Slurping the Last Drops of Summer

I think “Shad blow” is my favorite Marge Piercy poem that I’ve read so far. It’s about the season of Spring and is worth reading the full poem here.  I know. We’re pretty much into fall but I’m not ready to let go yet.

As summer draws to a close, I’ve been busy squeezing out as much as I can of every moment that the sun touches hot on my skin and fresh produce from my garden keeps me busy chopping, cooking, and freezing. Truth be told, I’m a bit tired of cucumbers, even mutant cucumbers.

My favorite tomatoes out of my garden this year were Black and Orange Icicle tomatoes. They brought back memories of the way I remember tomatoes tasting as kid, before we hybrid them to death, juicy and sweet. But the Black Icicle didn’t produce near as many tomatoes as the Orange.

The salad table is back into full production. Once I’ve harvested all I can from this round of plants, I need to figure out how I’ll continue my hydroponic salad growing indoors. I’m not sure if I’ll do it with the table or use smaller plastic bins.

I’ll need to get grow lights and find a place inside that won’t sustain water damage if something leaks or spills. I’m thinking my furnace room might work. I’m going to teach a class called “Hydroponic Salad Anyone?” in April 2014 and would like to have some healthy plants to show to people.

Yes, it’s time to get as many last hurrahs of summer under my belt as I can before Jack Frost turns everything brittle and brown.

It could be that gray, storms are up ahead, which isn’t all that bad. On my way home from work, the clouds looked like meringue, the way it’s supposed to look, not the way mine looks.