Summer

What's bright, sweet, and about to make your toast so much better? A height-of-summer batch of homemade jam.

Tomatoes, basil, cheese—a dish we know and love gets a major upgrade and gives us the Caprese we didn't know we needed.

Get ready for a blissed-out day of noon-till-sunset meals.

Our editor in chief's idea of a perfect summer day is neither expensive nor complicated.

Our favorite cocktails of summer are light, refreshing, and dangerously drinkable.

You're don't have to play mixologist in your swimsuit to turn out great summer cocktails. Enter these nine cool takes on the refreshing, bubbly spritz.

To make this tomato-on-bread revelation right this very minute, use a prepared flatbread like naan or pocketless pita.

The sauce makes the meal—serve it alongside any combo of crunchy peak-season veg you please.

Don’t pass over slightly bruised or extra-ripe tomatoes for this soup recipe; they’re often the most flavorful and especially good here.

This no-cook salsa pairs sweet and juicy watermelon with smoky chiles. Looks like gravy, tastes like summer.

Strawberries and cream…and cardamom. The cooling spice and cucumbers give berries an element of intrigue.

This raw tomato sauce gets texture from zucchini and body from toasted nuts that are blended into the base. You can sub almonds for hazelnuts.

Banish flashbacks of bland zucchini with this crunchy, cheesy, salty, citrusy salad.

Store infused boozy fruit in a cool, dark place to slow oxidation, kinda like aging your own wine!

Store infused booze in a cool, dark place to slow oxidation, kinda like aging your own wine!

Slightly underripe plums? Add a touch more honey.

If your jam mixture is still runny after the gel test, simmer a few minutes longer and try again. Just be careful: It's possible to overcook jam. If subjected to too much heat, pectin loses its setting power.

In this dill pickle recipe, always trim off stems and ends before pickling veg; enzymes in both can lead to mushy pickles.

Shrubs also make for fabulous nonalcoholic drinks—just add soda for a tart, gulpable fruit drink.

Yes, it’s a long recipe with several parts, but each step is easy enough, and it can all be made ahead.

Our warm-weather drinking philosophy in a nutshell: When in doubt, add bubbles.

You can assemble this inspired party starter ahead of time, then bake right before you’re ready to serve it.

Salty, crunchy, and herbaceous. You won’t be able to get enough of it. We promise.

There’s nothing wrong with a regular tomato-and-mayo sandwich, but this shredded lettuce and Italian vinaigrette masterpiece is worthy too.