The Taste of Summer
The Midweek Conversation
Summer is officially in full swing. The season is beloved for its bounty of opportunities - the chance to take a break from homework and quotidian obligations, to take a walk unburdened by winter’s layers of clothing, to enjoy the outdoors embraced by the warm air, to cheer on the baseball team amidst the twilight, to take in the unfamiliar scenery of a road trip, to crack a beckoning book. But perhaps the “tastiest” hallmark of summer lies with the cornucopia of fresh food that seems to be everywhere you look. June, July, and August are adorned with barbecues, picnics, coolers rolled along the beach, and seasonal harvests.
Recently I took to Twitter to praise one of my perennial favorites for this time of year, the honeydew melon. And so, building off of that for today’s Midweek Conversation, we want to hear all about your favorite tastes of the season. What food marks the arrival of summertime for you and your friends and family?
Extra points for sharing a favored recipe.
Do you prefer something grilled, sweet, crunchy, hydrating? Local fare, a secret family mainstay, something you can only get in one place in the world? Maybe, perchance, a libation?
There is something very special about coming together to share a meal. Whether it be family, loved ones, neighbors, or friends, the communal act of breaking bread creates a bond and oftentimes lasting memories. Although we can’t eat together, we can connect and discuss food together. I can’t wait to read what tasty treats tickle your taste buds. Grab a virtual seat at the Steady table and share your thoughts with our digital community.
Thanks as always for adding your voice.
—Dan and Steady Team
Some ground rules for these Wednesday chats (and also the comments sections on other posts):
I want a space where people feel safe to express their views, as long as they are offered in good faith.
I want a space where ideas can be challenged, especially my own.
I want debate. But I want it to be civil.
I want people to come here with open minds, and open hearts.
I want this to be fun as well as serious.
We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity
by John Tobias
During that summer
When unicorns were still possible;
When the purpose of knees
Was to be skinned'
When shiny horse chestnuts
(hollowed out
Fitted with straws
Crammed with tobacco
Stolen from butts in family ashtrays)
Were puffed in green lizard silence
While straddling thick branches
Far above and away
From the softening effects of civilization;
During that summer—
Which may never have been at all;
But which has become more real
Than the one that was—
Watermelons ruled.
Thick pink imperial slices
Melting frigidly on sun-parched tongues
Dribbling from chins;
Leaving the best part,
The black bullet seeds,
To be spit out in rapid fire
Against the wall
Against the wind
Against each other;
And when the ammunition was spent,
There was always another bite:
It was a summer of limitless bites,
Of hungers quickly felt
And quickly forgotten
With the next careless gorging.
The bites are fewer now.
Each one is savored lingeringly,
Swallowed reluctantly.
But in a jar put up by Felicity,
The summer which never maybe was
Has been captured and preserved.
And when we unscrew the lid
And slice off a piece
And let it linger on our tongue:
Unicorns become possible again.
Homegrown peaches, fresh peach pie, homegrown tomatoes for BLTs or any other use. There's a saying around here in the Midwest: Nothing's so rare as true love and homegrown tomatoes.