SUMMER AT PATINA MEADOW

Every season has its purpose - autumn is for slowing down, winter for rest, spring for reawakening, and summer...well summer is for sweating. 

Joking aside, summer is a time of abundance. The radiance of the sun pulls everything from the coolness of the earth into the warmth of the air, and growth occurs with vigor.  However, this season also calls for restraint. In between hours of baking sun, there is a need for shade & water. Without the balance, life does not last. 

I don’t think that the true nature of the seasons is seen anywhere as clearly as it is on a farm - where humans, plants, animals, and microbes all coexist and educate one another. 

Here at Patina Meadow, this season's abundance is apparent in the Bloomerie.

Summer fruits, like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and blackberries, and this season’s flowers, like zinnias, sunflowers, and more, are bursting, almost at an overwhelming pace. 

I meander my way through the paths with my harvest basket daily.

I then bring the plump produce and bouquets to Patina Home & Garden for our community to share.

This profusion has led me to a new interest in preserving my harvests, as I know that in the coming months, this tempo will begin to slow and I will crave the flavors that only locally grown produce can offer. The slower pace that this process invites is a welcome foil to the sometimes frenzied state this high-energy season can steer me towards. 

During the summertime, our animals strike a balance between mowing the ever-growing grass and much-needed rest-bits in the barn. 

As with humans, the younger members, our five Nubian goats, are the most rambunctious of the bunch. Their routines require less rest and more adventure.

On the other end of the spectrum, our older group of goats and sheep, find that they are content with spending most of their time basking in the cool breeze that makes its way through the barn every once in a while, only going out to explore when they feel fully rested or their tummies rumble. 

Our group of pigs cool themselves in the water troughs that are dotted around their barn. They squeeze in, splashing most of the water out, and then hop out to roll around in the mud pit they just created. While their antics result in dirty water tubs that require near-constant refilling, it’s more than worth it to look out and see this adorable sight. 

Our donkeys can be seen standing in the shade, while our cows meander through the wooded portion of our land- splitting their time between grazing on grass and digesting in the cool shade of the forest canopy. 

Although the plant kingdom reigns over the forest every season, in the summer that control is evident, as the entirety of this portion of our land becomes enveloped in a blanket of green. Trails that were easily traversed a couple of months ago are now completely overtaken by bushes and brambles.

It still amazes me how quickly everything adapts to the changes in the environment - unlike human beings, plants, animals, and microbes do not resist what is in favor of what was, they just allow it to be as it should. 

I hope that you allow yourself to learn the lessons of this season. 

Fully bask in the energy of the long days, but don’t forget to seek shade. 

Love, 

Leila