Produce

If one uses meteorological summer, which constitutes June-July-August, we are now in the last weeks of summer. Put another way: halfway through, are we, the last month of the meteorological summer season. Or, about five weeks to the autumn equinox on Sept 23. Late summer brings a number of changes. A few thoughts come to mind about August, but perhaps garden produce takes precedence.

First, is garden produce. Gardening is a story of transitions--garden plants and their harvest transition over the growing season. Summer garden crops are now coming in abundance--peppers, eggplant, summer squashes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, kale, collard greens, and some fruit--apples are ripening fast, some already so, and pears will be ready soon. I had my first taste of stand bought sweet corn last Saturday. Some crops are now in the late stages of produce--raspberries, broccoli, cabbage and perhaps greens like lettuce, unless one could get a planting in during the heat of the summer. Early crops have been done for several weeks now--radishes and peas being two examples. I have not been successful in successive plantings of radishes, with later planting simply being long and thin, rather than plump and robust. However, as hot as the summer was, I was surprised at how long our peas continued to produce. We may have picked our last peas just this week.  Tomatoes are also ripening, and now they start coming quickly. We did not plant tomatoes for canning this year, but my son did, and Land Girl was kind enough to can several quarts of his tomatoes for him. We did plant some sun gold tomatoes which Land Girl loves to eat. Next year will grow an even sweeter tomato for her. When completing the tomatoes, she moved the same day, Monday, to canning apple sauce from apples provided to us by her sister and brother-in-law from their apple tree. Being a cool, wet day, Monday was a perfect day for Land Girl to do what Land Girl's like to do--putting up produce. Our freezers are loaded with frozen raspberries picked this year, and some packs we need to yet use from last year. It makes me wonder where we will put the Brussel sprouts.

Hawk resting on our deck railing

Second, fall sport practices have started. I see this with the boys next door. One is entering his freshman year of high school and his cross-country practice started this week. His younger brother started youth football last week. The first high school football game is this weekend, August 18. School does not start until after Labor Day, but football and other fall sports cannot wait.

Third, our day light hours, due to the physics of our planetary bodies, are getting shorter. Last week Saturday, Land Girl and I went on a bike ride at 6:30 am and it was difficult biking east as the sun was right in our eyes. It has been noticeable for a time that the days are getting shorter, where we have day light as we would have in April. But, April day light seems more expansive as the days lengthen after the dark and cold of winter. 

Hawk at our pond, perhaps looking to eat the duck sculpture

Fourth, it is a time for families to get in last minute outings before school takes hold. Many state campgrounds are quite full. Although in WI when are state campgrounds not booked? Mount Olympus, a waterpark in the Wisconsin Dells, is looking to add the nation's tallest outdoor water slide, with construction slated to start after they close following Labor Day. It is interesting how much money is spent on activities that are only three month operations. Outdoor waterparks being but one example. 

Finally, is nature itself. Having been up north a couple weeks ago I marveled at how some of the maple trees were already changing. Talk about a lot of effort for a few month time frame--some trees definitely foot the bill. They may leaf out for more than three months, but with leaves changing in early August, one knows autumn is not too distant. Squirrels in the yard have seemed to move from pro-creating to harvesting the hickory nuts from several hickory trees in the backyard. A rather significant part of our upper backyard is littered with the detritus of broken hickory nuts. The young hawks are busy attempting to buzz down small rodents and rabbits. The rabbits busy trying to stay alive by scurrying along edges of flower beds and avoiding the open lawn. I have hardly to fill the bird feeders this summer as the hawks seem to have kept the birds, who used to frequent the feeders, away. Meanwhile, monarchs have been laying eggs on our milkweed plant, but the small eggs, are no longer as prevalent as just week prior.

Squirrel eating a nut, with detritus of nuts on stump

In a few weeks the weather person will be talking about the arrival of meteorological fall. Produce will still be coming, transitioning to Brussel sprouts, winter squash and a few other plants. For now, the produce from our garden is abundant and has made us realize we can get by with fewer plants of certain crops. It is the time of year for Land Girls to do what Land Girls do, put up produce. It is just a matter of freezer space.