dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
afternoon, the twenty-sixth 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, 92% lit
- sunrise 6:18 am · sunset 8:24 pm
- 14h 6m of daylight (-1.5 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:52 pm · sailor's dark 9:27 pm · true dark 10:05 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 perseids have been watched for two thousand years. the old catholics called them "the tears of saint lawrence," who was martyred in august. the chinese recorded them in 36 AD. they are the most reliable meteor shower and the best one for warm-weather watching.
the dog days storm. it comes when the air is so heavy you can feel it pressing down. the buildup takes all day and the relief when it breaks is physical. the old farmers said you could smell it coming.
garden
in the ground now
- save seeds from what did well, close the circle
- 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
- water in the morning, before the sun is high. evening watering invites fungus.
- take notes on what worked and what failed. your memory will lie to you by winter.
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
- 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
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
- eat outside if there is a breeze
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
tonight
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
putting up
- blackberry syrup for winter biscuits.
- cucumbers in the crock now. salt, water, dill, garlic, a grape leaf for crispness. ferment three to ten days.
foraging
- chanterelle mushrooms after summer rains, golden in the hardwood leaf litter.
- sumac berries, the red fuzzy clusters. steep in cold water for a drink like pink lemonade.
- 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.
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.
jewelweed stem, crushed fresh, for poison ivy. it often grows right next to it. 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.