As winter begins to wane, you may be looking ahead to all the exciting possibilities spring has to offer. In this edition of American Lifestyle, you'll find oodles of inspiration for activities to try and food to enjoy in the months ahead. Learn about an innovative baseball team that is revolutionizing the sport, discover recipes that transform classic ingredients into extraordinary meals, gain essential tips to cultivate a thriving garden oasis, and prepare for the centennial celebration of a great American novel.
Step into the exciting realm of the Savannah Bananas, a baseball team infused with an electrifying energy and joyful spirit. Playing with a whole different set of rules and featuring all sorts of other entertainment, they create a truly unforgettable experience for fans—learn more about their journey from team president Jared Orton inside.
For those looking to elevate their dining experiences, consider these two vibrant recipes: a perfectly pan-seared rib eye complemented by a rich black garlic ghee and charred cucumber quick pickles with a refreshingly savory twist. These dishes not only highlight bold flavors but also transform classic ingredients into extraordinary culinary creations.
A season characterized by fresh greenery and blossoming blooms, spring is the perfect time to cultivate your own garden oasis. With the enclosed practical advice on what to plant and how to ensure that your garden thrives, you’ll be well equipped to embrace the joys of nurturing your green space.
Next month marks the centennial of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel The Great Gatsby, so why not join the festivities? From themed gatherings inspired by the Jazz Age to delightful dining options that transport you back to a time of glamour and revelry, there are countless ways to honor this literary milestone, both in the weeks ahead and beyond.
Here’s to sparking creativity and savoring life’s vibrant moments! As always, it's a pleasure to send you this magazine.
Known for its high-energy capers and bold take on the game, the Savannah Bananas baseball team has taken the sports world by storm. Team president Jared Orton shares the story behind this upstart squad that became a national sensation.
For those who may be unfamiliar, who are the Savannah Bananas?
We started in 2016 as part of a little collegiate wooden-bat summer league in Savannah, Georgia. After the previous minor league team in town closed up shop, our owners thought it would be easy to start another baseball team to take its place. We initially didn’t get much attention, though. In traditional baseball, there are just so many home games in a typical season, and it’s challenging to get people to visit something that often.
On top of that, when we decided on the name Savannah Bananas, people flipped out—we heard feedback that it was the dumbest name around and that we were even making a joke of the sport. But then we got the word out that we weren’t going to be professional; we intended to be different and make baseball more fun. That’s been our mission since day one. And we had some successes: we played in that college summer league for seven years, during which we sold out hundreds of games and won three league championships.
How did you change the game?
In 2021, we tested a new type of baseball called Banana Ball with some new players. It changes up all the rules of the sport; for example, batters can steal first base, and if someone in the crowd catches a fly ball, it’s an out. We premiered the game in Mobile, Alabama, across two nights, playing against our primary rival, the Party Animals; about 7,000 people showed up to watch. Then in 2022, we took Banana Ball on a seven-city “world tour.”
Once our leadership noticed the game was becoming so popular, we thought, What if we just go all in with it and play it year-round? So we decided to leave our college summer league at the end of 2022 and went on a thirty-three-city tour the next year, playing Banana Ball in front of half a million people. In 2024, we followed up with games in six major league stadiums, which over one million people attended.
Our game at Minute Maid Park (home of the Houston Astros) completely sold out months in advance in a single day, and there were 160,000 people on our waiting list for tickets. And now we have tens of millions of followers across our social media and play against a two more rivals in the Banana Ball league, the Firefighters and Texas Tailgaters. Seeing the game grow in these ways has been tons of fun.
That’s quite a meteoric rise. What would you say is behind this growth?
We turned baseball into a can’t-miss event. In sports, the players are traditionally separated from the crowd. But we break down that wall and make the show accessible. Our crowd isn’t just there to watch; they are there to experience a connection. Every team has a mascot, but we’ve realized that if we create a unique experience beyond that, people will keep coming back to see us.
What is your recruiting process like, given the uniqueness of Banana Ball?
Our players are multitalented, to say the least. We know that we have to recruit solid athletes; our coaching and training staffs emphasize that the game should be played well because it is a real game, even if the rules are different. If it doesn’t look clean, the crowd will notice. So most of our players have a strong baseball background, with some having played in our college summer league or for minor or even major league teams.
