.

These August reflections are part of the Seasonal Reflections series — a year-long practice of living with the rhythm of nature.

And suddenly it’s August, the last month of summer.

The garden is producing generously, piling up enough fruits, vegetables and herbs to preserve for winter. We’re almost as busy in the kitchen as in the garden, what with fermenting gherkins, freezing excess broccoli, cauliflower and beans and cooking tomato sauce. Blackberries and blueberries have superseded gooseberries and raspberries, waiting not-so-patiently to be cooked into jams. Herbs are either hanging from the ceiling, drying quietly, lying in oil to flavour it or being transformed into pesto.

It’s still hot during the days, and when we’re not busy preserving our harvest, we try to escape the heat.

And yet, we can feel a subtle shift in August: the days are perceptibly shorter, the evenings can already be cool enough to make us wear a cardigan, and on some mornings, mist meanders across the meadows, telling us that autumn sends its regards.

👉 In these August reflections, we’ll explore seasonal living in August — from the garden and kitchen to simple ways of making the most of late summer.

August asks us to embrace abundance. The harvest is generous, the days are still long, and there is plenty to gather, preserve and enjoy before autumn quietly begins its approach.

As I work in a school, I have most of August off and can celebrate summer to the fullest during these hot weeks. Whenever the weather allows it, I’m either in the garden, going for a stroll through the meadows and woods where I pick wild herbs and flowers, or at the banks of the river Lech to cool down.

In the evenings I enjoy sitting on the balcony with family and friends, sharing simple summer snacks and cold drinks, playing games, talking and laughing. While we could sit outside late into the nights in July, it gets dark earlier now and with darkness often comes a chill in the air. It’s not really cold yet, but cool enough to fetch a sweater or a blanket.

We often light candles outside now and sometimes even torches. We do have solar lights, but the natural flicker of the flames adds a different level of that special feeling we Bavarians call Gemütlichkeit – warmth, comfort and togetherness – to the whole late summer night atmosphere, don’t you think?

These are the endless summer evenings we remember from childhood—the ones that seemed as though they’d never end.

Nature in August

While in July, the farmers were beginning to harvest grains, they’re finished now. In some fields, the straw is still lying on the fields, waiting to be pressed into bales and brought into the barn for winter. My dad always aimed to have all grains harvested by mid-August so that he (and thus: we) had a short time of rest before potato harvest started. It always depends on the weather, of course, but most years, he managed it, and we had one or even two weeks, where we would enjoy the lull by doing what children do: seemingly nothing and yet everything.

Wild herbs like Saint John’s Wort, yarrow and tansy can be found on field edges, fallows, and light woods now, while the sunflowers in the gardens tell everybody what season it is.

In the vegetable garden, beans, broccoli and cauliflower are ready to be harvested now, and we certainly have no shortage of choice about what to eat every day. What’s too much, I freeze, can or ferment.

August Garden Tasks

Depending on the weather, the most time-consuming garden task in August will be watering. August is usually a hot and dry month (although we have had exceptions), and our primary goal now must be to keep alive what cannot be harvested yet. I usually check my garden’s soil daily and water deeply every 2 – 3 days during dry spells. That sounds easier than it is, because I don’t have a water connection in my garden, but depend on collected rainwater, or, if that’s not enough, on driving water canisters to the garden.

Some vegetables that stay long in the patch, like pumpkins or cabbages, get a last dose of fertiliser by the end of August. Nutrients, especially nitrogen, that are fed after that time would only lead to excess leaf growth instead of flavourful cabbage heads or pumpkins.

The most rewarding August garden task, though, is harvesting! Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, all seem to be ripe at once and at the same time. The time of abundant harvest we dreamed about in winter? That’s now.

The garden has done its work. Now it’s the kitchen’s turn.

Seasonal Living in August: Kitchen and Home

Like in July, it’s still peak preserving time. Brambles and blueberries have replaced raspberries and gooseberries, and wait to be frozen, fermented or cooked into jams. One harvest quietly hands over to the next, and without noticing it we’re already preparing for autumn.

By the end of August, the first apples are ripe, and we can seamlessly continue from making tomato sauce to canning apple sauce, making apple vinegar from scraps or dry-canning the apples for Apfelstrudel or pies.

Additionally, early pears can be harvested now, and either be eaten on the spot (which I must confess I often do until my belly hurts), baked into pies, canned or transformed into jam. If you’ve never made pear jam (or simply want to look it up again), here’s a basic recipe for a wonderfully smooth and flavourful pear jam. If you want to try some new flavour combinations, have a look at these pear jam variations.

The second (or even third) batch of herbs can be cut now and preserved however you like. Learn more about how to preserve herbs in this article.

Beans are still in high season, and you can easily freeze, can or ferment them for winter. The same goes for zucchini: whenever I’ve averted my gaze from them, they have grown again. Massively. If your zucchinis are the same, preserve them as zucchini pickles, zucchini bread or grate and freeze them.

