The Hunter’s Moon
Ah, to be steeped in rural wisdom and the ancient ways, waxing on about the significance of the Hunter’s Moon last night… but, alas, I cannot. But it did serve up a beautiful light over the dinner table that we shared with friends. We dined on a dish of roast pork cooked in fresh milk, mashed potatoes, and newly fermented kraut. With a couple of beers and a glass of wine to wash the meal down, we capped a rather full day on the farm. A day that began with helping these friends with an improvised bull-castration, ended with them helping stretch the final fabric on the ends of our greenhouse.
Our guests headed home after dinner, while we went upstairs to our bed, each guided by the Old Man and his nightlight on our respective journeys.
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Reading this weekend: Puck of Pook’s Hill by Kipling, a favorite since I was a kid.
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Sounds excellent. I’m contemplating which fig and kiwi cultivars to give a chance.
And having hot flowering quince to toast the Hunter’s Moon 🙂
Kiwi, huh? I’ve got a number of fig cultivars: Brown Turkey, LSU, Violet, Chicago and Yellow-neck. But we are coming off two years of back to back zero Fahrenheit winters that knocked the figs back to their roots. So, no harvest for a while. Meanwhile my last jar of fig preserves was opened and consumed in the spring, sigh. We have four different quince cultivars (Cooke’s Jumbo, Meacham are two) in a small orchard in front of the house. They are only three years old and have borne no fruit. But I’m anxious to try them. We just tore out four flowering quince to make room for a patio and deck. Acts for which I’m sure I’ll burn in a horticultural circle sometime in the future. But, hey, we brought ‘em into this world and we get to take ‘em out.
Yes, kiwi 🙂
They are so well established here, with good cultivars of the different species, that I’d like to try out a few.
I recently walked by a few different ones for sale and thought to myself that many customers would certainly be charmed by those who still had lush green leaves on, rather than the ones all yellow and ugly. Big mistake; the first frost will finish off Actinidia deliciosa, but not the others 🙂
We rarely get what you call 0°F like we used to when I was a child, and figs dying back tend to come back quickly as well, at least from what I’ve heard.
Brown Turkey is widely available here, but I didn’t steal the one ripe one in the garden centre…there are heated debates about how good it is.
Just put in the apples and pears today; a table quince and an invasive cherry are to follow tomorrow 🙂
Also thinking about Juglans nigra and J. ailantifolia…
Hey Brian, we are talking more on American politics on smallfarmfuture. I would love to hear more of how you see it. 🙂
Hmm, I’ll have to think about that, Vera. I’m hesitant to be drawn out on the election or politics in general. To be frank I’m not sure how much is to be gained. I spent too long engaged in politics, where much purported reasoned discussion came down to differences between antagonistic personalities. So, in general, I prefer to write my weekly blog and insert my outlook in a gentler fashion.
How is that for avoiding the question? But I do like reading the ongoing back and forth on SFF. And I’ll think about how I might make a constructive contribution.
Cheers,