We aren’t just looking for athletic talent, though; the second prong of being a Savannah Bananas player is being an impressive performer on and off the field. For example, we have guys who can do backflip catches and have special walk-ups where they might sing or perform a choreographed dance. Our players know that the game isn’t actually about them but about our fans. So they make a huge effort to entertain them, sign autographs, be engaging on social media, and more.
Our head coach, Tyler Gillum, has been with us since 2018. He has a fantastic network of players he’s seen or worked with, including those who fit the mold of baseball player and entertainer. Guys also reach out to him all the time asking to play for us, so our recruiters have to perform an intense scouting and invitation-only tryout process.
What advice would you give to someone catching a Savannah Bananas game for the first time?
Do your research, know the rules of the game, and be mentally prepared for a high-energy, high-stimulus event! And get there early; before the gates even open, there’s plenty of music, magic, and other fun. Player introductions start at about 6:30 p.m. and the game around 7:00, and it’s action-packed for hours afterward.
Beyond the game itself, we’ve developed a full cast of entertainment that includes Jesse Cole—our owner, ringmaster, and Guy in the Yellow Tux—as well as a secondary announcer, known as the Young Professor, who wears crazy suits and does wrestling-style intros. Meanwhile, Jake the Magician performs tricks in the crowd and even on the field, so you never know where he’ll be. There are also trained dancers, a singing princess, the Banana Nanas (our elderly dance team), the Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad, and much more. We hope that all our viewers find someone and something to identify with here.
What’s next for the team?
We want to introduce more teams to play against and expand the Banana Ball league, improve our opportunities to tour, and get the game in front of more people. We plan to keep raising the stakes and discover the next new cool thing that our fans will love.
The key to creating a great meal is binding together vibrant flavors with sound technique. Perfect for a small dinner party or an intimate night at home, these two recipes from The Modern Larder cookbook celebrate classic ingredients, offering an opportunity to transform pantry staples into outstanding dishes.
I believe two things separate a mediocre steak from a great one: quality of meat and technique. And my technique is always the same: dry brine, temper, pan sear, baste with ghee, then rest with more ghee. I do occasionally, however, vary the basting mix. Here, black garlic steps in, its molasses-like sweetness and subtle tang accentuating that intensely savory beefy flavor of the choice rib eye.
2 to 3 servings
Ingredients:
One 1¾-in.-thick bone-in rib eye (approximately 1½ lb.)
Fine sea salt
4 black garlic cloves
⅛ tsp. fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning the rib eye
3 tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter, at room temperature
Season the steak generously with salt. Place on a rack set over a pan or plate and refrigerate overnight.
Put the black garlic in a small bowl; add a pinch of salt and use a fork to smash it into a paste. Add the ghee and use a spoon to mix thoroughly.
Pull the steak from the fridge 45 to 60 minutes before you plan to cook. Rub oil on the steak. Heat a 10- to 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat for 1 full minute (it should be scorching hot). Cook the steak, turning every 3 minutes or so, until a dark brown crust forms on both sides and the internal temperature is a few degrees below your favored doneness (120 to 125°F for medium-rare), about 10 minutes.
Turn down the heat to medium and wait for about 30 seconds before adding 2 tablespoons black garlic ghee to skillet. Tilt the pan toward you so that the ghee pools on one side, and use a large spoon to continually baste the steak with ghee for about 1 minute. Transfer the steak to a rimmed plate or large shallow bowl and top with the remaining black garlic ghee. Let the steak rest 6 to 10 minutes.
Transfer the steak to a cutting board, reserving any buttery juices on the plate. Use a sharp knife to cut 1-inch slices of steak—always slicing against the grain. Pour the melted black garlic ghee from the rimmed plate over the steak and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Tip—Be sure to leave 24 hours for brining the steak.
Charring cucumbers may seem like an odd move, but it is a quick way to make the familiar interesting again. They retain their refreshing quality—with additional brightness from the vinegar—but they become a shade darker, more savory in flavor, and almost meaty in texture.
