JUNE

Subscriber First Name, welcome to the Art of Harvest, where we will journey together to slow down and nourish the soul, soil, and senses.

In a world that often moves too quickly, this newsletter is intended to be a place for pause—a monthly invitation to mindfully connect with the rhythms of creativity, nature, and kitchen.

STUDIO

— for the soul

Finding Myself In Poetry

This past month my thoughts have been a swirling vortex that has funnelled into poetry. Most nights in May, I was up 2-3 hrs mulling over a line or image for a poem, or deep in thought about the philosophy, voice and purpose I would like to portray through my work.

This creative surge was largely prompted by a hard deadline at the end of May for the Banff Centre for the Arts’ Early Career in Poetry Residency. It is highly competitive residency, but it would be an incredible opportunity to get into at this point of my journey. The chance to network with other emerging poets, alongside mentorship and feedback from established writers, would help significantly in grounding myself in this community.

Through this process, it feels like I am taking so many loose threads of my life and weaving them together to create a tapestry that I can finally understand. It feels fated and beautiful and I’m in awe. Even if I am not accepted for this residency, it has given me a deeper understanding of who I am and where I want to go with my poetry.

Plein Aire

I have had little time for my painting lately, but will be taking a plein aire class on Monday. I am excited to get back to the canvas and enjoy the flow of painting and see where it takes me. Anchoring myself in my poems has given me a clearer sense of where I want to take my visual arts. They don’t necessarily have to relate but it would be a beautiful synergy if they did. So I am in deep thought of what that means for upcoming paintings.

GARDEN

— for the soil

Life has been a whirlwind of outdoor projects lately. We recently tore down our back deck to install a pea gravel patio, replaced over 100 feet of fencing with split cedar posts and wire, and added some chicks to our brooder. We are currently using the wood from the old deck to build brand-new compost bins.

But June! My favourite month of the year. The garden has taken off (thank goodness for rain recently!), roses, poppies, honeysuckle, peonies, calendula, lavender, and foxglove are all out. The smells are absolutely delicious! Early mornings by the honeysuckle and late evening walks by the Nootka wild rose is just heavenly. Then, when dusk settles, Swainson’s thrush song makes my heart swoon. It truly is the most romantic month of the year. The first strawberries are turning pink, ripening to their sun-kissed sweetness. All I want to do is revel in it. However, the beginning of June is also the final push for sowing. Once that is done, we can slide into the a slower and softer lull in the garden, simply watering and weeding until the rush of harvest begins.

Even with a busy to-do list at the start of the month, my hope is that you can find moments to step back and relish the beauty around you. Enjoy these beautiful, long days of stretching light as we approach the summer solstice.

June’s To-Do List:

• Sowing:

  • Indoors:

    • These are for over-wintering! Yes, we are already thinking about the winter.

      • Brussel Sprouts (this week! no later)

      • Broccoli sprouting (in the next 2 weeks!)

      • Cabbage

      • Cauliflower

      • Leeks

  • Direct sow:

    • These can all be direct sown now.

      • Corn

      • Cucumber

      • Squash

      • Melons

      • Rutabaga

      • Zucchini

• Planting out:

  • These can all be planted out now.

    • Cucumber

    • Eggplant

    • Peppers

    • Melons

    • Sweet Potato (slips)

• Prune lilacs. This is the time!!! Don’t wait on this one or you won’t have blooms for the following season. There is only this short window to do it - only a week or two after blooms are spent!

• Cut out any moth nests found in apple trees. I gave the nests to my chickens.

• Thin apples and pears. Recommended to thin down to the largest fruitlet in the spur/cluster after the “June drop” — typically 3-4 weeks after blossoms have fallen. You sometimes can leave 2 if there isn’t many surrounding.

• Cover strawberries from birds and bugs. I use organza bags to keep them from the pill bugs from munching on them. You can read my blog post about it here.

** Note: Where I live, my hardiness zone is 8a - so quite mild. If you live in a lower zone (Okanagan: 6-7; Southern Alberta 4), you may a bit more time to some of these tasks. Check if sweet potatoes are possible in your zone.

KITCHEN

— for the senses

ROASTED RADISHES WITH CHIVE DILL YOGURT

This spicy little vegetable mellows out beautifully when roasted — and if you haven’t tried it this way, you absolutely have to! Paired with the herby tang of the yogurt, it makes a delicious afternoon snack, side dish, or appetizer.

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Radishes:

• 10-15 radishes, cut into quarters

• 1 tsp of olive oil

• salt & pepper to taste

Yogurt Dip:

• ½ cup of yogurt

• 1 small garlic clove crushed

• 1 tbsp of chopped chives

• 1 tbsp of chopped dill

• ½ tsp of lemon zest

• salt & pepper to taste

SEASONAL REFLECTIONS

— for the heart

Trusting One’s Voice

It continually surprises me when I come to write down these reflections how closely my life has mirrored with the seasons this year. Right now in the garden, roots have established, stems are growing their strength, and buds or fruit are forming, and flowers promise of future seeds. It makes for beautiful and useful metaphors, but also reveals a deeper truth.

For me, May was an especially intense period focusing inward on strengthening my own roots and stem. Poetry has been an anchor to self-discovery and uncovering new layers of my identity. I am echoing what I said earlier this year, but it bears repeating: for a lot of my life, I chose to remain hidden. I kept my voice locked away out of fear of being “too much”. In truth, I can be emotionally intense, but poetry wraps that intensity into loving arms and welcomes me in. It has taught me to not fear my own darkness, but to embrace it. Piece by piece, I am learning to trust my voice over the doubts, opinions, and critiques.

Where in your life are you still hiding, and what is one small way you can start trusting your voice this week? Is there a creative practice — like poetry, art, or movement — that brings you back to yourself?

With hands in the dirt,

Rachael

P.S. If you know someone who might enjoy learning how to create, grow, and eat with the seasons, please feel free to forward this email to them.

P.P.S. Feel free to reply with reflections, questions or your own creative projects. Always love hearing from you!

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