What Is It? Answer Please …

You know how we associate things together; smells, sounds, music, etc. with places, people, events, etc.?

An association I hadn’t thought of in a while popped up in my travels last week.

I’ll try it with you ….

What Food Defines “Summer” for You?

Please tell me below in the comments! Can’t wait to hear!

I would answer watermelon, corn on the cob, ice cream, burgers on the grill, potato salad, broccoli salad, deviled eggs, etc. etc. etc….

But … I’d like to amend that answer after my current travels.

I grew up in Maryland: close to rivers, the Chesapeake Bay and a few hours to the ocean. I struggle to think of summer without these associations. One particular to MD is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. In summer, life on the eastern shore of MD wains to the ebb and flow of the bridge. It’s a beast to cross every weekend and most weekdays. I would say avoid it at all costs, but to get to the ocean or my parents’ chosen retirement location, it requires crossing.

They built a new bridge since my youth, but it’s still uniquely unbearable! It is a constant consideration when traveling East in MD.

This food association surfaced when I last visited MD.

SUMMER = CRABS

Blue crabs, to be specific. I’ve picked ‘em since my elementary years. I know one can starve trying to find hunger satisfaction: a hot dog or corn on the cob makes crab picking amenable.

Old Bay seasoning and melted butter are required condiments. If hush puppies find their way to the table, twirls and happy dances follow!!

We had a boat growing up. We trailered it at our residence. Dad launched from several places on Saturdays as we spent the day water skiing and spending time on the water. I have tons of memories, but let’s focus on the crabs today. One of our favorite launching points was near my Dad’s colleague and friend’s house in a cove off the Severn River.

FYI, the Severn River meets the Chesapeake Bay at Annapolis and the Naval Academy. We boated within a short distance.

When we launched there, we had free access to this friend’s dock and house. Some other friends and family were there on weekends, but we were always welcome, too. They became our friends! We’d many times swim off the dock. Attached to the dock were crab pots: wire baskets filled with bait and dropped to the bottom for a few hours. Someone always had the crab pots in the water. As I recall, the chosen bait was chicken, chicken necks!

Actually, just about every dock I saw hosted crab pots. Crabs were a summer pastime in our region. Of course, there were also professional fisherman crabbing in the bay giving nearby locations tons of fresh crabs in harvest season. Plentifulness also made them more affordable, but I would never say cheap. I believe I understood their intrinsic monetary value early on! Catching your own was the best way!

I did not do any of the baiting or crabbing. I did, however, run and scream when an older “friend/sibling” decided to chase me with a “fresh catch”! “The gang” tipped heavy on the male side: we few girls were targets.

Many evenings ended in large pots brimming with crabs on the patio.

They went into the pot blue pinching, pesky little creatures and came out red steaming crustaceans of deliciousness! Mallets, claw crackers in hand, sitting at a newspaper strung picnic table with rolls of paper towels down the center, the white morsels of goodness melted in my mouth, uniquely flavored like no other.

You can’t fool me with crab. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite food ever, but I’ve tasted the original so often, I can sniff out a fake! Add crab cakes and/or crab soup to summertime delicacies and you’ve tasted summer in Maryland.

My last visit with Dad found us at a Seafood Grill in town, minutes from the water. He got one of his favorites, oysters and I couldn’t resist a crab cake! My side: Hush Puppies! They were the biggest, most delicious puppies I can remember; about the size of a Pool ball!! I was in summer heaven, enjoying my Maryland roots with tastebuds and glee.

Next morning, I headed to Mom and Dad’s favorite seafood market and snatched up some crab cakes to bring home. Some of my family was coming to town and I needed to bring a piece of my summer childhood to greet them!

Everyone was thrilled with the eastern shore offering. Amazing crab cakes with huge lumps of crab and little to no filler. When it comes to crab cakes, we talk about “fillers”!

Crossing the Bay Bridge and the Severn River Bridge on the way home brought me full circle to my childhood summers spent in those waters … and those blue crabs turned red that shared those memories.

Cheers to more memories filled with crabs …. Happy Summertime!

Answer please, what food do you associate with summer?

Stay Tuned … Special Announcement Next Week!!

Crabby & Happy,