4 to 6 servings (as a side dish)
Ingredients:
1 to 1¼ lb. Persian cucumbers (approximately 5 small)
1 to 2 tbsp. neutral vegetable oil (such as cold-pressed rice bran oil or grapeseed oil)
Fine sea salt
1 tbsp. vinegar (rice wine, white wine, champagne, or red wine)
½ c. (loosely packed) shiso sprouts, or 6–8 shiso leaves cut into 1-in. squares
Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and then again, crosswise. Set a 12- or 14-inch heavy-bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat and add the oil. Swirl the oil around the pan until no bald spots remain. Place the cucumbers in the skillet cut side down and char 4 to 5 minutes (you may have to do this in batches so as to not overcrowd your skillet; add more oil between batches if the skillet seems dry). Transfer the cucumbers to a rimmed plate or baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and vinegar. Let cool to room temperature. Taste, and add more salt, if needed. Toss gently and then shower on shiso sprouts or shiso leaves. Stack in small serving bowls.
If you’ve always wanted to cultivate your very own green oasis, March is an ideal time to kick-start your plans. Whether you aim to nurture beautiful flowers in containers or cultivate veggies in your backyard, you can achieve your green-thumb goals with these tips.
Determine what and when to plant
For most novice gardeners, the easiest avenue to take may be planting outdoors; beginning indoors generally requires more time and effort along with additional supplies like seed-starting trays and grow lights. Naturally, this method will require you to consider your location and climate when selecting your crops and deciding when to put them in soil. Two of the best indicators to look into are your area’s planting zone—a geographic region defined by its average annual minimum winter temperature—and its last frost date. The former can help you assess which plants may thrive best year-round, while the latter will tell you when it’s safe to start certain seeds or seedlings outdoors.
For instance, cold-hardy crops like lettuce and carrots can be planted weeks before said date, but you should hold off on warm-weather ones like cucumbers and eggplants until temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees. Consult with your local gardening center or various online resources for guidance on what options make the most sense for you and your area; the Old Farmer’s Almanac website offers a great regional planting calendar for produce in particular. (Or check out the downloadable veggie cheat sheet below!) And if it turns out your spring planting season isn’t here yet, you can use this time to make a game plan for launching your garden when the weather warms up.
Get your supplies
Gardening requires some supplies, but you’ll likely only need a few at first; you can always expand your collection later as you develop your skills and hone your preferences.
Tools
A round-point shovel is vital for starting a simple garden plot, while a hand trowel will come in handy for getting your seeds or seedlings into the dirt. Further, you’ll need some compost and either a garden hose or a watering can to keep your plants fed and hydrated. And though not essential, you may also want to acquire some protective gear, such as gloves to safeguard your hands from scratches, a hat to shield you from the sun, and bug repellent to ward off insects.
Containers
If going the container route, you have plenty of options to choose from, including terra-cotta or resin pots and eco-friendly fabric grow bags. Be sure to select a decently large vessel that offers ample drainage to help mitigate overwatering and prevent root rot.
Seeds or plants
Depending on a variety of factors, you may want to buy either seeds or ready-to-plant seedlings. For instance, it may make the most sense to use seeds—which tend to be less expensive—for crops that grow very quickly, like zinnias, and seedlings for ones that take more time to mature, like tomatoes. Seedlings are also a great option if you get started late in the season since they will produce fruit far more quickly than seeds will.
Prepare your garden
Once you have your supplies, start preparing your garden beds or containers. For both, choose a location that gets the amount of sun or shade needed for what you want to plant; most vegetable and flower gardens require at least four hours of sunlight. You can check your seeds’ packaging or seedlings’ pots or look online for each plant’s sunlight specifications.
To create a garden plot, you’ll need to clear away debris like twigs and rocks and dig up any existing grass, weeds, or other plantings. Use your shovel to loosen the soil to a depth of at least eight inches, which will give the roots ample room to grow as well as access to air and water. Then work in a four-to-eight-inch layer of compost to add essential nutrients. As for a container garden, the preparation process is much simpler: in most cases, you simply need to fill your vessel nearly to the top with fresh potting mix.
Start planting
Now that your soil is ready, you can start digging! Plant your seeds according to their directions, which should specify how deep and how far apart from each other they should be placed. Similarly, the tags for your seedlings should indicate how big a hole they’ll need; you’ll also want to use your fingers to gently untangle their roots and encourage growth. Finish by lightly covering the seeds or seedlings with dirt and watering them carefully.
How often you’ll need to water your new garden during the season will depend on factors like the amount of precipitation your region gets and your soil. In general, though, be sure to do so at least one to three times a week; wilting leaves or flowers or dirt that feels dry to the touch will signal that your plants are thirsty.
