Seasonal Living in July – A few Tips

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Something that struck me this year; while the world shut down as we know it, with the pandemic taking over.

Nature still forged ahead as usual.

The flowers bloomed, the trees flourished, the sun shone brightly. The natural world went about its business; it’s debatable that it managed even better. Human activity came to a standstill, and the water surrounding Venice, Italy started to flow clear and bright. CO2 levels lowered, especially noticeable around high industry areas.

Summer in Europe might look different to us this year in terms of holidays and gatherings. But in the natural world, it runs the same as every other year. Summer energy equals abundance.

The air is warm and inviting for long hikes and picnics in the fields. I even happened upon a street full of cherry trees, spilling their fruits all over the road. No one enjoyed this more than my dogs who tried to eat more than their share.

The next week I found wild raspberries growing along a path. And yes, I sampled some. Please make sure you are 100% sure before you do the same! It’s a personal goal of mine to learn how to forage food more than the occasional fruit. It pains me that there is wild food growing along our hiking paths that goes to waste because we feel more comfortable and knowledgable shopping in a supermarket. July is berry season, and they don’t always have to come from small plastic or cardboard tubs.

The crops in the fields are growing strong and true, forging ahead in time for the August harvest. Meadows filled with wildflowers and grasses and hidden nesting birds, enough to make you stop and stare for a moment in passing.  A poppy field that no photography can truly capture.

Summer evenings demand to be enjoyed outdoors. And with that comes a nostalgia for summer as a child. Running free for weeks on end before starting Autumn refreshed and rejuvenated. Take advantage of the heavy summer air and don’t forget to rest. Many of us struggle to concentrate in summer, so don’t be too hard on yourself if this is you!

July is a time for summer dresses and shorts and tees. Get rid of the polyester and breath freer in cotton and linen. Embrace carefree hair and makeup. Take off your shoes and walk through the grass. The long grass beneath our feet and the bees always on the lookout for the sweetest flower.

Speaking of bees, late July is when they produce an abundance of honey. Honey bees will produce all through summer to provide enough food through winter. Look out for local sellers with delicious honey, maybe at markets. A by-product of the honey is beeswax, look out for beeswax candles made locally. Not only do they give off the most beautiful scent, but they are also far superior for air quality than the soy or petrochemicals used in many shop-bought candles.

Embracing the seasons means living with what we have now.

It’s more sustainable to eat seasonally; we know that. But it can often feel daunting to know what that means. It can be as simple as growing mint on your window sill and using it to make tea instead of buying from the shop. I have mint growing at a rate of knots outside at the moment. Try going to a local market and seeing what produce is in abundance at the moment; even some supermarkets are starting to add ‘locally grown’ stickers to their food. If it’s locally grown, then chances are it’s seasonal. Seasonal vegetables and fruit in July in Northern Europe are courgettes, salad potatoes, cabbage, summer greens, mushrooms, berries, cherry tomatoes among others.

As the lockdown restrictions ease and give us our freedom back – at least here in Germany – I can’t help but be thankful for the small things. We’ve suffered, some much more than others. But we still have summer, and we still have nature. We are always connected to the earth, maybe more so than before. Because through all the anxiety, the one constant that remained was nature forging forward and beginning a new day.

Some further reading;

The Nature Of Summer by Jim Crumley. A book about nature in summer in beautiful Scotland.

Summer: An Anthology for the Changing Seasons edited by Melissa Harrison. Prose and poetry spanning 800 years!

The Forager’s Calendar: A Seasonal Guide to Nature’s Wild Harvests by John Wright.

“Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jewelled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.”–  Ada Louise Huxtable