Report From PIA – September 20
Our brown turkey figs ripen in September. I pull the tree into the unheated garage once the foliage yellows in the fall, and drag it out again in April. This tree usually makes a first crop of figs in the early spring, and these drop off with the change from dim garage to real sunlight. But in September, the plant is covered with maturing fruit.
This morning I got up to find a kitchen counter full of figs and the first fire of the season in the woodstove. It got down in the low 40’s last night, and my husband was up early, picking figs and building a small fire to burn off the chill. This fire, cozy as it is, is one of the many signs that winter is just around the garden path’s bend.
I don’t want September to end. I’m not one to wish for an endless summer (the season, not the shrub) but the air is cool, the gardens are still producing vegetables and flowers, and I”m reluctant for it all to fade away.
Yes, I want things to be ideal…. can you say differently? I want change to be in a positive direction only, while at the same time knowing, trusting, that my view of that direction is limited. I know from experience that my observations are partial, imperfect and biased.
I understand that winter is near, and yet at the same time, I realize that even in the dormant season, my fondest dreams could be just around the corner.
We need to trust in the ebb and flow. I need to trust the seasons, and rejoice in the harvest.
Today's harvest from the Brown Turkey fig in a pot.
