dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
dawn, the fourteenth 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
the air is thick before sunrise. everything is already sweating.
- new moon, 0% lit
- sunrise 6:10 am · sunset 8:31 pm
- 14h 22m of daylight (-1.1 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 9:01 pm · sailor's dark 9:37 pm · true dark 10:16 pm
the moon is dark. this is a time for rest and planning. prepare beds, amend soil, but do not plant. the old farmers said nothing wants to start in the dark.
the summer triangle dominates: vega, deneb, altair, high and bright
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
- let some herbs bolt and flower for the bees
- harvest in the morning before the heat sets in
- second planting of beans if you have the space
this week
- order garlic for fall planting now. the good varieties sell out early.
- harvest everything on time. overripe vegetables tell the plant to stop producing.
good neighbors
- marigolds sown thick where the brassicas will follow, they leave the ground cleaner than they found it
- basil started again from cuttings, the second crop of the year is the strongest for pesto
- a few sunflowers at the north end of the bed, where the shade falls on no one important
bad neighbors
- never put fall brassicas where the spring brassicas stood, the cabbage worms remember the place
- 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
kitchen
in season
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
- watermelon with salt, the oldest summer trick
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
tonight
- eat outside if there is a breeze
putting up
- corn off the cob, blanched four minutes, then frozen. corn cannot be water-bath canned safely. it must go in a pressure canner or stay in the freezer.
- green beans the same way. low-acid foods need a pressure canner. otherwise pickle them as dilly beans.
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.
a simple electrolyte: water, honey, salt, lemon juice. better than anything in a bottle. 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.