Late Summer Garden

Hi Summer Garden,

To the unpracticed eye the late summer garden can look a bit of a shambles. He might not understand the masses of food that the garden has already produced, the months of sheer volume and variety. She might not see the warmth that is still held preciously by the soil, or the fatigue of the soil that has brought forth so much food. How about the unseen multitudes of courgette from a dying plant now 2 metres from its starting place, and so chased by powdery mildew that the end is very near? Or the volunteer rocket and kale, so small amongst the weeds?

What is most apparent, most superficial in the real summer garden is WEEDS. It looks a bit chaotic. And so it is with me, and maybe you too?

Summer has been characterized by massive output and productivity, a few underwhelming fails, and mostly great splashes of colour and flavor. I am still warm and perfectly myself in all that has come to pass in this summer. There is some fatigue, and oh, the weeds! My practices, yoga and meditation have largely succumbed to the frenzy of activity that is business and family, an outward expression of all that is in me. There has been precious little sacred tending of my space, and so . Weeds.

Weeds show up as messes, chaos points, slow responses to friends, and less reflection. They are perfect in and of themselves, and only demonstrate in yet another way, all that is possible.

Our culture is an early summer, highly productive, highly tidy, and outgoing culture. Year round. Except that's not sustainable year round.

Sometimes its time to be a late summer garden, an early autumn garden, a mid-winter garden

In my late summer garden self, I have the overwhelming sense that it's time to re-consider life.

And so, time to tend my garden self. What weeds do not serve? What is taking up space that is better used in another way? What needs feeding? What has volunteered new growth? What needs rest? What re-devotion marks the crossover from summer to winter, through a gorgeously long and unpredictable autumn?

With love, Earthworm, Bex

Free Gringo Killers to good Homes

We are in the second season of a growing a perennial hot pepper called Rocoto. It's nicname is gringo killer, and is apt. It is prolific and we have exhausted all willing pepper takers in our own community, who now have stories of how they were just too hot.

I've got a sweet chilli recipe that I've perfected over 4 batches and have now made up 4 litres of the stuff, which will last us through winter. Yet, still the peppers come, and I can't use any more right now. I'd rather not see them unused.

If you'd like to have some of these peppers to try, and maybe save the seeds to get a plant started, just reply to this e-mail with your address (NZ please) and some version of your Hot Pepper Promise.

Here's an example, and if you have no giggle of your own in you at the moment, you can use it.

'I promise I believe you they are hot, and I will use gloves and eye protection when I handle them. I will not feed them to small children, chickens or gold fish. I will share any recipe or story that I have about them, because I know you love hearing from me!' Amen.

Pepper Update! May 2016