Verse

Through sunny days and yellow weeks,
With clouds that melt in tears,
The glory of the harvest speaks
In all the silken ears.

–J. Hazard Hartzell (1830�?0)

Its Harvest Time

Here’s some sound advice from our archives on how to store apples and pears:

Apples and pears should all be gathered in early in October, and if of late-keeping varieties, pack them at once in barrels or boxes, and place them in a cool, dry cellar where the temperature will vary but little from 8 degrees above the freezing point of water. In such a place they should be kept until wanted for use or for sale. To change the air or temperature will hasten decay, which is a fact that many of the past generation failed to learn.

–“Farmer’s Calendar,�?The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1900

And here’s a modern approach to storing apples:

Apples keep well for about six months at temperatures between freezing and 45 degrees F. A Styrofoam chest or a double cardboard box in a cool mudroom or cellar can approximate root cellar conditions.

Calendar

September 29—Michaelmas

The feast day of St. Michael, the archangel and overcomer of the devil, is a Christian celebration based on the ancient Celtic calendar. Its main importance in people’s lives was that of a seasonal signpost in the year. In the British Isles, crops were harvested and the surplus sold by late September, so this became the time when farmers would pay their yearly rents to landowners. Everyone ate goose at Michaelmas to bring prosperity, and many farmers included “a goose fit for the lord’s dinner�?with their rent payments. Great market fairs occurred just before the feast day, and the large crowds these attracted made it convenient to hold elections at this time. Foods traditional for Michaelmas include new wine; goose; cakes of oats, barley, and rye; and carrots.

If St. Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow.

October 4—Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi (1182�?226) was the founder of the Franciscan order. The son of a wealthy merchant named Pietro di Bernardone, he publicly denounced his father’s wealth in 1206 and dedicated his life to prayer and serving the poor. Pope Innocent III eventually gave Francis and his followers permission to preach, and he ordained Francis a deacon. The followers of Francis were called Friars Minor, or “the lesser brethren.�?Francis died on October 3, 1226, and was canonized in 1228.

Gardening

FALL-PLANTED BULBS

Fall is the perfect time to plant bulbs that will bloom next spring. Plant the bulbs as long as the ground is workable but get the following bulbs in the ground soon: trout lily, narcissus (including daffodil), snowdrop, winter aconite, starflower, and crown imperial. For crown imperial, add a little lime to the soil. Try some new varieties this year. Glory of the Snow tolerates partial shade and has white, blue, or pink starlike flowers. Striped squill is very cold-hardy and will do well under shrubs and trees and in borders.

Sky Watch

Venus returns to the night sky in early October. Each night, about 40 minutes after sunset, the planet is visible a bit higher in the western sky. It’s up 6 degrees on October 1st and 10 degrees later in the month.

http://www.almanac.com