As your garden takes root, you’ll be amazed at how quickly it flourishes—before you know it, you may find yourself rewarded with a bounty of fresh produce or vibrant blooms you can enjoy for weeks to come.
“Can’t repeat the past? . . . Why of course you can!” —Jay Gatsby
Author F. Scott Fitzgerald was on a roll in the early 1920s: he married the love of his life, published his first two books, and then followed those up with the release of The Great Gatsby. The 1925 novel, a snapshot of the high life during the Jazz Age, would prove to be his most enduring and impactful work, regularly appearing on literary, publisher, and popular culture lists of the best American books of all time.
April 10 marks the one hundredth anniversary of The Great Gatsby’s publication, and people all around America and the world are ready to celebrate the momentous occasion with some early twentieth-century vibes. If you’re interested in joining them, you have a myriad of options to choose from throughout the months ahead. There’s so much to do and see, in fact, that you might just understand what the novel’s protagonist, Nick Carraway, means when he says that he’s “simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
Considering the novel’s theme and settings, it seems appropriate to begin with a rundown of where to attend a Gatsby-esque get-together. Here are just a few to mull over—they’re all truly the bee’s knees.
Gatsby (Washington, DC)
A few restaurants out there indulge in a 1920s feel, but this eatery and gin joint in the nation’s capital takes the cake: it goes all out, from its swinging decor to its keen food and drink names. Get a little bougie with a duck, pork, and foie gras version of the classic hot dog (appropriately named Hot Duckity Dog!), or indulge in a glass of Greta’s Punch, a fruity cocktail with a touch of gingery heat.
The Great Gatsby Party (eight locations)
You’ll have a rip-roaring time at one of these parties held throughout the year and across North America. Here you can celebrate the era big time with high-class food, a drink menu fit for a speakeasy, entertainment such as live music, aerialists, and stilt walkers, and guys and dolls galore dressed in three-piece suits and flapper fashion.
Great Gatsby Festival (South Lake Tahoe, CA)
Speaking of garb, this style-focused early-August festival at the Tallac Historic Site has been feting the novel for almost four decades. Between its tea, live jazz performances, lawn games like sack races, and vintage fashion show, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back to the twenties for a weekend. You might even see a Model T!
If you aren’t the partying type, there’s always savoring the work itself. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in transforming Fitzgerald’s book into various forms of entertainment, which will surely make for a copacetic evening.
On Broadway (New York, NY)
A hit musical, The Great Gatsby, starring Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada, started bringing its take on Fitzgerald’s tale to life in 2024. Be sure to get your tickets early for a lively, exhilarating performance you won’t soon forget.
At home
Unsurprisingly, the novel has become an audiobook favorite with several narrations available, including one by actor Jake Gyllenhaal. To further get into the centennial spirit, you could also watch the 2013 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio or an older version with Paul Rudd (2000) or Robert Redford (1974).
Are you more interested in getting to know the man behind the novel? Dash off to places where he lived and gained inspiration to write his seminal novel.
The F. Scott Fitzgerald House (St. Paul, MN)
Here’s where it all began: the author’s birthplace. Listed as both a National Historic Landmark and a Literary Landmark, this Victorian building is well worth a visit. Nearby, you can also see similar structures in which he and his family lived as well as where he went to school.
The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum (Montgomery, AL)
Visit the house where the couple stayed for a spell in the early thirties, which its current owners dub “the only museum dedicated to the lives and legacies of F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald in the world.” As a registered historic home, it retains much of its original decor; you can even stay in one of two second-floor suites named after each Fitzgerald.
Gatsby’s Gold Coast Mansions (Long Island, NY)
In addition to being locales for Hollywood movies and more, this historical trio of jaw-dropping destinations is thought to be the inspiration for Fitzgerald’s novel. Take your pick or see them all: Sands Point Preserve is the grounds for three century-old mansions, Old Westbury Gardens is a twenty-three-room English manor house set on two hundred acres, and historic Oheka Castle, a French-style château located on the highest point of Long Island, offers unmatched luxury accommodations in addition to tours.
With Great Gatsby celebrations popping up across the country this year, consider visiting one of these swell places to get a taste of the roaring twenties—or see if anything local is happening in your area to celebrate the occasion. Even better, take some time to curl up with the novel to discover (or rediscover) what all the fuss is about and be taken back to American high society as it was a century ago.
