Goodbye July, hello August. Hard to believe how quickly summer is leaving. Today we celebrate first harvest known as Lammas, and the quickening of the days getting shorter. I try to hold on to everyone of these longer days, refusing to come in until the sun starts its decline.
This summer has been cooler and more humid than I remember in a long time. So cool that I still have sweet peas which are usually long gone by the end of April. And we even have orange poppies still in the garden. This means we have a lot of butterflies this year. Mostly Monarch’s and yellow butteries, plus a few of those pink ground skippers that I first saw last year. And crickets, which we never had before this year. The flowers are blooming longer and the plants are continuing to produce way past their usual life. The other day, my cat Puppy, was standing over two mating Monarch’s. I was afraid he would attack them, but he didn’t. He just stood over them watching. I’ve been looking for their eggs somewhere ever since. We still have tropical milkweed. No matter how much I pull out, it pops up elsewhere. The Asclepias california, which is the preferred milkweed for Monarch’s has not taken to my garden. I planted it in four or five places without luck. It just does not grow well in my yard. So, I make sure to cut back the tropical milkweed in the fall so that it does not harbor the parasites that make the butterflies sick.
Even with this cooler weather, my wine grapes are doing well. Some will be ready to pick in the next few weeks. I may have to pick them and freeze them while I wait for the rest of the crop to come in. I am really pleased with the quality of the grapes this year. Perhaps the dryer winter weather helped tamp down the fungus they were plagued with the last two years. I am looking forward to making wine and also my mulled wine jam with them.
Lammas is usually celebrated with bread or grains. Traditionally, bread is baked for sharing of the first harvest of the grains. Of course, not many of us grow our own grains these days. I plan to slice some good sourdough made by my neighbor for dipping in olive oil and fresh herbs from my garden of oregano and thyme. We are also getting in our Muscat grapes which should go nicely with the bread tonight. I like to celebrate each of these holidays to connect to the rhythm of the earth. August may be the hottest month, but you can feel the shift in the air and the light. Enjoy the long days this month and your harvest.
Reflections Outside My Window 