dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
night, the first of august
midsummer
the full weight of summer.
everything is ripe or ripening or done.
the garden gives morethan i can carry insidethe table overflows
sky
warm and loud with insects. sleep with the windows open or don't sleep.
- waning gibbous, 93% lit
- sunrise 6:23 am · sunset 8:19 pm
- 13h 56m of daylight (-1.7 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:47 pm · sailor's dark 9:21 pm · true dark 9:57 pm
the moon is full. plant root crops: carrots, potatoes, beets, onions, garlic. the energy is pulling downward now. bulbs and perennials go in well under a full moon.
the summer triangle dominates: vega, deneb, altair, high and bright
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
- let some herbs bolt and flower for the bees
- second planting of beans if you have the space
- the garden is giving now, keep up with it or it spoils
- harvest in the morning before the heat sets in
this week
- stake and tie anything that is leaning. the weight of fruit will snap a stem.
- harvest everything on time. overripe vegetables tell the plant to stop producing.
good neighbors
- a row of buckwheat where a bed has emptied, it brings the bees and feeds the soil for fall
- basil started again from cuttings, the second crop of the year is the strongest for pesto
- a second planting of bush beans beside the cucumbers, both will run together to the frost
bad neighbors
- garlic dropped in among the new peas, the peas will be small and bitter for it
- another round of squash where the first one suffered, the bug eggs are already waiting
- do not return tomatoes to last year's tomato ground, the soil is asking for three years of rest
kitchen
in season
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
tonight
- eat outside if there is a breeze
putting up
- hot peppers go three ways: strung on thread to dry, fermented for hot sauce, or whole into freezer bags.
- peaches in july. can in light syrup, peel and freeze, brandy a few jars for winter.
foraging
- 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.
- wild plums, small and tart, good for jam and nothing else.
- 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.
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.
the yellow garden spider, huge and beautiful, writing zigzags in her web.