dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
night, the twenty-fourth 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.
- waxing gibbous, 76% lit
- sunrise 6:17 am · sunset 8:25 pm
- 14h 9m of daylight (-1.5 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:54 pm · sailor's dark 9:29 pm · true dark 10:07 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 perseid meteors begin in late july, peaking in august, bits of comet swift-tuttle
heat lightning. no thunder, just the sky flickering at the horizon. the storm is too far away to hear but the light carries. the old people watched it from the porch and called it "the shimmer."
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
- check the compost and turn it. midsummer heat makes it cook fast.
- harvest everything on time. overripe vegetables tell the plant to stop producing.
good neighbors
- basil started again from cuttings, the second crop of the year is the strongest for pesto
- nasturtium tumbling between the squash hills, the bugs go to it and not the fruit
- 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
- another round of squash where the first one suffered, the bug eggs are already waiting
- never put fall brassicas where the spring brassicas stood, the cabbage worms remember the place
kitchen
in season
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
- eat outside if there is a breeze
tonight
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
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
- wild plums, small and tart, good for jam and nothing else.
- chanterelle mushrooms after summer rains, golden in the hardwood leaf litter.
- blackberries, everywhere, ripening in waves through july and august.
- 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.
hibiscus iced tea, tart and red and full of vitamin c. brew a whole jar and keep it cold. 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.