By the full moon that began the last week in October much had happened in far-northern Wisconsin. Jack Frost had visited most fields to end the growing season. Dry conditions, strong winds and low humidity had led to red-flag fire conditions some days. The drought widened and deepened to include all the northern half of Wisconsin. Fall colors peaked. Forest leaves had receded toward the bareness of trunk and branch that will stand in contrast to coming snow. Wintermaker was in full control of the night sky.
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From the Fields | Jason Maloney
From the Fields: Jason Maloney
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A cable spool masquerades as a Halloween pumpkin on a lawn along Cozy Corner Road near Washburn, Wisconsin.
A fugitive morning glory escapes from Jack Frost in mid-October near Lake Superior.
A Jerusalem artichoke blooms in October. Often the plant produces the last blooms of the gardening season. Also called sun chokes, the plants produce tasty tubers that can be eaten raw, roasted or pickled. Once established they require little care.
Equipment prepares for the next field in October along Wisconsin Highway 64 near Klondike.
Pumpkins and squash await autumn customers at a self-serve farm stand near Saxon, Wisconsin.
Windfall apples are gathered in October for deer in a Fruit Loop orchard near Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Cotton-candy clouds float in blue sky over low water along Wisconsin’s Lake Superior coast between the Sioux and Onion rivers.
Maple trees show bright fall colors in October on the sandy beach of Lake Superior north of Washburn, Wisconsin.
Fresh local food is advertised at the Will O’ The Winds Farm Store on Washington Avenue near Washburn, Wisconsin.
Wild rose hips dry on a tray. The hips will be used to make refreshing winter tea.
Haybales are spaced for winter feeding at Moonlight Meadows near Marengo, Wisconsin.
Sleek cattle line up along an electric fence in a pasture at Moonlight Meadows near Marengo, Wisconsin.
An old windmill stands in a cornfield near Marengo, Wisconsin.
A windmill shows markings of a defunct company. Only one windmill manufacturer remains in the United States – Aermotor. Visit aermotorwindmill.com for more information.
A frightening witch head complete with broom hovers over ersatz pumpkins to complete a Halloween scene near Marengo, Wisconsin.
Bare ground next to a cornfield marks the route of Line 5 near the Marengo River in far-northern Wisconsin. The pipeline transports oil products from Alberta to Ontario in Canada, through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan by way of the Strait of Mackinaw under Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan. The pipeline was this summer the source of the largest leak of petrochemical in Wisconsin history near Saxon, Wisconsin. Recently a potential groundwater release and aquifer breach occurred near the Marengo River in Ashland County, Wisconsin.
Customers mingle in October in a sales area of the Thunder Bay Country Market in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Unlike most farm markets in Wisconsin, the Thunder Bay market is open year-round. Visit thunderbaycountrymarket.com for more information.
A gravity box loaded with corn stands in October in a field along Nevers Road south of Washburn, Wisconsin. Corn harvest was nearing completion as October waned.
Corn is harvested in a field along Nevers Road south of Washburn, Wisconsin.
Reports of reduced yields due to drought are common in northern and western Wisconsin this autumn. The USDA has declared some counties natural-disaster areas.
Kinnikinnick berries show red in October. Also called bearberry, the plant is a mat-forming evergreen woody shrub. Dried leaves and bark are used as tea, and are sometimes part of a mix of traditional plants for ceremonial tobacco.
Juicy fresh wild rose hips await a water bath before being juiced. Juice from the hips are the main ingredient in rose-hip jelly and syrup.
Field work in a northern field is accomplished in October. Due to war in Ukraine and the Middle East, farmers are facing some of the worst fuel prices in history this autumn. As the adage goes, wars are easy to start and difficult to end.
Corn is harvested in a northern field. Across North America farmers this harvest season are facing some of the worst energy prices in history. Those prices coupled with reduced yields due to drought and other factors are making for hard times for many.
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