Red Corn Moon

It is the time of the first harvest. I'm tardy (again, sigh) with my Lughnasadh celebration. Two weeks ago I had the flitting thought that I needed to address it.

We got this red corn in our CSA box (also the yellow and heirloom tomatoes, and peach). Summer is an amazing, glorious time to be a CSA subscriber here in the SF Bay Area. Other than for those for whom it would create disease or insect infestations, I wish this abundance on everyone in the world!

A seasonal recommedation for reading: Full Moon Feast, Food and the Hunger for Connection, a cookbook/historical perspective by Bay Area author Jessica Prentice. It blends recipes, history, and ties to the various monthly full moons (derived from things like the Celtic and Native American calendars/seasonal survival and celebration patterns) with supporting nods to slow food and environmental notables like Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry (my distant cousin).

Included for your viewing pleasure are some other late summer bounties we are enjoying: 12 or so cranking strawberry plants, the fig tree's forthcoming deliverables (its first year in the ground!). The tomato plants are gifts to me from our prolific gardening friends who sprout me seedlings every year (I'm a true absentee gardener...can barely fertilize stuff- really!). I am thankful for a green enough thumb however that plants thrive under my attentions.

If you're local, save the date for Slow Food Nation at the end of this month- I'm looking forward to bringing something from that to you who aren't local. Maybe I'll get up the courage to go introduce myself to Mr. Berry.

Happy Full Moon in Aquarius! Hopefully some fun to come from our test run with the tripod tonight. If you're in the southern hemisphere, you'll see a cool eclipse!