Although I’m no fan of hot dishes, I’ve discovered fermented hot sauce for our winter pantry, which is a great way of preserving your homegrown peppers and chillies. (Psst: if you don’t have a garden, you can also grow peppers and chillies in pots.)

August Self-Care Ideas

Let’s take the speed out of August.

With all the gardening and preserving, I don’t want to add anything else to my to-do list. Whenever I come across another “August bucket list”, therefore, I instantly click away.

After all, August is the time we craved during those long, dark winter months, the endless days of just being and enjoying we remember from our childhood. I don’t want to overload that time with another list of boxes to tick. We still have plenty to do, what with gardening, preserving, eating, and breathing. Let’s take the speed out of August and allow ourselves some room to breathe, shall we?

Self-Care for Body…

Whenever the weather – and the garden – allow, I’m outside, taking in as much sunlight and fresh air as I can get. I enjoy going for a jog in the mornings, when it’s still temperate or at least not too hot yet. I was a bit negligent regarding sports during the heat wave in July, and I’m happy to be back at it. Jogging makes my head free – all thoughts come up at one time, spin around in the circle of thoughts that lives in my mind and bow out silently. When I come home, sweaty and tired, I still feel exhilarated and able to tackle what the day will bring.

Another great way to get some exercise now is swimming. The river Lech is a 10-minute drive away from my home, and I often just grab a towel, something to drink, and my car keys and head out for a short break at the river banks. The Lech is always cold enough to be refreshing, and a short nap afterwards under the trees helps me re-energise.

I love making ice cream in August, partly because my eldest celebrates his birthday in mid-August and almost always likes to have ice cream with his cakes. All that energy that got burned off during swimming and running must be replaced…

… For Mind…

August also gives me time to return to slower hobbies that require patience.

After all the busyness at the end of the school year that each July brings, I’m happy to have enough time now to do what I had to postpone earlier. Knit that scarf, for example, that  I want to wear on chilly evenings. I’m not very experienced with knitting, and a project like this requires a lot of time, focus, and mental energy on my side. August is just the perfect time to do it.

I also love listening to and studying music I want to get to know better. This year, I’ve chosen to get better acquainted with Handel’s “Messiah”, an oratorio I’ve listened to several times, but which I haven’t grasped fully yet. The score’s already here, and I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this beautiful music.

When in July my mind was full of tasks that still needed to be done and things to think about, working with my hands calmed me down. This month, provided I’ve done my gardening and kitchen work, I allow myself to do only what I like to do and without driving myself into exhaustion.

…And Soul

Sunlight and fresh air are not only good for the body but also for the soul. So go outside every minute you can.

The sun’s rising later now, so that’s a good opportunity to get up early and watch a sunrise. Or walk somewhere new and watch a sunset, alone or with friends and family. Put your phone away and just look at the sun, witness it slowly setting and changing the light until it has finally disappeared.

Another simple idea is trying a phone-free day. Instead of doom-scrolling (yes, guilty here) and only witnessing your life through the lens of a smartphone, watch your surroundings closely, try to notice everything that’s happening. It doesn’t matter if you’re out alone on a stroll through quiet woods or sitting in a café on a busy street, looking at the buildings around you and watching people. Just be and see and don’t let yourself be disturbed by a digital device.

If you feel adventurous now, explore somewhere you’ve never been before. You needn’t go on vacation or drive far to do that. I’m sure there are museums, neighbourhoods, restaurants and cafés in your hometown that you haven’t discovered yet or have wanted to visit for some time.

A deep breath before autumn

To me, August feels like a caesura in the symphony of the year—a brief pause before autumn begins its next movement. Maybe because I have the time off or maybe because August feels slower in general, it feels like a break to me. A slower time that invites us to become slower ourselves.

And I usually accept that invitation and let myself take a short mental break from all the hustle and bustle of the months before. Now is a good time to look back at the year and ask ourselves what we’ve learned and what we’re grateful for.  And maybe we even have some intentions for how we want the next months to be.

Let’s soak up every minute of this glorious late summer month, get outside as often as we can, and be grateful for beautiful, endless summer days. Autumn has already packed its belongings and is about to get on its way. Let’s take this small summer break and recharge our batteries so that we can be fully focused again when autumn knocks on the door.

If you’d like to walk through the seasons with me, I’d love to welcome you to the Seasonal Simple Life newsletter. Every few weeks I share new seasonal inspiration, recipes, gardening tips and simple ways to slow down and enjoy the time of year we’re in.

Come along, and let’s celebrate each season together.

Join the Seasonal Simple Life Community!

Seasonal inspiration for your garden, kitchen, and home—delivered with care every week.

If you’d like to keep walking through the seasons, you’ll find the rest of the Seasonal Reflections series below.

January Reflections: The Beauty of Rest and New Beginnings

February Reflections: Finding Peace in Winter’s Final Stretch

March Reflections: The Season of Transition

April Reflections: Learning From Spring’s Unpredictability

May Reflections: Growth Without Overwhelm

June Reflections: Living Seasonally in Early Summer

July Reflections: When Life Moves Outdoors

September (coming soon)