dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
night, the ninth of july
midsummer
the full weight of summer.
everything is ripe or ripening or done.
shade beneath the oakthe only cool place to sitthe dog already knows
sky
warm and loud with insects. sleep with the windows open or don't sleep.
- last quarter, 33% lit
- sunrise 6:06 am · sunset 8:33 pm
- 14h 27m of daylight (-0.9 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 9:03 pm · sailor's dark 9:39 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
the tropical remnant. what is left of a hurricane after it has come inland and lost its name. days of grey warm rain. everything floods slowly. the old farmers knew it by the way the wind circled.
garden
in the ground now
- second planting of beans if you have the space
- harvest in the morning before the heat sets in
- let some herbs bolt and flower for the bees
- the garden is giving now, keep up with it or it spoils
this week
- harvest everything on time. overripe vegetables tell the plant to stop producing.
- pull spent crops and plant fall seeds in their place. bush beans, beets, carrots.
good neighbors
- a few sunflowers at the north end of the bed, where the shade falls on no one important
- basil started again from cuttings, the second crop of the year is the strongest for pesto
- a row of buckwheat where a bed has emptied, it brings the bees and feeds the soil for fall
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
- do not return tomatoes to last year's tomato ground, the soil is asking for three years of rest
kitchen
in season
- eat outside if there is a breeze
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
tonight
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
putting up
- green beans the same way. low-acid foods need a pressure canner. otherwise pickle them as dilly beans.
- peaches in july. can in light syrup, peel and freeze, brandy a few jars for winter.
foraging
- wild plums, small and tart, good for jam and nothing else.
- passionflower vine, blooming wild. the flower makes a calming tea.
- jewelweed, the orange-flowered plant near creeks. crush the stem for poison ivy relief.
- blackberries, everywhere, ripening in waves through july and august.
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.
passionflower tea from wild vines. deeply calming. good for the restless nights the heat brings. 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.