Slow Summer Living Starts Now
After an afternoon floating in the river, my shoulders are now a few shades darker. Unlike winter, when my shoulders are often carefully covered with wool sweaters and down jackets, this time of year, they happily greet the bright sunshine. By the end of the season, they’ll be a rich shade of brown and showcase an array of stripes from various sundresses and swimsuits. Tan lines are a welcome treat — a physical reminder of a glorious summer.
Instead of the word sunbathing, Italians use the phrase “prendare il sole”. The translation is “to take the sun,” and it’s one of my favorite phrases yet. As my hair lightens and skin tans, I now think of it like a solar-charge… my body taking the energy from the sun with me throughout the season.
I think we all have an idea in our minds of what summer should be. How it should feel on our skin, how it should sound, how it should taste.
Perhaps this lingers from childhood summers spent running through sprinklers and biking through the neighborhoods — or perhaps these ideals simply live in our imaginations. Regardless, it’s sun-drenched and breezy, filled with warm skin, slow moments, and bites to savor.
But summer can easily become jammed full of trips, catching up on housework, and tackling overdue projects. We blink and it’s over — and all the summer moments we had longed for along with it.
What would it look like to catch those moments, like fireflies in a jar?
To say no to travel in order to enjoy the view of your own backyard with a cocktail and a good book? To take an extra trip to the farmers market and get those heirloom tomatoes you keep seeing recipes for? To skip the restaurant and have your friends over for a glorious outdoor meal, just because you can?
This summer, you’re invited to savor your summer with me.
From fresh summer vegetables and refreshing cocktails to making the perfect conversation piece for a dinner party, I’ve got big plans to savor my summer at home, one delicious moment at a time.
We’re starting the summer by making food that can be taken to go, so that there’s something to look forward to on the trail, at the beach, or alongside the lake. Food-on-the-go doesn’t have to mean a summer of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (though those certainly have a place). June in my Cooking Community is full of fresh, packable recipes and easy-to-follow cooking videos.
Then later this summer, we’ll keep making fantastic food that’s meant to highlight the season at hand. July’s “Summer on the Med” and August’s “Summer Show Platters” are just right for slow, sun-soaked days spent nibbling and sipping.
If you’ve been thinking about joining my community, now’s a lovely time.
My family got a start on savoring our own summer this last week, as my sister Tye and I headed down to the shores of the river that we grew up on. The Columbia River is never not cold, but even that couldn’t stop us from walking the creek beds, watching the kids wade in the shallows, and catching up on life from our comfortable armchairs while our feet dipped in the cool water.
Besides our first swim in the river, the hallmark of summer begins with the making of our once-a-year elderflower fritters. Though these bushes that grow wild all over our country are normally appreciated for their clusters of rich, purple berries in the fall, summer welcomes clusters of flowers. The flowers are dipped in the thinnest breading before a quick little dunk in some hot oil. I’ll show you how I make mine in the video (with some foraged strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar for a bit of seasonal decadence).
I look forward to savoring the season ahead with you — sweet, sweet summertime.
P.S. I’ve also gathered some of my favorite items that make each summer moment that much more joyful. Shop the Summer Collection at Limone!