By Last week of school. Mason finished second grade on a high — reading at a fifth-grade level, science project ribbons, and a teacher who wrote on his report card: "Mason is a light in this classroom. He makes everyone around him better." I laminated this report card. I know this is excessive. I don't care. Some things deserve lamination.
Lily finished kindergarten and brought home a memory book the class made together. Her page said: "My favorite thing about kindergarten was: PEANUT and Maya and horses and coloring and snacks." The comprehensive list. The priorities, in order. Peanut first. Always.
Summer begins. Both kids in summer programs — Mason at a nature camp (hiking, stream study, insect identification — his paradise), Lily at horse camp at Sunshine Stables (her paradise). I'm working full-time at the clinic, but the summer schedule is lighter, longer days but easier pace, the veterinary equivalent of a slow exhale after the sprint of spring puppies.
The garden is producing its first tomatoes — small, green, promising. The basil is ready to harvest. The cucumbers are climbing their trellis with the ambition of plants that have somewhere important to be. I picked the first cucumber on Thursday and sliced it into a salad and the crunch was audible and the taste was cool and clean and ours.
I made a Greek salad — cucumber, tomatoes (from WinCo; mine aren't ripe yet), red onion, Kalamata olives, feta, lemon-olive oil dressing. A summer salad that is refreshing and filling and takes five minutes. Mason ate it with pita bread. Lily ate the feta and the olives and nothing else. The Greek salad is a perfect food, and I stand by this, and Diane would disagree because there's no meat, and we would both be right in our own kitchens.
That first garden cucumber crunch on Thursday was the signal I’d been waiting for — summer is officially open for business. I’d already made the Greek salad, but with the basil ready to harvest and peaches showing up at WinCo looking exactly right, I kept coming back to this Peach, Tomato & Basil Summer Salad the following day. It has the same spirit as everything I wanted that week: no heat, no effort, nothing complicated — just bright flavors that taste like the season itself. Mason ate two servings. Lily ate the peaches.
Peach, Tomato and Basil Summer Salad
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 10 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced into wedges
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Optional: 2 oz fresh mozzarella, torn, or crumbled feta
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Arrange the salad. Arrange sliced peaches and halved tomatoes on a large plate or shallow bowl. Scatter torn basil leaves over the top.
- Dress and finish. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad. Add mozzarella or feta if using. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- Serve immediately. This salad is best eaten right away while the peaches are firm and the basil is fresh. It does not hold well overnight.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 120 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 150mg