Food

Like many serious grillers, Pedro Verdugo loves the taste hardwood charcoal gives to food. It's not just the aroma, that savory smokiness that permeates the food. It's also the searing heat the charcoal provides to lock in the natural flavors of steaks, chops and seafood.

Disney's haute-cuisine hit "Ratatouille" couldn't come at a better time. Not because it's a family-pleasing movie in summer. The timing is perfect because it's eggplant season. And tomato season. And zucchini/bell pepper/onion and garlic season.

Yogurt is the perfect summer kid food: nourishing, versatile, cooling and appetizing even when it's sweltering. Not all yogurts are created equal, though, so read the labels when buying it. Americans tend to favor yogurts that are candy-sweet but if you can accustom your young ones to the unsweetened variety (and yourself, too) that's one small step for your family and one giant leap away from Type 2 diabetes. Look for yogurt with live cultures, very little or no added sugar, no artificial flavorings or colors, and no high fructose corn syrup. My favorite brand of plain yogurt is Straus Creamery, but Brown Cow (with cream on top), Nancy's, and Stonyfield Farms are great, too.

Few things will wow your guests at today's barbecue more than a big dish of homemade ice cream. A fresh-churned batch of strawberry ice cream is great. And it's hard to beat some awesome, creamy chocolate ice cream. Even a simple bowl of plain old vanilla can generate oohs and aahs.

Long before you can see Harlow Morgan's booth at the farmers' market, you can smell it. The onions caramelizing to glistening gold. The roasted cumin, dried chipotles, ancho chilies and garlic powder giving off perfume as they toast on the sizzling griddle.