AUGUST'S FINAL FORTNIGHT

After July's relentless swelter, Summer's final month has brought little relief.

The wildfire smoke made it even worse.

Back in my Berkshire restaurant days, by mid-August the summer season was finally hitting full gallop just as we in the service professions were succumbing to chronic exhaustion. We woke up tired, swilled coffee like it was water, and dragged ourselves to our cutting boards or serving stations. On a typical "dog days" Sunday afternoon in the steamy kitchen, we'd run out of clean uniforms and dry towels for the week while the ice machine sputtered and the season's first hatch of flies was achieving air supremacy. But at least mid-August usually meant cooler temperatures (at least in the mornings and evenings) and more tolerable humidity.

Not this year.

August in the beautiful Berkshires back in the day.

Back then the August Berkshire sky was usually bluer, and the shadows in the distant cucumber-green hillsides grow sharper. Wool season proper was still two months hence, and yet cotton sweaters-- often in ivory or a summer pastel-- had begun to appear at Tanglewood and SPAC as the nighttime mercury flirted with the upper fifties.

Not this year... this August's nearly relentless heat has many of us longing for (gasp!) Pumpkin Spice Season.

But wait-- there's hope. Even in this year's roasting August air, our appetites nonetheless sharpen as if on cue right as corn and tomato seasons, the twin harbingers of late summer, draw nigh. We recently posted an essay about GAZPACHO SEASON. Here is an alternative, August-specific version--

Late Summer Gazpacho

For the Base–

2-3 Cucumbers

1 Red Onion

1 64 oz. Bottle of V-8

2 Stalks of Celery

½ Cup Red Wine Vinegar

¼ Cup Sherry Vinegar

Sriracha or Other Source of Spicy Heat

Salt & Pepper As Needed

3 or so Cloves of Garlic, processed with ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Peel & de-seed cucumbers, peel onion, then chop both coarsely along w/ the celery. Pulse (but do NOT thoroughly puree) these veggies (and garlic/oil) w/ the V-8. Season to taste.

To Finish–

1 Decent-Sized Zucchini

3-5 Burstingly Ripe Tomatoes

3-5 Ears of Young & Tender Sweet Corn

1 Orange Pepper

Cook the corn for 1-1½ minutes in boiling water, then plunge into cold water. Remove kernels and add them to the base. Finely dice the zucchini– ¼” pieces are worth the trouble– and add to the base. Loosen the tomato skins by immersing in boiling water for 30 seconds followed by a brief plunge in cold water. Peel and then de-seed, carefully preserving as much juice as possible. Add tomatoes and captured juice to the base. Finely dice orange pepper and add to the base.

At this point you might not like the texture, for raw zucchini is quite crunchy. However, an overnight soak in the fridge will soften it beautifully. When correctly made, the late-summer veggies will neither float nor sink in the base. Make your final seasoning adjustments– you will probably need a little more of everything, but add carefully by seasoning a bowlful of soup and then adding that back into the batch. If you are understandably tempted to include your gorgeous basil, please segregate a scoop for a small test batch first and see how you like it. Basil has strong character and can easily transform such a dish into something very different.

WHAT ABOUT AUGUST WINE?

By late summer, our go-to poolside sippers (like simple, crisp whites and dry rosés) traditionally give way to bigger, more serious wines like full-throttle Chardonnay. If wines had zodiac signs, Chardonnay would be a Leo, coincidentally (or not) the dominant sign of August. Don't just take our word for it-- here's what the Internet says:

Typically you can pick a Leo woman out of a crowd. She's the one with the loudest chuckle, the brightest smile, and the most confident walk of all. This feline symbol, ruled by the Sun the center of the universe, adores attention and usually gets it. She is enthusiastic, playful and very lively. For Leo woman there are no two ways to deal with it - it's an all-or-nothing contract. This strength and passion that appears in every aspect of her life have its greatest concentration in her love. Leo women are warm and energetic at expressing their passion and ardor. Once Leo woman sets her eyes on you, she'll be bound to find a path to get what she wants. All that books and films portray love to be, with a Leo woman, you have the highest chances of finding. That means a coaster ride with the highest highs and deep lows. It means Big Love, the kind that shatters stars and shakes pillars. She wants her partner to be a person who is equally committed, creative, independent and strong. A relationship with a Leo woman is always going to be fun. She hates repetition and will always think about ways to introduce change and excitement into your shared lives. Yeah, at times it'll feel like playing with fire, but it's worth the edgy, slightly scary, never-know-what-will-happen-next adrenaline rush that you get from being with a Leo woman.

This apocryphal Leo woman sounds a lot like our take on Chardonnay in an essay from a couple of years ago-- THE ROYAL SISTERHOOD.

Fear not, Dear Readers-- soon enough the temperatures will be cool enough to complain about. You'll be stuck behind a school bus on your way to work, and the week-to-week details of the NFL season will be dominating the airwaves. Until then, enjoy your Chardonnay and late-summer veggies. Meanwhile, here's the PERFECT SONG for August's final fortnight.