In August on the north side of a small mountain in Maine
Where the Elfswort blooms golden and 6 feet tall,
Home Place Fairy Folk dance the Midsummer Waltz of the Fairies.
Amid Scarlet Monarda, Red Astillbe; beneath Joe Pye Weed and Phlox, all shades of white and pinks of every hue, Fairy Folk whirl and twirl as they usher out the heat of summer and welcome the cooler temperatures of Autumn.
August is the hottest of months in Maine and tiny wonders abound this time of year.
Late in the afternoon as the sun reaches her rise, little fairy feet retreat from the gardens and greenhouse entering into the Enchanted Woodland for the cool comfort of shade.
The smallest of the small are carried as Fairies march through the woodland to hidden chambers; resting during the hottest hours of each day.
Fairies work long hours from twilight to dawn ripening the harvest which will be gathered by mortals during the day.
Fairy sweetened tomatoes, ripen in the greenhouse. Yum.
Taking one last look around to see that all is as it should be,the last of the home Place Fairies flee for the day.
But do not worry they will be back again at twilight to work and play.
Within the heart of my garden there is a special place for just being and thinking.
Birds congregate with butterflies; Fairy Folk and a special child or two.
Dreams and secrets are shared here.
A place where for an hour or two you can be anything or anyone you dream your self to be.
You can even ask a bird how she sings!
Tiny wonders, everywhere.
Every Garden has a Story.
Once upon a time you were so much younger than you are now.
One day long ago you sat in your grandmothers garden as the west winds blew,
You were so young and your whole life lay before you…
You swore you heard fairies singing,
And there might have been…
When blueberry season arrives folks ask me for my fairy fine recipe for yummy Blueberry Yogurt Bars. As August approaches there are plenty of fresh blueberries to be had here in Maine.
Remember you can certainly use frozen berries if you do not have fresh and have the same results.
Mid July through August are the months for harvesting blueberries here on Blue Fairy Hill. The fields are bountiful with berries and glimmers of fairy dust attest to the hard working Fairy Folk who help to sweeten berries here on our farm.
Blueberry fields or barrens as they are called, are covered with ripe fairy sweetened organic blueberries every other August much to everyone’s delight.
Friends and neighbors gather together to harvest nature’s bounty of sweet satisfaction.
Low bush blueberries are rather small and very sweet tasting. They grow on rocky ledges in wide open spaces.
Blueberries may be picked by hand.
Or they are picked with large metal rakes like these children are using, which allows you to collect berries faster than when hand picking.
However you decide to harvest blueberries the important thing is that you enjoy the process and take in the beauty of nature all around you.
Wild Maine blueberries generally grow on high rocky land which offers you spectacular views while you pick.
I prefer picking berries by hand or using a small wooden blueberry rake which Sampson the Troll made for me over 40 years ago.
After these children gather containers full of blueberries they will take them home for their Mothers who will use them for baking.
Below is a recipe the Home Place Fairies shared with me. I hope you enjoy it as much as we all do.
BLUE FAIRY HILL YOGURT BARS
Preheat your oven to 350
Line a 9 x 13″ baking pan with aluminum foil.
Lightly spray foiled pan evenly with oil and set aside.
Next make a crumble for your bottom crust and topping as follows.
BOTTOM CRUST and CRUMBLE TOPPING
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1. In large bowl whisk melted butter with sugars to combine.
2. Add flour, pinch of salt stir to combine. Mixture will be dry and crumbly. Set aside 3/4 cup of this mixture to use later as topping.
3. Transfer remaining mixture into oiled pan. With your fingers hand pack, pressing the mixture to create a thin, even, flat crust. Set aside.
YOGURT FILLING
1 large egg at room temperature
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1. In medium bowl add egg and Greek Yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Whisk together well.
2. Add the Tablespoon of flour and whisk again.
3. Pour this yogurt filling evenly over the crust spreading with rubber spatula.
Set aside.
BLUEBERRY LAYER
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 handful finely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
1. In separate bowl toss in blueberries, sprinkle with the sugar and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and gently mix to combine.
