If you’re like me, your kitchen begins to look a little different by August. Maybe it’s just a handful of sun-ripened tomatoes and a tender summer squash, or perhaps bowls of colorful produce have taken over your counter, refrigerator shelves and crisper. Living here in the Midwest, we have this remarkable yet somewhat brief window when many gardens, farmers markets and produce aisles are overflowing with fresh, local foods. I often find myself pausing for a moment of gratitude and appreciation for the abundance of the season.
Here’s one of my favorite “non-recipes,” a simple approach to a nutritious, delicious dish that combines squash, tomatoes, garlic, onions or shallots, and fresh herbs. Use tender, small-diameter green, yellow or striped zucchini or an Italian heirloom variety summer squash. Red or cherry tomatoes will work, but yellow tomatoes take the dish to the next level. An heirloom Gold Medal or Yellow Brandywine variety is perfect, especially when they are at their peak of ripeness.
Slice the squash into evenly sized coins, cut the tomatoes into a small dice, have the garlic and shallots ready to go, get the olive oil warming in the pan and start the pasta water boiling. Once the fragrant garlic and shallots hit the olive oil, everything comes together quickly.
I let the squash soften for just a few minutes before adding the tomatoes and then covering the pan. Then the magic happens as the diced tomatoes soften and melt into the squash without becoming a sauce. Spoon it over al dente linguine, add a sprinkle of aged Parmesan or Asiago and chopped fresh basil, and serve. It may just be one of the most delectable summer meals you’ll have all season, whether the ingredients come from your own yard or community garden, the farmers market, a CSA or co-op, the grocery store or a neighbor with an abundance of produce. Perfect. Call it dinner.
Toss-together recipes like this one are the foundation for summer suppers. In many ways, healthy foundations are built the same way—not through complicated plans or perfect formulas, but through the everyday choices we make for ourselves and the people we care about. Sometimes it’s the willingness to try an unfamiliar vegetable, prepare a new dish without following a recipe or the mindfulness to simply savor the flavors of the season. These small choices have a way of growing into lifelong habits.
You’ll find that same thread throughout this month’s issue. Our feature story, “Raising Healthy Humans: A Holistic Approach to Pediatric Care,” explores how integrative approaches can help children thrive from the very beginning of life. And from Bob Benenson’s look at why buying local matters and Sheryl DeVore’s exploration of protecting Illinois wetlands from invasive plant species to fresh seasonal recipes and the simple pleasures of August’s harvest, these pages celebrate the everyday choices that strengthen our health, support our communities and help us make the most of this delicious season.
As always, I encourage you to step outdoors every day, reconnect with the natural world and take an active part in our Midwest August. Listen to the cicadas as their songs crescendo in the trees, watch as the floral colors transition to shades of yellow and purple, notice the warmth of a ripe tomato in your hands as you pick it from the garden, and spot goldfinches and chickadees flitting through the tall native flowers. Look for the Perseid meteor showers on a clear night and the full Sturgeon Moon as it rises. These are the moments we carry with us long after summer has passed.
August is here. Come sit at the table for a while.
