Not a summer goes by that I don’t make gazpacho at least once. No other food tastes more like summer to me. Typically gazpacho is reserved for the handful of 90+ degree days when I don’t feel like cooking anything at all. And if it’s made with tomatoes grown in my home garden, all the better, but in this case, my tomatoes aren’t ready yet and I couldn’t wait.
My neighbor sent me a cryptic text message that “Italians are coming for a BBQ tomorrow” and could we come? I said yes, of course, because who says no to a BBQ on a Saturday in June? Plus, I needed to find out more about these Italians. She texts again, “Great, bring a bit of fruit.” After laughing over what kind of fruit Italians like — Tomatoes? Olives? — I realized that there was only one choice, and the only time I would be able to make this happen was this particular weekend in June, as the sour cherry tree in the backyard was ready to pick.