How to use summer's bounty in quick breads that go sweet or savory

Need something easy to add to an otherwise mundane menu? Or something simple to take to a potluck, cookout or another social occasion? What you need is a good quick bread. They're called quick breads because they're quick to make, at least compared to yeast-risen breads, and they fall halfway between cake and bread. Whether sweet or savory, quick breads can incorporate the best of summer's fruits and vegetables.

Quick breads have a rich history in American foodways. Life changed for home cooks back in 1846, when baking soda - often called saleratus at the time - was marketed, making the first quick breads easy to bake at home. Mixed with acidic soured milk or buttermilk that might otherwise have gone to waste, baking soda created a chemical reaction that made possible the gas bubbles that leaven these breads.

Further innovation came 10 years later, when