Pictured above: Claudia and Jack Knowlton, VIPs of No Thyme To Cook

By Alexandra Pounds

There is a particular moment in September when you realize summer is leaving.

It might be the first evening you reach for a sweater. It might be the way the sun begins to disappear earlier over the water. Or it might happen in the kitchen, when the last of the summer tomatoes are stacked on the counter and you start thinking not only about what you are going to make for dinner, but what you can save for January.

On the Chesapeake, September is not quite summer and not quite fall. It is a delicious in-between. The pace slows. The humidity gives way to cooler evenings. Boats still move across the harbor, but the waterfront feels a little quieter. Farmers’ markets are overflowing with the final abundance of summer while the first apples and other signs of fall begin to appear.

For those who cook with the seasons, it is one of the best times of the year. The garden is still generous. Tomatoes are ripe and sweet, sweet corn is everywhere, and peppers, cucumbers, squash, beans, herbs and melons are still making their way to market. Peaches linger into the beginning of the month. And then there is blue crab—the ingredient that needs no introduction to anyone who has spent time around the Chesapeake. Crab is more than food here. It is part of the landscape.

It means a bushel on the table, Old Bay on your hands, a pile of shells, cold drinks and a conversation that lasts longer than planned. It is a food that brings people together, which may be one reason it has remained such a beloved part of Maryland’s culinary identity.

September gives us one last opportunity to enjoy all of it before the season turns. It also reminds us to save some of it. Preserving the harvest is one of the quiet rituals of this time of year. Tomatoes become sauce. Sweet corn is tucked into the freezer for winter chowders. Peaches become preserves. Cucumbers and peppers find their way into pickles and relishes. Herbs are dried, sauces are made and gardens are gathered before the first frost.

There is something almost magical about opening a jar months later and tasting summer again. That idea—of taking what is here, making something from it and sharing it with others—is central to what they do at No Thyme to Cook.

Their kitchen sits on Solomons Harbor, where the seasons are visible from the windows. Throughout the year, they bring people together for hands-on cooking classes, from Chesapeake seafood and seasonal cooking to pasta, baking, international cuisines, wine and bourbon. The also host private classes and celebrations, corporate retreats and rehearsal dinners. Some guests come to learn. Some come to celebrate. Some simply come because they love food. Usually, they end up doing all three. September is particularly rewarding because the ingredients tell such a complete Chesapeake story. The Bay provides the crab and local fish. The garden provides sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Put them together and you have a meal that does not need much explanation. It tastes like where we live.

And there is something about cooking those ingredients as the season changes. The afternoon may still feel like summer, but by the time dinner is served, there is a coolness in the air. The windows open. The harbor settles. People linger over the last bites. The setting is different from the one that stood here more than a century ago, but the reason for gathering is remarkably familiar.

In 1918, Chef Gwyn Novak’s great-grandfather, Mortimer Bowen, built Bowen’s Inn on this Solomons waterfront. The hotel, restaurant, bar and marina became a gathering place for locals, boaters, fishermen and visitors, with a reputation for hospitality and Chesapeake cooking.

Gwyn’s grandmother, Althea, eventually ran the Inn for approximately 40 years. Among the family recipes she became known for was her crab imperial—a dish so closely guarded that even requests from Gourmet magazine did not convince her to give up the recipe. Bowen’s Inn is gone, but that culinary history did not disappear with it.

In 2018, Gwyn and her husband, Donald, opened No Thyme to Cook on the family property. Today, the kitchen is filled with new faces, new recipes and new memories, but the fundamental idea remains the same: good food has a way of bringing people together. That is why a recipe for crab imperial feels particularly appropriate for September.

We cannot give you Althea’s secret recipe. That one remains in the family. But we can share a version inspired by the flavors that have always belonged here, a Chesapeake Blue Crab Imperial with Sweet Corn and Herbs.

It pairs sweet Maryland blue crab with another September favorite, sweet corn, along with fresh herbs and a touch of Old Bay. It is familiar without being fussy, and best served when there are people nearby to share it with. And because September evenings call for something worth lingering over, we have included a cocktail to go with it: It Gets Better with Thyme, a bourbon cocktail brightened with lemon, honey, thyme and bitters. Perhaps that is the real pleasure of September on the Chesapeake.

It gives us permission to hold on to summer while making room for fall. To eat the last tomato from the garden while thinking about the first pot of soup. To preserve what we can, savor what we have and gather around the table before the season changes again. The Chesapeake has always taught us to pay attention to the seasons. September simply gives us one more beautiful reason to do it.

Chesapeake Blue Crab Imperial with Sweet Corn & Herbs

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound Maryland lump crabmeat
• 1 ear sweet corn, kernels removed
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely diced celery
• 2 tablespoons finely diced shallot
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon juice, Worcestershire and Old Bay. Fold in corn, vegetables, parsley and chives. Gently fold in crabmeat, taking care to preserve the lumps. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide among four ramekins or place in a shallow baking dish. Combine panko and melted butter and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 15–18 minutes, until golden and warmed through. Serve with fresh lemon.

It Gets Better with Thyme

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 lemon wheel
• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce thyme-infused simple syrup
• 1 ounce honey simple syrup
• 3 dashes bitters
• Ice
• Fresh thyme sprig, for garnish
• Lemon wheel, for garnish

Directions

Muddle lemon in a shaker. Add bourbon, both syrups, bitters and ice. Shake until chilled and strain over one large ice cube in a double rocks glass. Garnish with a thyme sprig and lemon wheel.

About the Author: Alexandra is a Chesapeake Bay–based artist, originally from the Pacific Northwest, who works in painting, pottery, photography, and writing. A Marine Corps veteran with a B.S. in Marketing and a minor in Art, she balances raising three children while drawing creative inspiration from the rhythms and beauty of the coast.