dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
night, the eighth of july
midsummer
the full weight of summer.
everything is ripe or ripening or done.
the garden gives morethan i can carry insidethe table overflows
sky
warm and loud with insects. sleep with the windows open or don't sleep.
- last quarter, 35% lit
- sunrise 6:06 am · sunset 8:33 pm
- 14h 28m of daylight (-0.8 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 9:03 pm · sailor's dark 9:40 pm · true dark 10:20 pm
the moon is in its last quarter. pull weeds, turn compost, cultivate the soil. this is a killing time, good for destroying what you do not want. the weeds will not come back as fast.
the perseid meteors begin in late july, peaking in august, bits of comet swift-tuttle
heat lightning. no thunder, just the sky flickering at the horizon. the storm is too far away to hear but the light carries. the old people watched it from the porch and called it "the shimmer."
garden
in the ground now
- the garden is giving now, keep up with it or it spoils
- let some herbs bolt and flower for the bees
- second planting of beans if you have the space
- save seeds from what did well, close the circle
this week
- stake and tie anything that is leaning. the weight of fruit will snap a stem.
- water in the morning, before the sun is high. evening watering invites fungus.
good neighbors
- borage left to flower fully, it is the bees' last reliable cup before the heat breaks
- a second planting of bush beans beside the cucumbers, both will run together to the frost
- nasturtium tumbling between the squash hills, the bugs go to it and not the fruit
bad neighbors
- fennel anywhere near the new bean rows, the seedlings will sulk all the way to fall
- garlic dropped in among the new peas, the peas will be small and bitter for it
- never put fall brassicas where the spring brassicas stood, the cabbage worms remember the place
kitchen
in season
- eat outside if there is a breeze
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
tonight
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
putting up
- basil into pesto, frozen in oil cubes. herbs in oil at room temperature are not safe; the freezer is what makes them safe.
- watermelon rind makes a sweet pickle. the south figured this out a long time ago. nothing wasted.
foraging
- chanterelle mushrooms after summer rains, golden in the hardwood leaf litter.
- jewelweed, the orange-flowered plant near creeks. crush the stem for poison ivy relief.
- blackberries, everywhere, ripening in waves through july and august.
- passionflower vine, blooming wild. the flower makes a calming tea.
midsummer foraging is abundance and sweat. bring a bucket and water. the blackberries alone will keep you busy for weeks.
folklore
the buck moon, the thunder moon. the dog days begin when sirius rises with the sun. the old farmers blamed the star for the heat. it is not the star. but the name stuck.
calendula flowers, steeped in oil for weeks. makes a healing salve for cracked hands and dry skin. midsummer medicine is first aid. the garden and the woods are handing out scratches, bites, heat, and rashes. have your remedies ready.
stink bugs arriving. they want your tomatoes. they will get some.