Eating Locally, Warming Globally
Jul 4th, 2008 by Tom
Although drought continues here in Piedmont North Carolina we had fresh corn on the cob last night–the first of the season for us. In addition to the corn we also managed to find a few ripe grape tomatoes, green bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers. The three different varieties of summer squash that we planted are producing more than we can eat and/or give away despite the lack of rain. While we have already picked and prepared green beans several times this year, the dry conditions threaten how plentiful any remaining harvest will be; however, the winter squash we planted (butternut) seems indomitable in our increasingly arid climate. Our blueberries and blackberries have held up surprisingly well; but, they, too, are bracing for the unrelenting onslaught of Japanese beetles, which have now begun to lace the leaves of the blackberry bushes, glut themselves on ripe fruit, and breed on every leaf they have not already consumed.
Our weather forecasts tend to be more wishful thinking than they accurate predictions. There have been rain dances in Atlanta conducted by shamans from various Native American tribes but I’m going with the Temptations, at least after the fireworks are over.
Sunshine, blue sky, please go away…
I wish it would rain (oh how i wish that it would rain)
Oh let it rain, rain, rain, rain (oh how i wish that it would rain)
The Temptations — I Wish It Would Rain
