Labor Day marked the unofficial end of summer, and some of us are mourning its passing. But it’s not too late to taste the last of the season’s fresh produce and sample some end-of-season festivals that focus on food.
- Garlic lovers will gather Sept. 17 in Maine for the 13th Annual Mount Desert Island Garlic Festival, a daylong celebration of the pungent bulb and the artisan food it flavors, the Bangor Daily News reported.
- Bored with deep-fried Snickers and burgers served with Krispy Kreme “buns”? Check out the next adventure in summer-festival eating: the maggot sandwich, courtesy of Jungle George’s Exotic Meats and Bugs at the Colorado State Fair.
- Summer is the best time of year for tomato lovers because we get to eat our fill of flavorful, locally grown varieties. By midfall, the flavors are a memory and we’re back to taste-free imports. Author Barry Estabrook offered his take on the reason in this Eatocracy interview.
- The season also brings a bounty of fresh fruit, including hybrids that farmers see as a lucrative market, provided their carefully crafted combinations, such as the pluerry — a mix of plums and cherries — pass muster, The Wall Street Journal reported.
- Students nationwide began heading back to campus even before Labor Day. At the University of Massachusetts, students turned 800 pounds of boneless chicken, 500 pounds of onion, 300 pounds of carrot and 300 pounds of broccoli into the world’s largest stir-fry, The Massachusetts Daily Collegian reported.
Got a favorite summer food story? Share it in the comments.