What's in Season: Eating Your Way Back Into Rhythm
Your calendar isn’t the only thing resetting this month. The market stalls are too.
September in Madrid is a genuine handover between two seasons, with the last of summer still piled high next to the first signs of autumn, and there is something quietly grounding about noting this. You don’t need a plan or a recipe. Just a walk through a mercado, and a little attention.
What to Look For in September
Grapes are having their moment. This is properly grape season across Spain, alongside the last of the season’s figs, peaches and plums, still sweet before they disappear until next summer. Tomatoes and peppers haven’t finished their run either, so a plate of both is still very much a September thing, not a nostalgic one.
Meanwhile, the first pomegranates are starting to show up, along with early apples, pears and the beginnings of squash: quiet signs that autumn is already on its way in, even though summer hasn’t quite let go. It’s a short window where a market stall can hold both seasons at once, and it’s worth noticing while it lasts.
A Small Ritual
Here’s a two-minute version of “eating with the season”:
a plate of the last of summer’s ripe tomatoes, torn rather than sliced,
a proper drizzle of gorgeous Spanish olive oil,
and a little salt.
That’s it. No cooking, no recipe to follow. Just delicious tomatoes, good oil, and five minutes at the table instead of standing at the counter.
Using the best olive oil you can find is the secret ingredient to make even the simplest dishes pop. But why stop with your salads? Olive oil is so good for you, inside and out, that we use grown oil in our treatments too. So good for you, inside and out.
It’s a small thing, but small rituals are the point of this month. September doesn’t ask for a total reinvention of your habits, just a bit more attention paid to the ordinary ones.
