August terrace

Lots has happened on the terrace in the brief period we were away. It is a reminder that things grow. All the time. Perhaps the rain had something to do with it. The self seeded foxtail grass is a sign of autumn, for me. See the pictures on the sidebar of the blog, for the first foxtail against the orange wall. Has a year ever happened so fast? Is it simply age? Faster and faster? One moment I was gasping about the heat and the next I am thinking about September suppers and cool night air.

And there is so much to do.

A few weeks ago I separated the three hollyhocks that germinated from Dan's seeds from Fire Island. This one has gone bonkers, just over the last few days. I need to put it in a big pot and may take out the nicotiana to accommodate it.

Earlier today I looked up to see the black wings of the Black Tiger Swallowtail flitting about near the parsley and I dashed out with my camera but it had apparently accomplished what it had come to do: the parsley is now officially a human-free zone. Bother. No, I won't throw the caterpillars off the terrace this time. I'll be good.

What's this? Another potential bugger? Looks like a lady bug nymph again. But it's not. It's the first swallowtail child! She must have been laying eggs in stages. or it could be offspring of a different butterfly.

This is the doomed Eglantyne, looking very fetching. But the plant is not happy. Wrong situation.

And the Strawberry 'Fern.' I keep mentioning the cultivar because it's such a good performer. Now even the baby plants have flowers and fruit beginning to set, too!


I ate the ripe ones.

The strawberry nursery is expanding so fast that I am going to have to give some away, and pot the rest on the roof farm. I have about fourteen little plants.

And the overripe figs hanging on the tree? They are in the oven, drying. Then I'll have to figure out what to do with them.

I watered the farm in the dark, last night. The zucchini are still there and look very healthy judging by the size of the leaves and the squash was full of blossoms. I'll eat them tonight. My Frenchie is working late. The cucumbers look rather shattered, and we'll see about the tomatoes. I have troughs ready for chervil (I was very excited to find seed, I love the herb), mixed 'spicy microgreens', upland cress and mesclun.

I am also thinking of recipes for dried white shortnose native corn; I had the occasion to interview and photograph the artist Christina Kelly a while ago, about her Brooklyn Maize Fields which have and are producing corn she would like to exhibit in edible form at the upcoming Farm City Fair to be held on September 12th at the Invisible Dog Art Center on Bergen Street, just up the road from her Boerum Hill maize field. I am thinking along the lines of pozole, and Christina mentioned that she might be able to source some bear meat.

Yes, bear. If she can't get bear it will have to be wild boar. So...I'm trying to remember what I've read about bear. Poor bear.

So, plenty to think about. Now I must check on the mealie bugs on the patio tomato on the roof.