dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
afternoon, the twenty-third 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
oppressive. thunderheads pile up. the storms when they come are violent and brief.
- waxing gibbous, 73% lit
- sunrise 6:16 am · sunset 8:26 pm
- 14h 10m of daylight (-1.4 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:55 pm · sailor's dark 9:30 pm · true dark 10:08 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 milky way runs through it, visible on clear dark nights away from town
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
- let some herbs bolt and flower for the bees
- save seeds from what did well, close the circle
- second planting of beans if you have the space
- harvest in the morning before the heat sets in
this week
- harvest everything on time. overripe vegetables tell the plant to stop producing.
- stake and tie anything that is leaning. the weight of fruit will snap a stem.
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 row of buckwheat where a bed has emptied, it brings the bees and feeds the soil for fall
bad neighbors
- 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
- another round of squash where the first one suffered, the bug eggs are already waiting
kitchen
in season
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
- eat outside if there is a breeze
- 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
- the first figs come in. jam them, dry them, or bake them into the lid of a tart.
- peaches in july. can in light syrup, peel and freeze, brandy a few jars for winter.
foraging
- blackberries, everywhere, ripening in waves through july and august.
- wild plums, small and tart, good for jam and nothing else.
- passionflower vine, blooming wild. the flower makes a calming tea.
- 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.