Summer's Heat
Hello friends,
It has been a Spring of neglect with my newsletter, and I apologize for this. In a normal year, when the needs of the farm become overwhelming, I tend to retreat from administrative tasks all together. But this year has been a strange one with various sicknesses and low energy. I’ve turned a corner I hope and have been so grateful for Grace, Becca, and Tony, who have been coming out to the farm weekly to help with various tasks. I have been amazed at the resilience of my farm crew. They bring such energy and enthusiasm every week and I am so thankful. THANK YOU farm crew!
The Summer Solstice has come and gone! It is officially Summer which I can hardly believe except that the heat is ever present and a constant reminder. When will there be rain? This is always the time of year when I question the farming vocation. It is difficult to stay motivated and present to the daily tasks when there is such little reprieve. Each day comes and I must sometimes remind myself of the gift of working on the land with my hands - participating with creation to create such beauty.
THANK YOU for continuing to support Little Sparrow. The encouragement and support keeps us farmers going.
Flower Care
Many of you have asked about keeping flowers fresh and happy. There are always going to be variations in varieties and their vase life but here are a few simple tips once you receive your bouquet or come out to pick fresh flowers.
1. As soon as you bring home your cut flowers,change out the water. Cleanliness is of the utmost importance as bacteria will clog the stem, preventing the flower from drinking up water.
2. Trim the stems at an angle using a sharp knife or floral snips. For many flowers this helps with drawing in water and helping the stems to stay hydrated.
3. Discard any leaves growing low on the stem that may touch the water. Leaves in the water cause bacteria to grow; bacteria is the primary reason that vase life is cut short in fresh flowers. There are also MANY flowers that we call “dirty” flowers because they release bacteria into the water. Some examples are sunflowers, zinnias, dahlias, and black eyed-susans. This is another reason to change out the water regularly.
4. Change the water every other day using warm water. Re-cut flowers the same way as above if they need perking up.
5. Keep your flowers in a cool location and out of direct sunlight.
A Playful Offering
I wanted to share a delightful read, especially for those of you who have children. I picked up a copy at the Regulator off 9th Street in Durham a couple of years ago and it has been a joy to read now and again. The New Piedmont Almanac, by David Fuller Cook. The book is meant to be a “loose” reference guide for the Eastern forests (Central Piedmont, which lies chiefly in North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland). It is less than definitive but is a beautiful and “useful aid for participating in the natural processes we cherish as Life,” says Cook. If you have a child’s heart, or a sense of wonder, or relish in the changing of the seasons, this might be a good book to have as a resource. It reminds me a bit of Japan’s 72 micro-seasons, which I wrote about this past year in a summer solstice post. Maybe there is something about this time of year that attunes my spirit to the ecology in my backyard. Life is all around!
The book begins with the first week of January and moves through each week until December, offering its’ readers an overview of what might be in bloom, or flying around, or swimming in our streams and rivers, or blooming in our fields and forest floors. For example, this week, the 4th week of June, I learned the following:
Blooming: rattlesnake plantain and water willow (among the rocks of the Piedmont rivers)
Insects: Look for the io moth at the porchlight, The very first hints of the katydid chorus at night warm up to the full bloom chorus of July. Great spangled fritillaries fly.
Birds: The best time of the year to hear screech owls call.
The Sky: Altair in the Eagle is on the rise.
There is a Child’s Activity for each week and for the 4th week of June, it was the culinary adventure of foraging blackberries, to make a blackberry pie (recipe is included and a section for writing down your observations of the experience). I am not a kid (though I question whether I still am at heart), but who doesn’t want to be reminded to forage for blackberries and make a fruit pie!
May we all be reminded of that childhood sense of wonder!
a poem, or poesy for the week
/ˈpōəzē,ˈpōəsē/
noun
poetry; the art or composition of poetry
“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last through life.”
- Rachel Carson