In Transition Meal: Tomatoes, Figs & Salute to Summer
I’m not going to allow September to leave me so quickly. August slipped through my hands like a silent kiss in the night and before I knew it, everyone was bidding Summer adieu.
Admist our hectic August calendar and new studio build out, my wandering brain didn’t fully register that we touched into September. Waking up over the last few mornings I sensed a change at dawn’s rising. The air greeted me with a slightly cooler breath. I grabbed a sweater. The stone garden pathways were chilly against my toes. I slipped on my garden sneakers.
garden black zebra heirloom tomatoes & strawberry figs
At that moment, the realization that September had arrived finally hit me. I stood underneath our pomegranate tree, staring at the dangling red globes of fruit and sensed that Fall was in sneaking quietly behind me, making me un-aware that Summer never really said it’s formal goodbyes.
But I’m not feeling lost that Summer is over. I refuse to let Summer leave me completely.
This is a transition period now and that’s what I’ll refer to this moment as. I’m not fully ready to embrace Fall’s arrival, nor am I going to succomb to packing up my Summer tank tops and white shoes. Although regardless of the season, I’m guilty of fashion faux pas by wearing white shoes year round. I believe in white shoes.
Our garden is equally in transition right now. The last of the sweet heirloom tomatoes remain sweetened on the vines. Nectar sweet strawberry figs are dropping like honey bombs for the birds to feast on. And finally, Fall’s pomegranates are becoming more beautiful by the day with their deep red hues reminiscent of Autumn colors.
This meal is our transition meal and embraces everything amazing at the end of one warm glorious season to the beginning of a new, rich Autumn. Thick slices of sweet heirloom tomatoes, sticky sweet figs, thin slices of fatty charcuterie and a few snowfalls of sea salt make a wonderful transition meal. It’s a meal full of flavors, textures and meaning.
Often times when we look at our platter, there’s plenty of stories that can be told with each ingredient. What we eat should nourish us with a bit of history, emotion and story. For us, this transition meal is one of them.
Hope you all had a wonderful Summer.
I’m still embracing Summer for a bit while longer while reaching out to welcome Fall.
– Diane
The thought of any of those gorgeous figs going to the birds is heartbreaking… I know, they have to eat too. I’d love to be one of them! Oh, to have so many of these gems that some go unpicked.
We are feeling the early tell-tale symptoms of Fall here on the San Francisco Peninsula – much nicer than right in San Francisco where it’s really chilly and foggy – cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon – cool at night. I dread the end of Day-Light Savings Time….
Truly, I think these photos are some of the best you’ve posted – maybe it’s because the subjects, heirloom tomatoes, luscious figs and salami make my heart go thump, thump…
How wonderful to receive your “summer’s ending thoughts” and gorgeous picture to boot.
My Father passed away a few years ago and in his memory we took a cutting from his favorite fig tree, a Massive Black Mission, and planted it here in Corona del Mar. I’m smiling as I write this note, becuz, my father, a Type-II diabetic, was told by his doctor to limit his summer-time intake of his garden’s fruit.
Accordingly, to his doctor, he professed complete compliance, however to us, his family, we could always find him, in August and September’s afternoons, tucked under the canopy of “his” shade producing fig tree enjoying the bounty of that year’s crop…and what bountiful crops he always enjoyed there in Goleta.
This summer, just last week, was the first summer “his” tree’s cutting presented us with incredibly sweet and succulent fruit…and, until I rec’d your latest email I hadn’t quite tied it all together.
Sincerely,
Thank you for bringing back a family smile-producing-memory,
Jock
What a lovely story about the coming of fall. I’m thrilled that fall is upon our doorstep right now. It’s my favorite time of year, brisk air, smells of pies baking and stoves brewing up all sorts of goodies. There isn’t a better time of year in my opinion.
Your photos are beautiful. How fantasitc to have a pomegrante tree in your backyard.
I’ve never seen more beautiful figs. Like luscious capsules of jam.
Living in Savannah, GA, I am so ready for some cool weather. Your beautiful images of figs and tomatoes are so refreshing.
figs figs figs! i just posted a cute fig drawing on my facebook wall:
http://www.facebook.com/theactorsdiet
Oh..how fresh the Figs look..love figs, but all I get here are bruised and overripe fruits 🙁
Sniffle. I”m having a hard time admitting I let August slip away, but I’ll enjoy the next few weeks and get out as much as possible, harvesting tomatoes until they just won’t produce anymore. Enjoy September, Diane!
These photographs are poetry. Seriously. They are so lovely, my heart is in my throat.
I wish I lived someplace where I could have a garden.
One step off my sidewalk and I am covered in chiggers, ticks, poison ivy and itchy red bumps, all summer long. The soil is clay and rocky. We have no sunshine if I DID build above ground beds. Too many trees. Between the rattlesnakes and the copperheads and the cottonmouths, I’m afraid of my own yard.
Sad, ain’t it?
😀
Good lord, where do you live??? Makes me feel so spoiled…
Is Summer over? We haven’t had summer weather to speak of this year. Keep waiting for warm weather here in Marin county. Mostly temps in low 70s all “summer.” Now, the calendar says it’s September. whew. I’m sure in SF they must have had the coldest “summer” in a long time. They get so much fog. Well, it’s better than the very hot weather others get. I’m not complaining.
This makes me want to eat figs. Beautiful photos.
beautiful figs!
it’s funny that while we are feeling the chill of winter in the evenings here (Portland), we are just getting some warm temperatures in our days! we were in the pool today, and our September is usually really nice. I am looking forward to scarves, sweaters and boots, though!
After a long, cold, rainy summer the sun is finally shining here. Even though the leaves are yellow, I too will still pretend it is summer for at least one more day. Our neighbors are having a BBQ tonight and I am bringing homemade limoncello as it was never warm enough to enjoy it this summer. If I had white shoes I would wear them!
What a lovely way to see out summer – with a collection of summer produce. In Australia we have just entered Spring and I can’t wait for summer and the food it brings! Oh and those figs look amazing! That red…
I think Averie and I are your biggest fans! When your blog shows up at the top, I can’t wait to pop over and feast my eyes on your beautiful photography and styling. Perfect combination of late summer flavors. I wish I could pluck one of those figs right off of the screen.
I believe in flipflops year round. Not white, but definitely rockin’ the Rainbow flips 365 🙂
It’s been chilly-ish here in San Diego in the evenings, too. I can feel fall on the way. And I don’t like it. I just blogged yesterday that I wish it was watermelon season and summer…all year!
Enjoy this transition season & your white shoes!