dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
night, the twenty-first of july
early summer
the days are longest. the heat is building.
the garden is a job now, not a hope.
the tomato vineclimbs past the stake i gave itreaching for the sun
sky
heavy air. the kind of night that does not cool down.
- first quarter, 56% lit
- sunrise 6:14 am · sunset 8:27 pm
- 14h 13m of daylight (-1.3 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:56 pm · sailor's dark 9:32 pm · true dark 10:10 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 big dipper begins to tip westward, pouring out the long days
the dry storm. lightning with no rain. the most dangerous kind for starting fires. the sky flickers and nothing falls. the old word was "dry lightning" and it was feared.
garden
in the ground now
- pinch the suckers from the tomatoes
- thin what is too close, a hard kindness
- water deep and less often, teach the roots to reach
- the weeds are fast now, stay ahead or make peace
this week
- succession plant beans and lettuce every two weeks for continuous harvest.
- pinch suckers on tomato plants to focus energy on fruit, not leaves.
good neighbors
- chives and parsley left to bloom, every flower is a contract with a pollinator
- nasturtium among the squash vines, a sacrifice the squash bug accepts in their place
- marigold everywhere, the deeper the summer the more they earn their square of soil
bad neighbors
- a second tomato never thrives where the first one stands, they will only fight for what is left
- if anything new goes in, do not set it where the kin grew last year, the soil holds the memory
- sunflowers pull water and shade hard, do not crowd the beans against the stems
kitchen
in season
- cucumber water in a jar on the counter
- peaches if they came in, sliced over vanilla ice cream
- grilled corn, butter, a little cayenne
- zucchini in everything, there is always too much
tonight
- tomatoes still warm from the vine, sliced with salt
putting up
- sour cherries for pie filling, sweet cherries for brandy. pit the first, leave the second whole.
- snap peas and snow peas blanch and freeze fast. four minutes in boiling water, then ice, then bag.
foraging
- purslane, low and succulent in garden beds. more omega-3s than any other green.
- black raspberries, ripening in thickets and fencerows. they do not wait.
- lamb's quarters, a weed that tastes better than spinach. grows everywhere.
- sassafras leaves, young and bright green. dry and grind for file powder.
summer foraging shifts from greens to fruits. the heat pushes everything toward ripeness at once. go out in the morning before it gets unbearable.
folklore
the strawberry moon, the rose moon. midsummer approaches, the longest days. the anglo-saxons called june sere-month, the dry month, when the fields bake and harden. the light stays so long you forget it leaves.
peppermint and spearmint iced tea. brew strong, cool, pour over ice. the heat demands it. summer remedies are about staying cool, staying hydrated, and treating the small injuries the garden gives you. sunburn, bug bites, sore muscles.
mosquitoes at dawn and dusk. standing water is where they breed. dump it.