We've been talking about "Indian Summers" recently at Struan Farm. I asked John if he were familiar with the term, which he was. But he couldn't remember if that was because of his days living in Washington State or due to its usage here in New Zealand. He wasn't sure.
Later that day I went to freshen up the herbs I've got planted out in the veggie garden and came across this:
A New Zealand packet of coriander seeds from Kings Seeds called "Indian Summer." I took that as a sign from the universe that some research was required.
It turns out that "indian summer" is used to describe an unseasonably warm, dry period in late autumn, and is indeed attributed to Native Americans (formerly called "Indians") in North America. It was a good period for hunting. The phrase was used as early as 1778 in the United States and the mid 1900's in the UK, although it wasn't used widely in the latter until the 1950's. Other countries have different names for the weather phenomenon, which in the northern hemisphere can happen from September-November.
So there's been talk of an Indian Summer here in Piopio, even though we're not expecting one at all. Too much rain happening for that!
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