dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
morning, the twenty-fifth of july
midsummer
the full weight of summer.
everything is ripe or ripening or done.
thunder in the westthe corn stands perfectly stillwaiting for the rain
sky
blazing. the garden wilts by ten. water it or lose it.
- waxing gibbous, 86% lit
- sunrise 6:17 am · sunset 8:25 pm
- 14h 7m of daylight (-1.5 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:53 pm · sailor's dark 9:28 pm · true dark 10:06 pm
the moon is nearly full. transplant, fertilize, graft. the light is strongest and the sap is rising. a good time to move plants and feed the soil.
the milky way runs through it, visible on clear dark nights away from town
a cloudburst. not just rain but the whole sky falling at once. half an inch in ten minutes. the ditches fill, the creek jumps its bank, and then it stops. the sun comes out like nothing happened.
garden
in the ground now
- harvest in the morning before the heat sets in
- 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
this week
- pull spent crops and plant fall seeds in their place. bush beans, beets, carrots.
- order garlic for fall planting now. the good varieties sell out early.
good neighbors
- a row of buckwheat where a bed has emptied, it brings the bees and feeds the soil for fall
- nasturtium tumbling between the squash hills, the bugs go to it and not the fruit
- a second planting of bush beans beside the cucumbers, both will run together to the frost
bad neighbors
- another round of squash where the first one suffered, the bug eggs are already waiting
- 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
kitchen
in season
- eat outside if there is a breeze
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
tonight
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
putting up
- corn off the cob, blanched four minutes, then frozen. corn cannot be water-bath canned safely. it must go in a pressure canner or stay in the freezer.
- basil into pesto, frozen in oil cubes. herbs in oil at room temperature are not safe; the freezer is what makes them safe.
foraging
- jewelweed, the orange-flowered plant near creeks. crush the stem for poison ivy relief.
- wild plums, small and tart, good for jam and nothing else.
- passionflower vine, blooming wild. the flower makes a calming tea.
- sumac berries, the red fuzzy clusters. steep in cold water for a drink like pink lemonade.
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.
a simple electrolyte: water, honey, salt, lemon juice. better than anything in a bottle. midsummer medicine is first aid. the garden and the woods are handing out scratches, bites, heat, and rashes. have your remedies ready.
japanese beetles at their worst. the roses suffer most.