Changing Seasons- by Peter

Visitors to our farm often ask what it's like to live without seasons. Despite the moderate temperatures and minimal change in daylength here in Hawai'i, we experience seasons quite strongly, however. I have always been fascinated by the little lines you can see at the top of an eggplant near the stem- rings that mark the growth of each day. Rings that fade to uniform purple after a few days of exposure to the sun. The signs of time passing are all around, but their imprint fades into memory eventually. 

Lately, there is a subtle stillness in the mornings. The hue of the sunrises are a little more purple. There are a few pineapples left in the field but lychee seem like a distant memory. The mulberry tree is laden with fruit, much to the birds' delight. We are harvesting a few Jamaican lilikoi (Passiflora laurifolia) and planting their seeds. 

Coffee picking has begun in earnest and we are harvesting the first heads of a lettuce variety from Johnny's that is new to us, a red butterhead called 'Skyphos'. The seeds of a weedy cherry tomato that we planted from our friend Cassidy have turned into sprawling bushes, heavy with developing fruit. 

Our jackfruit tree (a grandchild of 'Berry', the variety from Australia) is ripening another round of fruits and Jill is drying some of the fruit for snacking along with mulberries and slices of Shikuwasa citrus to add to tea blend. 

The row of roselle planted in May are in early flower and we added a second wire to the trellis. My favorite bonsai that I repotted a few weeks ago is flushing with new leaves, ready for our plant sale next week. The echinacea is past full bloom and we will be harvesting seeds soon.

It feels like a good time to pause and take stock. The rapid growth of the summer is coming to a close, don't forget to savor it.