JULY 2026 · THE JOURNAL
Before the tomatoes soften
For three weeks each year, the tomatoes arrive faster than we can serve them. Some go straight to the dining room. The rest become clear water, vinegar and a preserve for winter.
The first crates come up from the market garden in the last week of June. By the second week of July the kitchen smells of them from open to close, and the prep list is written around what will not keep.
Nothing is rushed onto the menu. The clear water sits for a day before it is tasted. The preserve is not touched until the room has gone quiet in November, when it explains the whole of July in one spoon.
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