Time's up

This week I spent an evening unpacking my summer clothes, as the rain pitter-patted on the windowpanes. I made porridge for breakfast, swearing to not eat the stuff again until the snow flies. And I am determined to finally plant my tomato seedlings outside in the garden. Time’s up, Mother Nature – I am willing the summer season to begin!

I realize that in the Okanagan we are spoiled, probably more than any other region in Canada. Since I am not a patient person at heart, living here does not help me wait out the interminable “off-season”. Don’t get me wrong, I love the majesty of autumn and the stark beauty of winter and I am a big fan of Christmas. But true decadence for me lies in summer, when the garden is in full bloom and the heat warms my bones all day long. As a foodie, summer is the easiest time of year to enjoy. You can be passionate and lazy at the same time when eating in summer.

So, more than the clothes that I haven’t seen for a while, I am excited about the fresh tastes coming out of the ground. I know that summer doesn’t officially begin for three more weeks, but the radishes and carrots I have had from the farmer’s market have whet my appetite. I am already salivating for the cherries that I see just beginning on our tree outside. And I want to sit outside on the new deck without having layers of clothing and a blanket over my knees. Even in Canada, patio dining is not supposed to be an endurance sport when you get to the month of June!

My monthly Book Club gathering is this weekend. I think I will prepare some tapenade and make fresh baguette sandwiches with radishes, tapenade and arugula. My veggies aren’t ready yet, but the flavours on my brain may help me visualize them growing faster, I think. I’ll take a nice bottle of my favourite Okanagan rosé and maybe that combination will even inspire us girls to wax poetic about Mr. Dickens. (If you read this column regularly, you will remember that my book club is not pompous at all, so don’t read too much into our choice of authors.)

I wish everyone a healthy start to the growing season (even if you are only growing a window box). Green things are good for your soul, whether to look at or taste. Here’s to all the joys of summer: iced tea instead of coffee, fruit salad instead of porridge, and salad with just a hint of hose water left after washing!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.