August 23, 2022
A couple of weeks ago, my craft group met up at one of our member's family sugar bush for a tour.
It happened that this year's frog and toad hatch were out and about, and as we walked along the bush trail into the sugar shack, tiny frogs and toadlets were skittering everywhere.
They could sure move fast, especially the frog babies, but I was able to catch the odd one for photos.
The little Wood frog babies are the image of their parents, with the bandit mask through their eye.
Little Spring Peepers were very fleet of foot, and were able to hide amazingly well, right at our feet. We also did a little exploring of the property, especially the tumble of rocks originally deposited by glaciation, where millennia of winters have cracked the rocks apart, and with the help of erosion, have created a roofed cave, with Christmas ferns decorating each crack and crevice, and Rock Tripe clinging to the sides of the rocks.
(pics compliments of crafter K.)
The days are getting noticeably shorter, sunrise coming later, and dusk falling earlier. We have been getting regular rain, Mother Nature being very cooperative, and giving us sufficient amounts on almost a weekly basis. For the most part, the watering hoses have remained coiled. The dampness is promoting spots of mold on lower squash and cucumber leaves. I have been able to harvest enough cucumbers for two batches of dills, two batches of bread and butter pickles, and am now collecting enough for a batch of nine day pickles. We are having a couple of damp, drizzly days this week, so expect this may spell the end of the cucumber patch.
On the cleared onion and garlic beds, I've planted Dutch White Clover, being unable to source buckwheat seed this year. The tiny clovers are growing slowly, so hope there will be enough greenery to turn under late this fall, and if the odd seed hangs on to germinate next year.. no problem.
The bed of fall greens is coming along,
and the kale and collards in their patch, have been pruned to reinvigorate them for the fall. The second planting of beans is blooming, and I will be rethinking the amount I plant next spring, as I have almost enough processed from the first planting to tide us through. Beyond it, the Scarlet Runners and Mostellers on the bean teepee have made it to the top, and are waving at the sky.
After a slow start at blossoming, the sweet potato squash seem to be in a rush to catch up, and now have one large fruit, which expands daily, and at least 4 more are hiding among the vines.
Pumpkins are colouring up beautifully,
and the crazy multitude of unknown species of squash, are just getting bigger and bigger.
The okra plants have just started to put out the most beautiful yellow blooms,
and the red peppers will soon be colourful enough to make red pepper jelly with the zip of an added hot pepper or two.
