dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
morning, the twenty-second 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.
- first quarter, 61% lit
- sunrise 6:15 am · sunset 8:27 pm
- 14h 12m of daylight (-1.4 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:56 pm · sailor's dark 9:31 pm · true dark 10:09 pm
the moon is in its first quarter. plant things that fruit: tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash. the increasing light favors strong stems and heavy fruit.
the perseid meteors begin in late july, peaking in august, bits of comet swift-tuttle
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
- save seeds from what did well, close the circle
- let some herbs bolt and flower for the bees
- second planting of beans if you have the space
this week
- check the compost and turn it. midsummer heat makes it cook fast.
- harvest everything on time. overripe vegetables tell the plant to stop producing.
good neighbors
- marigolds sown thick where the brassicas will follow, they leave the ground cleaner than they found it
- a few sunflowers at the north end of the bed, where the shade falls on no one important
- a second planting of bush beans beside the cucumbers, both will run together to the frost
bad neighbors
- do not return tomatoes to last year's tomato ground, the soil is asking for three years of rest
- 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
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
- 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
tonight
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
putting up
- hot peppers go three ways: strung on thread to dry, fermented for hot sauce, or whole into freezer bags.
- basil into pesto, frozen in oil cubes. herbs in oil at room temperature are not safe; the freezer is what makes them safe.
foraging
- wild plums, small and tart, good for jam and nothing else.
- jewelweed, the orange-flowered plant near creeks. crush the stem for poison ivy relief.
- sumac berries, the red fuzzy clusters. steep in cold water for a drink like pink lemonade.
- chanterelle mushrooms after summer rains, golden in the hardwood leaf litter.
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.
cicadas, loud enough to drown out thought. they are harmless.