By: Ada Broussard

Did you know that today, June 21st, marks the summer solstice? This is the longest day of the year… or rather, the day with the most sunlight (all days, all year are 24 hours). Places in Alaska will experience around 19 hours of daylight today, and here in Austin, we’ll have 14 hours and 6 minutes of sunshine to frolic about. This special day also marks the official start of summer, and we’re here to say: let’s party.

Hello Sunshine. Photo by Scott Gordon

The summer solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years, traditionally with all the things that make a good holiday: food, drink, maybe a bonfire, and dancing. Everyone who lives in the northern hemisphere (which is around 88% of the global population) is enjoying a bounty of daylight today. The solstice happens when the earth’s tilt is such that the sun’s rays are most-directly hitting the tropic of Cancer. (In case you need a reminder: the tropic of Cancer is the imaginary line latidunely splitting the northern hemisphere.) Interestingly, the sun even slows down it’s setting around this time of year due to the angle at which it sets. That means that on this extra long day, you have more time to create a romantic sunset situation and more time to contemplate the position of the sun in our sky.

Graphic from The Old Farmer's Alamanac

This is an invitation: Celebrate summer with us! Lean in to this long, hot, and special Texas summer day, and get to know the heat as intimately as your local vegetable farmer. Don’t forget to use sunscreen.

Here are some suggestions from your farmers’ on ways celebrate the summer solstice this weekend:

1. FOOD:

Eat a tomato sandwich, or some other food which really highlights the fruits and vegetables that thrive in this heat. Capitalize on this brief window in time when produce like tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, corn, plums and even blueberries are in season in Texas. This is the moment when these foods are supposed to be eaten… the superiority in flavor at this time of year is as striking as the sun is hot. In many parts of Europe, folks traditionally eat strawberries to celebrate the solstice (or more specifically, to celebrate Midsummer's Day which falls around the same time).... and while Texas’s short strawberry season has come and gone, there are plenty of other fruits ripe for the picking. Get to a farmers’ market this weekend and taste the summer, literally! Our sources tell us there will be peaches, blackberries, and mulberries at both the Downtown, Lakeline, and Mueller Farmers' Markets.

Brenton's Fried Green Tomatoes. Photos by Scott Gordon.

2. PLANTS:

Take a moment and think about your local food system, and how it’s rockin' and rolling at this time of year. We earthlings sometimes struggle in this heat, but so many plants prefer it. If you have a garden and you’ve been able to keep the pests away, chances are it’s dripping with tomatoes. Is there a community garden in your neighborhood? Put on some bug spray, and take an evening stroll to see what the plants are doing with all this extra daylight to photosynthesize. Think about the farmers, farmers’ market workers, and ranchers whose office is outside - they’re facing and embracing the heat so you can eat delicious and nutritious food. (PSA: Watermelon is on it’s way.)

3. TREATS:

There’s something so summery about a trip to the ice cream shop. The sun won’t go down today until around 8:30pm, leaving you plenty of time find your flavor. If you live in Austin (or San Antonio, for that matter) might we recommend Lick Honest Ice Cream. Our friends at Lick are making some seriously good ice cream - 73% of their ingredients (including their dairy) are sourced from local farms, which means all of their flavors are true highlights of the season. Celebrate tonight with a scoop of their Peach Berry Swirl (peaches from Austin Orchard) or Roasted Beets and Mint (beets from JBG!). As coincidence would have it, Lick is donating 5% of all profits from Friday, June 21st, to a local nonprofit. Popsicles, margaritas, froze, or just an indulgently-sweet glass of ice tea will also suffice.

Photo borrowed from Lick Honest Ice Cream's Instagram. Check them out!

4. SUBMERGE:

Go swimming, of course! Deep Eddy is open till 8pm, and Barton Springs will surely be hopping until they blow the whistles at 10pm. Barton Creek which runs through Austin’s greenbelt is full of water, too. Checkout your neighborhood pool… or better yet, journey to another neighborhood and get to know that pool. Not interested in braving the crowds? Scrap whatever plans you thought you had tonight, and build a slip n slide.

A float in Barton Springs. Photo by Megan Winfrey

5. GET WEIRD:

Do something that feels a little wild. Wear something wacky or bold, stay up late, howl at the moon, play with your dog, go on a walk and smell the plants you encounter, or strike up a conversation with a stranger. Today is a day for celebrating this truly hot season, and what better way to do so than letting your wild instincts guide you.

6. LET LOOSE:

Globally, Stonehenge is the place to be. But if you can’t make it to Wiltshire, England, consider checking out one of the celebrations happening locally. There are plenty to choose from, but two local events that caught our eye include this night hike at Mckinney Falls and a (free & all ages) Tejas Sessions: Summer Solstice event happening at Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches. Maybe you’ll even start your own solstice tradition - gather friends, tip your hat to the sunshine, and combine ideas 1-5.

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin.

Happy Solstice, ya’ll! See you at markets.