dark furrow

if the crickets are chirping, count the chirps in fourteen seconds and add forty. that is the temperature in fahrenheit. the old farmers did not need a thermometer. ❧ the moon is waning. harvest what is ready, cut herbs for drying, prune what needs shaping. the energy is drawing inward. what you cut now heals faster. ❧ lemon balm tea from whatever survived the winter. calming, gentle on the stomach. ❧ early spring foraging is mostly greens. the land is generous before the heat comes, offering what the body needs after a long winter of stored food.

leeks and potatoes into a slow pot with thyme ❧ water now if the soil is dry. the night gives it time to soak. ❧ the line storm. it comes at the equinox, when winter and spring argue over the same ground. the old almanacs expected it, marked it, planned around it. ❧ spring remedies are about waking up. the body has been indoors too long. bitter greens and sharp roots shake the dust off.

the worm moon is coming or just passed. some called this the crow moon, for the sound that breaks the silence at the end of winter. the sap moon, because the maples are running. the ground is unlocking. ❧ wild onions and ramps, if you know where they grow. take only what you need.