The Poppy Show

The weather during July 2020 in Chicago has been a textbook example of summer. Lots of heat, humidity, and sun – short on rain, but not too bad. The garden plot has been basking in this weather and much prefers the dryness to the excessive rainfall of 2019.

The day after the last blog post was the first day of the Poppy Show. The first bloom was observed June 29 and for about two weeks, the flowers were magnificent. They only last a day or two before the petals fall.

As maybe you could see in the above picture but definitely below – the bees thought they were magnificent too. 

After the blooms, I let the stalks turn brown. I brought a few home for photos and to collect the seeds for baking.

The seeds could be collected by shaking as they disperse naturally through the vents on the top. I probably waited a little too long as I think the maximum number of seeds can be collected before the vents open up completely.

You can also open the pods up – this is how they look on the inside, you can still see some seeds.

Seed collection:

It’s a very small jar so I don’t anticipate enough for a poppy seed cake, but maybe one or two cookies. I am very pleased with the flowers considering it was the first attempt at growing them.

Continuing with the optimism, the kale and basil did quite well in the heat, enough that along with a small cabbage, donations were made to the food pantry. The kale’s performance really makes me question what has been suggested that it is a cool weather crop – it seems to tolerate the heat and so is it a warm weather crop too? Or is the reasoning that you can grow it under almost any conditions?

The switch to warm weather crops has officially been made with the harvest of the first tomato and the appearance of corn silks.

I will soon need to determine how best to protect the developing corn from wild animal burglary. The peppers look fantastic but none have turned red. The beans, cucumbers, and pumpkins were planted VERY late so they are first attaining their growth spurt. It is supposed to cool down in a couple days so I am waiting until then to get back to the plot for weeding and other maintenance.

Mask production has slowed this month to 53 masks delivered for a grand total of 310. It was especially hot and dangerous this past Sunday so instead of being outside, I stayed inside with some fun arranging the latest batch for a novel picture.

For my own personal use, I am targeting to have three masks. The first was created this past March and that one is for sweaty, dirty activities like biking and gardening. Then there is a fun one for stores and social gatherings. Sewing with children’s fabrics brightens any day.

Finally, I have planned a more formal, special occasion one that I will share when it is complete.

I have no bird photos to share this month. I have spent more time away from the birdbath in order to mix things up from a work environment perspective. I now do my work job in a different room which has helped greatly with remaining focused and just has a different vibe. Amazing that a simple room change can do that. So, instead of birds I took photos of thread spools also on the previously mentioned hot day:

These were given to me for the mask making cause. The spools are very old (at least 50 years) and I have used them but I did notice my machine does not work well ESPECIALLY when I wind a bobbin with these wooden spools. Thread does have a shelf life but it is not clearly stamped like a gallon of milk. My advice is to avoid using spools like these entirely and instead use thread that is only a couple years old if not new. Unfortunately, there is a lot of thread here so I will use them for masks only and I am trying to use the oldest first. Luckily, despite this old thread and other not ideal conditions, the sewing machine has been functioning well. I do extra maintenance such as vacuuming the accumulated lint and switching needles. I will need to get to the store soon as the machine supplies will run out, but now I feel there is more familiarity of all the needed procedures when going shopping these days.

I will be back in August - stay safe and wear your mask!