Dog Days of August

What I call the "Dog Days of August" came upon us this past week. Hot days cooling at nights, garden growing with new produce every day. It gets dark a little after 9:15 pm so I can get to bed early again.

Flora

Mid-summer flora is starting to appear. I am including some photo of some Jerusalem Artichoke, they have nothing to do with Jerusalem and are not Artichokes. The flowers are like the Black Eyed Susan with a more yellow center, but grow taller, sometimes to a height of nine feet. They have an edible tuber that resemble ginger roots. They are high in carbohydrates with a consistency like a potato when eaten raw, when they are boiled they are soft and mushy.


I am also including a picture of some Asters that is a wild flower that I have found over at Oak Point Estates. They flower in late summer or early fall and are purple or blue in coloration.

This past week I have harvested some smaller tomatoes, green peppers and some sweet banana peppers. I made a dish of stuffed peppers using hamburger and cooked wild rice, and a topping them off with a cheese and Ro-Tel dressing. They were real good. Also for my wife's birthday I made her my blueberry pie recipe.

Fauna

Some of my neighbors are reporting some Walleye catches in the area. Some are using bobber-stopper rigs with leeches around the outer edges of week beds and some are trolling Shad Raps in 10 to 12 ft. of water. My grandson is coming to visit this coming week so I will have to take him fishing.

Pictured here is some young mallard ducks starting to get some color. They have to get some flying lessons in before duck hunting season starts early on Saturday October 2nd.