dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
night, the eighteenth of august
midsummer
the full weight of summer.
everything is ripe or ripening or done.
thunder in the westthe corn stands perfectly stillwaiting for the rain
sky
warm and loud with insects. sleep with the windows open or don't sleep.
- waxing crescent, 40% lit
- sunrise 6:36 am · sunset 8:00 pm
- 13h 24m of daylight (-2.0 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:27 pm · sailor's dark 8:59 pm · true dark 9:33 pm
the moon is waxing. plant leafy things: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, herbs that grow above ground. the light is growing and pulls the energy upward.
sagittarius follows scorpius, his teapot shape pointing toward the center of the galaxy
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
- save seeds from what did well, close the circle
- second planting of beans if you have the space
- 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.
- check the compost and turn it. midsummer heat makes it cook fast.
good neighbors
- a few sunflowers at the north end of the bed, where the shade falls on no one important
- nasturtium tumbling between the squash hills, the bugs go to it and not the fruit
- marigolds sown thick where the brassicas will follow, they leave the ground cleaner than they found it
bad neighbors
- garlic dropped in among the new peas, the peas will be small and bitter for it
- never put fall brassicas where the spring brassicas stood, the cabbage worms remember the place
- 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
- eat outside if there is a breeze
- it is too hot to cook, so don't
- cold soups, gazpacho, things from the fridge
tonight
- can or freeze what you cannot eat, winter will want it
putting up
- watermelon rind makes a sweet pickle. the south figured this out a long time ago. nothing wasted.
- 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.
- sumac berries, the red fuzzy clusters. steep in cold water for a drink like pink lemonade.
- passionflower vine, blooming wild. the flower makes a calming tea.
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.
passionflower tea from wild vines. deeply calming. good for the restless nights the heat brings. midsummer medicine is first aid. the garden and the woods are handing out scratches, bites, heat, and rashes. have your remedies ready.
dragonflies over the garden, eating hundreds of mosquitoes a day. allies.