It seems that seasonality in food has pretty much gone, due to global markets. When I was a kid you could only get strawberries for a few weeks in June. We were poor, so only had them two or three times, and we'd always have to 'make a wish' on the first strawberry. Now I can buy them all year round, mostly from huge Dutch farms, or Driscolls imported from California which are sold in Costco. They're not the same, not to mention the carbon footprint, which is ridiculous. Likewise with raspberries, I can have them on Christms Day if I want to, rather than just for a couple of weeks in the summer.

But peaches - ah, peaches I only eat in summer. We don't have the climate to grow them in the UK, but I buy them from the farm shop or the small Turkish supermarkets. They're usually so much more delicious than the ones from the big supermarket chains, where they're bought in bulk and kept in cold storage. Fragrant and juicy, full of flavour.

Summer peaches are my delight.

When I see the veg plants like tomatoes and cucumbers start producing it feels like summer is here.

I dream of the vine ripe tomatoes we used to be able to grow here, but the shift in climate, the loss of beneficial insects and whatnot means that I can get just a few good sandwich sized tomatoes per year.

We have no problems with growing plum or cherry tomatoes or hybrid large but unflavorful tomatoes.

I also miss watermelons fresh picked and dead ripe and juicy from my grandmother's garden.

And, now our summers here are more humid and hot it's no fun to spend time outdoors watching the stars or grilling (called barbeque by heathens - that word is reserves for the end product of day-long slow cooked meat hereabouts).

We always called it "barbecuing" growing up, "having a barbecue." It didn't mean a specific meat dish around here. "Grilling," the term, was introduced here around the 80s.

Yeah, it's a barbecue in the UK, when we get out the Weber kettle barbecue (no, it's NOT a grill), and cook burgers, sausages, etc.

A grill is what you guys call a 'broiler' - no such word in the UK. It's the part of the stove that has top heat only.

There are a few 'barbecue' restaurants now (including several vegan ones) but they tend to call themselves 'smokehouses' or 'grillhouses' to avoid confusion. Yeah, I know it'd confuse an American, but we know what it means.

Barbecue was the name for it when I was a kid but I tend to say grilling now because slow cooking with smoke is what I think of when I hear barbecue now.

Every second week of July I go home to Maine. It's bookended by two local festivals: The Moxie (regional soda) Festival in Lisbon Falls, and the Clam Festival in Yarmouth. I'm sure to have a can of Moxie thoughtfully provided by the cousin with a cooler full of them, sitting in the chair that we placed the day before in our favorite parade viewing spot. The Clam has me at a long communal table with my pint box of fried whole belly clams (crumbs please, not batter) and a red casing hot dog with picnic mustard and relish. Sometimes a whoopie pie to finish. The week also includes at least five lobster rolls and three Maine Italian sandwiches.

Sometimes, it's the foods of home or times past that you crave. I understand that very well, initapplette!

Well, it's actually the monsoon here right now but during the summer one of the Fruits that are the most eagerly anticipated and loved by all are mangoes... specifically, the Alphonso varriety--considered to be the king amongst them all.

Thanks everyone.