LIVE: The Seasonal Table; Summer Time

Hello fellow Enlightened Omnivores,Last Friday, Nicki Sizemore and I hosted the second installment of The Seasonal Table, our quarterly Substack Live series exploring what each season means in the kitchen, at the table, and in our daily lives.You can watch the full replay above.This season’s conversation centered on summer and the approaching solstice. We talked about why seasonal transitions mattered so much to earlier generations and why many of us have lost the habit of marking them. We explored summer through several different traditions, including the Medicine Wheel and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and found ourselves returning to a common question:What if summer isn’t a season for accomplishing more, but rather for strengthening what matters most?Along the way, Nicki shared some of her family’s summer rituals, including how the celebrate the the first zucchini blossoms from the garden. We also talked about why summer food often tastes better with less effort, how sauces and condiments can transform simple meals, and the surprising kitchen tool we both agreed we can’t live without.And of course, we made food.Nicki made a whipped labneh topped with pistachio dukkah, while I shared my Provençal-inspired tapenade loaded with olives, capers, anchovies, and a rosemary-infused olive oil. Both recipes are perfect examples of the kind of cooking I gravitate toward this time of year: simple, flexible, and designed to bring people together around a table.As the solstice approaches, I hope you’ll find a way to mark the season—whether that’s a dinner with friends, a walk at sunset, a jump in a refreshing body of water, or simply paying a little more attention to the abundance that’s already here.Helpful links* My Tapenade Recipe* Nicki’s Whipped Labneh with Pistachio Dukkah* My favorite Mini Spatulas that I talked about during our chat * My favorite kalamata olives at Trader Joe’s* Crown Prince Anchovy Paste in a TUBE!Enjoy the replay, and let me know what summer rituals, traditions, or recipes shape this season for you.SteveComing in July: Food, Blood Sugar, and Metabolic Health with Beth BollingerA few years ago, I discovered I was edging toward prediabetes and started paying closer attention to how food affected my body. For my next live conversation, I'll be joined by metabolic health expert Beth Bollinger to discuss blood sugar, the foods that trigger it, and the simple habits and foods that can help create more stable health over time—as well as a few cool tech gadgets that helped me learn more about my body.Stay Connected* Follow along on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok for video content, reels, and behind-the-scenes thoughts. I’m also on Facebook and LinkedIn.* Say hi on Substack Notes—I’m posting almost every day about my random reflections on life.* Join me in Chat. It’s a space just for subscribers, kind of like a group text but less embarrassing. Download the app, tap the Chat icon (it looks like two speech bubbles at the bottom), and find the latest “Enlightened Omnivore” thread. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe