The Fruits of Many Labors

Dear Husband’s parents came to visit us for Labor Day this year. Despite a rainy forecast, a day that started off cloudy became sunny and beautiful, with a breeze. So we decided to fire up the charcoal grill after all, to cook some steaks that a neighbor had given us. I found a package of Montreal steak rub in our spice rack that added nice salty flavor. We also had fat ears of Illinois bicolor sweet corn, soaked in water and grilled in their husks. We tried that trick where you cut off the fat end of the ear and then slide out the corn sans hairs, but maybe that only works if you microwave it, because we still found ourselves peeling back the charred husks. Also on the table was another score from the farmers market: a bowl of juicy watermelon. Finally, a very ripe tomato from an Ohio garden. Many people--professionals, volunteers, and home gardeners--labored to produce the food that we enjoyed tonight, and we are grateful for them.