The calendar says today is the first day of summer, yet I’m not sure how it arrived too fast. My sense of the seasons is off, a fact I attribute to not planting my garden this year. The challenges presented by 2020 meant something had to give.
Moving from spring plantings to summer’s bounty has always been marked by the progression of my tiny farming efforts. Sowing, transplanting, watering, and weeding are exercises requiring patience while we wait for blossoms and marvel as the plants set fruit. Corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, and summer squash lend to the feel and smells I associate with warm summer evenings. Basil, mint, dill, and coriander provide mouthwatering spices.
There is great joy in grazing in the garden. Bright strawberries get added to beet tops, fresh-cut mesclun, and chives. If we are lucky, the early tomatoes ripen before the lettuce bolts. But the local farmer’s market helps supplement fresh meals. Thankfully, my farmer’s market is running, albeit with modifications, so I won’t miss my garden too much.
What signals summer for you?
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Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
