We are a productive group here in Hammock Inc. We're creative and darn smart, and we rarely get distracted. But as we sat in a meeting last week talking about editorial ideas for an upcoming publication, discussion turned to a couple of ice cream festivals in the area. And we started reminiscing about our favorite summertime foods…
All of my great aunts would work the whole day on their favorite flavor of homemade ice cream, and there would be at least four flavors to choose from for dinner in the backyard. If ice cream didn't float your boat, you could always fill your plate from another table full of fresh brownies, banana pudding and red velvet cake. This was a regular summertime dinner when I was growing up.
Megan P.: Peanut butter parfait ice cream from Handel's, a small creamery in Columbiana, Ohio, is hands-down my favorite summer treat. I used to eat that stuff by the pint when I was in high school… Now I practice a little more self-control. There used to be a rumor floating around town that Bill Cosby loved Handel's ice cream so much that they had to ship it to him by plane.
Carrie: What I love most about summer eating are all the fresh vegetables (tomatoes, okra, corn, peas, beans, squash. Yum!). Grilling combined with fresh veggies is very comforting to me.
Barbara M.: Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon! The only other summer fav that I no longer get is homemade ice cream. I have fond memories of ice and rock salt that Dad would put in the hand-cranked ice cream maker we had. Some friends of my parents would put cherries in their homemade ice cream. I loved the taste, but I would pick out the cherries. Mom always just made vanilla ice cream. It didn't need anything else.
Bill: Gin gimlets. Ounce of rose's lime juice, ounce of simple syrup (less if you want more tartness) 1.5-2 ounces of Beefeater or Gilbey's Gin (they are actually better with mid-range gin, so you get more of that flavor) in a shaker over ice. Shake briskly and strain into a frosted martini glass. Very refreshing. Two will put you on the passenger side of the car. Can also be made with vodka. Again, you are wasting money to use the high-end brands.
Barbara L.: My favorite childhood memory is eating sweet corn from Olivia, Minn., every August on my family vacation.
Anything and everything with tomatoes -- gazpacho, tomato tarts, tomato sandwiches. Yummy!
This summer I've starting canning in an attempt to preserve the flavors of the summer. So far I've canned tomatoes, blueberry jam and peach butter, which I'm looking forward to enjoying on some cold winter nights.
Emily: Good old-fashioned strawberry shortcake. At the beginning of summer every year, my family would trek to a strawberry patch just over the Tennessee/Alabama line and spend all day picking bucketfuls of strawberries, enough to completely fill the back of our station wagon. On the way home, we would buy a pint of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, and even though we were exhausted, we would find the energy for strawberry shortcake. My dad would whip up some homemade biscuits and top them with fresh strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. It was the best treat ever after a backbreaking day in the strawberry patch!
Megan G.: I guess I'd have to say hot dogs -- the only time I really eat them is when I can grill them outside. Also, corn on the cob seems to be a food I enjoy more in the summer, but I think that's because you're more likely to get good quality corn then. At least that's been my experience.
What about you? What's your favorite?
