Summer's End

August is generally the hottest month of the year, though it is after the Summer Solstice and thus the days are getting shorter.  It is the beginning of the harvest season; time to see the result of your summer labor.

The peas and beets in our garden are producing, but not for much longer.  They seem to be finishing early this year.  The barley fields surrounding Rexburg are also turning pale gold; for some the harvest has already begun.  Even some of the more delicate varieties of apples, like transparents, are beginning to fall from their branches.  But while the peas may be winding down, the corn and zucchini have at least another month left.

The preserving of our harvests will have to begin now.  Freezing and canning fruits and vegetables will preserve them for the rest of the year so that we can enjoy our home grown food even when we are planting the next year’s crops come Spring.

It is also nearly time to plant any new bulbs you wish to add for next Spring.  They need to be in the ground a few weeks before the ground begins to freeze, but not so soon that they would have time to sprout.  So start planning now so you can plant them by the end of September.

We are also closing in on the return to school.  Children will be streaming into new classrooms, hopefully, eager to learn.  Burton Elementary will be putting its four new pre-school classrooms to use as it takes over the half of the pre-school program it previously shared with BYU-Idaho.  Gear up for the back to school rush.