes in French antiques, is discounting furniture, lighting and accessories from 25 to 40 percent. The sale ends when all clearance items are sold.

-- Urban Country's annual warehouse sale starts today, July 9, and ends Sunday. Shoppers can save up to 70 percent off floor samples, overstocked and discounted items, including upholstered chairs, armoires, beds, entertainment centers and home accessories that fill the 10,000-square-foot warehouse. A Ploi dining table with a suggested retail price of $4,752 is marked down to $2,851, and a leather sofa from Old Hickory Tannery will be discounted from $6,010 to $1,688. "We're trying to clear out some older merchandise," co-owner Jillian Roth says. The warehouse is located at 7801 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda. For more information, call 301-654-0500.

–Kat Hom

• Design Q&A

EAT IT
Just because the Fourth of July is over doesn't mean you have to foreswear a red, blue and white menu, especially for some summer party desserts.

Kim dug up a bunch of red, white and blue sweet endings from the recipe vault that kick chocolate to the curb. Taste the possibilities:

In the buckle department, we've got blueberry and rhubarb with candied ginger rockin' the ramparts.

You can never go wrong with cobbler; my favorite version gets topped with cream biscuits, which are a breeze to make by hand (seriously, no machinery required).

Not quite a cake or a pudding but a delightful platform for cherries is clafoutis, a homey French treat baked in a cast-iron skillet. You also get to run around talking about your cla-foo-tee.

But if it's cake that you must have, how about a one-layer upside down cake? Over the years, I've become fond of the rhubarb-strawberry combo, but there's no reason to stop the creative juices from getting into the cake batter. Ooh. What about plums and blackberries?

– Kim O'Donnel

• A Mighty Appetite: Kim O'Donnel's Cooking Advice
• Food Section Recipe Finder

GROW IT
Tip of the Week

Watch for striped or spotted black and yellow cucumber beetles on young cucumber and cantaloupe vines. The beetles transmit a bacterial disease that can cause sudden wilting as the vines reach their peak in a few weeks. Use an organic pesticide labeled for cucumber beetles, hand pick them or exclude them using a floating row cover. Remove the cover when the vines bloom to allow pollination.

• Read Adrian Higgins's Latest Blog Post
• All About Vegetable Gardens