2. Evenly spread blueberry mixture on top of yogurt filling. (Then if you choose toss on some chopped walnuts and sunflower seeds. (Fairies love seeds and nuts and so do I)
3. Next take your reserved 3/4 cup of the crumble/crust mix and evenly sprinkle on top. Gently squeeze the crumbs through your fingers as you spread over filling. I sprinkle some fresh blueberries on the crust.
4. Place pan on middle rack in preheated 350 oven and bake for about 40 minute for fresh berries and 50 minutes for frozen blueberries. Baking is complete when crust has turned a nice golden brown and berries have bubbled.
5. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack and let cool completely. Then set pan in fridge to cool firmly before cutting into bars.
6. After cooling in the fridge for about 30 minutes I lift the foiled dessert in it’s entirety from the pan and carefully remove the foil from the large “blueberry bar” and set dessert on cutting board and cut into small bars.
8. Now you can cut the bars into small pieces without them crumbling and falling apart.
Blueberry Yogurt Bars may be stored in your refrigerator for up to 10 days, though they don’t last that long in our house.
Serve your Blue Berry Yogurt Bars plain and simple or with some fresh blueberries and a sprig of mint.
They also taste good with a dab of whipped cream, or scoop of ice cream. Oh, if you happen to know some Fairy Folk like I happen to you can even add a dash of Fairy Dust! Yum, magically delicious!
Enjoy!
On the north side of a small mountain in Maine the wild blueberry season is drawing to a close.
The harvesters have raked the fields removing all of the blue for human consumption and few berries remain.
Every evening during berry season the Home Place Fairies come out of the Enchanted Forest scattering fairy dust helping to nourish and sweeten the berries.
Under cover of twilight by no mortal are they seen.
Busy with their chores they remain playful and always take time out to enjoy a blueberry or two.
As the morning sun begins to rise the fairies head back to the Enchanted Forest, confident that due to their efforts the fields will continue to grow lush with a ripe and bountiful harvest.
By the time mortals awaken the Fairies will be long gone.
All that will remain of their twilight labors will be a sparkle or two.
August is a month of great beauty in my garden.
Here are some images taken right before dusk, a time when birds nest in for the evening; when butterflies stop fluttering and our honeybees have returned to their hives
During the quiet morning hours, or right before dusk, I like to sit or meander about in my garden, soaking in the sounds and natural beauty abundant all around me.
When darkness falls the fairies are snug and cozy in their chambers relaxing after their busy day spent tending vegetables, flowers, herbs and seeds.
Come twilight they will sing and dance among the flowers with the wildlings, not to work but to play.
Every garden is a paradise, a source of beauty, harvest and inspiration.
Where gardens grow fairies reside.
These brilliant red monarda flowers cozied up to a bit of magenta phlox and day lilies are a brilliant bit of Maine Garden Magic.
Harvesting Fairy dusted flowers for arrangements is one of the most pleasant ways I can think of to spend a morning, or an entire day.
Flowers sprinkled with fairy dust have a certain something extra special about them
and are welcome at both happy celebrations as well as those which are sad.
Fairy dusted flowers shimmer and glow,
spreading goodwill and cheer wherever they go.
Whether one stem or pots of plenty, flowers aim to comfort and please.
A single pinch of fairy dust encourages flowers to sprout, blossom and grow.
Happy first day of August from Seamstress to the Fairies!
Esmeralda Fairy enters my greenhouse each and every morning with her baskets of fairy dust flavoring our kale plants, so divine.
We are very appreciative of Esmeralda’s efforts and welcome the Home Place Fairies that help tend our gardens.
It is very important to express appreciation and gratitude to all of those who offer their services so selflessly.
The Wizard and I harvest Esmeralda’s Fairy sweetened Kale from our glass greenhouse from March until late November… when we let the greenhouse rest for the winter.
My family loves kale which I grow in straw mulched garden rows next to bush beans and kohlrabi, lettuce and chard.
I enjoy planting kale in different environments such as raised beds covered with remay. Remay is a sheer gardeners fabric which lets in the warming rays of sunlight as well as rain drops pass through. Remay protects Kale’s tender leaves from insects such as aphids, weevils or mites
Kale is delicious and used in many Fairy Folk recipes here at the farm.
Copyright © 2026 Robin Horty
