Letter from the Editor | June’s Moon Says It’s Strawberry Season

Current Happenings

Ya’ll, it’s finally summer. We made it through another rainy, windy, pollen-ridden spring and we’ve arrived at the gorgeous threshold of the best time of the year. The first official day of summer is on June 21st, which falls on a Friday this year. If there was ever a sign to throw a party to celebrate the arrival of summer, this is it. In addition to curating the perfect summer solstice party menu, we’re also brushing up on our grill knowledge, getting ready to celebrate National Donut Day all month and ramping up for any and all red, white and blue-themed activities.

Down in the Tablespoon Kitchens, we’ve been making mixed drinks. A lot of mixed drinks. It’s like a mad science lab of booze down there. And poor us, we have to taste-test them during the work day too, boo hoo. We’re working on concocting a few new zero-proof cocktails, but we’ve also been reworking some tried-and-true Tablespoon cocktails in preparation for patio weather. If you follow us on Instagram you may have noticed that we’ve been sharing our favorite bevies in our stories feed, plus some killer snacks to pair with them. We’ll be dishing out our favorite drink + snack combos every Thursday this summer, so keep an eye out for that!

Strawberry Moon Season

I recently learned a fun fact: apparently each full moon has its own nickname! How cute is that? In January, it’s the Wolf Moon. In September, it’s the Corn Moon. When there’s an extra full moon that doesn’t line up with our Gregorian calendar, it’s the Blue Moon. This month it’s called the Strawberry Moon. The name doesn’t have anything to do with the color, which is a real shame because that would be the coolest, most Instagram-worthy moment of the summer. Instead, the name formerly was used as a reference point for harvesting crops. As in, when that big moon rises on June 17th, your strawberries are ripe enough to pick!

We’ll take any reason as a good one to flex our strawberry-packed recipes, so get ready for a berry bonanza. This month we’re bringing back a golden Oreo™-topped strawberry poke cake and a ridiculously-basic-but-so-addicting strawberry shortcake dip. Even though my dreams of a giant millennial pink moon rising in the night sky aren’t going to come true (lame), the Strawberry Moon will still be a good show. Because of its proximity to the summer solstice, also known as the longest day of the year, June’s moon will be extra-large and very low to the horizon, so be sure to take a peek out your window that night.

Looking Ahead

It is going to be a jam-packed, full-of-fun kind of summer—I can feel it. Between all the potlucks, picnics and road trips, there are plenty of instances for good food to come into play. We’re working on rounding out some of our favorite potluck-ready slow-cooker recipes because, let’s face it—we could all use a little extra help when it comes to big get-togethers. And speaking of picnics and trips in the car: we’re approaching picnic salad season, which fortunately for all of us doesn’t mean what it used to. I want you to let go of any preconceived notions you have about slimy, overly-mayonnaised pasta mixes and get ready to say hello to our hearty, tasty salads that are not only great for picnics, but can stand up to the car-ride test. And if you’re travelling for any long weekend getaways, we’re planning your car-ready snack menu.

What other things would you like to see on Tablespoon this summer?