Of course I’m sad we’re halfway through July.
July should be longer than every other month.
I’m the person who always lingers.
The last one at the dinner table.
The one who’s bad at goodbyes.
The one trying to hold onto every perfect summer evening.
Every year around this time, I start mourning August before July is even over.
But through my weekly writing, I’ve realized something.
Trying to preserve summer isn’t the same thing as experiencing it.
Every summer, people ask how to preserve tomatoes.
Freeze them.
Can them.
Dry them.
Turn them into sauce.
But there are some parts of summer you can’t preserve.
You have to eat the tomato while it’s still warm from the sun.
This week I had the opportunity to work an event hosted by Chef Darian Bryan, the most recent Next Level Chef winner.
Watching an incredible chef celebrate ingredients that are only available for a few fleeting weeks reminded me that the best food is almost always temporary.
When you finish a plate, the food is gone. The moment disappears.
That’s what makes it beautiful.
This Week’s Snackagories
Built for peak-season ingredients and minimum kitchen time.
Not because cooking isn’t fun. Because July deserves to be spent outside.
🥣 Savory Dip / Spread
Za’atar White Bean Hummus
Peak tomatoes don’t need complicated recipes.
Blend creamy white beans with lemon, garlic, tahini, olive oil, and plenty of za’atar. Spoon into a bowl and pile chopped heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, and flaky salt on top. Scoop with pita or crunchy vegetables.
Ingredients
1 can cannellini beans
2 tbsp tahini
1 lemon
1 garlic clove
Olive oil
Za’atar
Salt & pepper
Heirloom tomatoes
Fresh parsley or basil
Niknack Tip: Don’t stir the tomatoes in. Pile them on top so every scoop tastes different.
🍞 Grab + Go Pantry Snack
No Bake Blueberry Coconut Energy Bites
Blueberries are sweet enough right now that they don’t need much help.
Fresh berries folded into a coconut-oat mixture feel like breakfast you can eat on the porch.
Ingredients
Quick oats
Almond butter
Honey
Vanilla
Unsweetened coconut
Ground flaxseed
Fresh blueberries
Lemon zest
Pinch salt
🥒 Fresh Produce
Big Summer Squash Bowl with Tomato Vinaigrette
Instead of hiding vegetables under heavy dressing, let tomatoes become the dressing.
Grated tomato, olive oil, garlic, vinegar, basil. Pour over grilled zucchini, summer squash, corn, white beans and herbs.
Ingredients
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Sweet corn
White beans
Basil
Tomato
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Garlic
Niknack Tip: Grate ripe tomatoes on a box grater.
The skin stays behind and the pulp becomes instant dressing.
🍫 Sweet Tooth Snack
Blackberry Currant Ice Cream
My husband would eat black currant in absolutely anything.
Thankfully it also happens to pair beautifully with blackberry.
Made in my KitchenAid ice cream attachment, this has become one of those recipes that tastes like late July.
Ingredients
Heavy cream
Whole milk
Sugar
Vanilla
Black currant jam
Fresh blackberries
Seasonal Tip: Freeze extra berries now. Future-you will appreciate August.
🍗 Bulk Protein Source
Hibachi Style Chicken and Shrimp on the Blackstone
Summer dinners don’t need much.
Protein. Vegetables. Rice.
A screaming hot Blackstone.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs
Shrimp
Zucchini
Onion
Mushrooms
Soy sauce
Garlic
Ginger
Sesame oil
Butter
Meal Prep Tip: Cook extra protein now. Use leftovers in fried rice, salads, wraps and grain bowls all week.
Summer Isn’t Something to Save
Every year I reach the middle of July and immediately start grieving that it’s moving too fast.
I want to hold onto it.
Stretch it.
Slow it down.
But seasons were never meant to be held onto.
They were meant to be lived.
Maybe preserving summer has less to do with freezing berries or canning tomatoes...
and more to do with paying complete attention while they’re here.
Because maybe the closest we ever come to preserving a season...
is remembering what it felt like to be fully present while we were living it.
Thanks for reading this weeks SubSnack <3
Until next time,
Niknack
