* { Berry Merriment } *: July Ephemera Forecast

This month's Forecast is sponsored by the Sun. With over four billion years dependably providing heat and light for our world, the Sun is a star you can more than wish upon... you can count on it!

Bounty of the Skies

+ The new moon of July rises on Saturday, the 14th. The full moon rises on Sunday, the 29th.

The July moon is called by many names, the Thunder Moon and the Hay Moon among them. I so hope that the month does indeed bring cooling Summer storms and showers, with some stirringly fierce and spectacular!

+ A particular glory of this season’s night sky is prominent now. The Summer Triangle is comprised of three stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair. After nightfall, I look to the East and overhead to see the extraordinary radiance of this constellation.

Bounty of the Earth

+ In the North where I live, the growing season is not long. All the more, then, do I appreciate the delicious things that ripen here, a bit belatedly, but still wholeheartedly.

My basket in July is as a cornucopia overflowing with fresh delights!

Up from gardens and farm fields come summer squashes of many kinds, ripe zucchini, peppers sweet and hot, fresh garlic, fennel and eggplant, tangy-sweet tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and beans of all sorts. There are also many fresh lettuces and cabbages and other greens available now. They cannot be saved well, so enjoy them today while they are brimming with Summer flavor and vitality and nutrition.

+ Plentiful, too, in this season are a great variety of fragrant, sun-ripened herbs: basil and chervil, lavender, tarragon and sage, cilantro, dill, parsley and mint! The fragrance of fresh thyme and rosemary perfuming Summer's breezes is a special delight, to be sure.

+ In July arrive the first stone fruits of our region: peaches and plums and nectarines and cherries. Not to mention the beautiful round melons and cantaloupes and to keep us cool beneath the constance of the sun. And the berries, oh my happy heart, the many berries!

Seasonal Recipe

Yoghurt Green Bean Salad
Serves 4-6

From Patricia Wells’ At Home in Provence, a cookbook to which I often refer for inspiration as well as instruction, this delectable dish nourishes and refreshes on sultry Summer days.

3 tablespoons plain, whole milk yoghurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt
3 tablespoons cream
2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste
1 pound (500 g) young, tender green beans
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, snipped with a scissors (optional)

- Bring 3 quarts (3 l) water to a boil.

- In a small bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, lemon juice, salt and cream. Slowly add the curry powder and blend well. Taste for seasoning.

- Rinse beans, trim both ends, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths.

- Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

- When the water is boiling, add 2 tablespoons (30 g) of sea salt and the beans. Boil, uncovered, until beans are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Immediately drain beans and plunge into ice water. Remove beans as soon as they are cooled, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer beans to a colander, drain and wrap in a thick towel to dry. (The beans may be cooked up to 2 hours in advance and refrigerated in the towel.)

- If the beans are refrigerated, bring them to room temperature before serving. To serve, toss the beans and dressing to coat evenly. Taste for seasoning. Add minced tarragon and toss again. Taste for seasoning. Serve!

It is worth note that certified organic dairy products are made from the milk of cows not treated with growth hormones nor antibiotics. From the fresh milk of a local organic dairy, I make our yoghurt. We like it better than any from the store. I credit the quality of the yoghurt mainly to the milk, which is from pasture-fed, free-ranging dairy cows. I think that they are happy cows.

Holidays at Orchard House

+ July 4th is Independence Day in the USA. How do we celebrate? With family and friends and neighbors, grilling and barbecuing meals outside homes and cabins and in parks. We have parades and picnics, tell stories to one another, and enjoy the warmth of the long, long day. When nighttime falls, there are displays of fireworks in nearly every town, I think. I once took a flight on the night of July 4th and watched from the window of the plane the hundreds and hundreds of fireworks displays in towns and cities far below.

Not satisfied with limiting their celebrating to a single day, many folks continue to set off their own firecrackers for a while after the holiday. Some of the unofficial displays are quite remarkable, with generous usage of wheels and fountains, roman candles, bottle rockets, snakes and sparklers, smoke balls and snaps and spinners, flares and mines. Really most anything that explodes with a fine sound and lovely colors is enjoyed in this season!

Of course we hang up the flag at home. These days I see a lot of bunting hanging beneath the windows of houses, or along front porches. I am a great fan of bunting of all sorts, especially patriotic bunting. Yes, I am definitely a flag waver!