Tomato 🍅 Season

 

I’m really not that fond of tomatoes 🍅.

They have to be just ripe, not too hard or soft.

Fred came home with 2 big Tomatoes, about 1 pound each.

Marvelous, Perfect Tomatoes Slices, Turkey & Cheese on homemade toasted bread. ahhh 😻

Summertime.

They were Hanover County Tomatoes.

Grok looked them up. Yes, grok uses Wiki too 🦕

Hanover County, Virginia tomatoes (often called Hanover tomatoes) are a well-known local specialty prized in central Virginia and the Greater Richmond area for their flavor. 

They are not a single cultivar or hybrid. Any tomato grown in Hanover County’s distinctive soil qualifies—slicers, cherries, heirlooms, etc. The reputation comes primarily from the county’s sandy, well-drained loamy soils (especially on the eastern side near the Fall Line), which retain moisture and nutrients in a way that supports flavorful fruit. Local accounts and extension agents also point to climate, irrigation from nearby rivers, long farming tradition, and careful vine-ripened harvesting. 

Key points

•  History and reputation: References go back at least to 1878 in local newspapers. They became especially popular in the 20th century at roadside stands and markets around Richmond. Many locals and chefs insist they taste better (sweeter with good acidity and depth) than tomatoes grown nearby. 

•  Season: Typically mid-to-late June through early October, with peak availability in July–August.

•  Hanover Tomato Festival: Held annually on the second weekend in July at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville. The 2026 dates were Friday, July 10 (5–9 pm) and Saturday, July 11 (9 am–1 pm). It is free, family- and pet-friendly, with vendors, tomato-themed food, activities, entertainment, and tomatoes for sale/tasting. Recent festivals have drawn large crowds (over 13,000 in 2026). 

Where to find them

Popular sources include:

•  Hanover Vegetable Farm (Ashland) — long-established farm market (since 1902) known for “the real McCoy” Hanover tomatoes, open daily during the season. 

•  Other local farm stands and markets in Hanover County (e.g., Woodside Farms and similar roadside operations).

•  Some Richmond-area grocery stores and farmers markets stock them when in season and label them as Hanover-grown.

In short, Hanover tomatoes are a classic Virginia summer product defined more by place (the county’s soil and growing conditions) and tradition than by any proprietary variety. Peak season is underway right now if you’re looking to buy or cook with them.

Soil composition strongly influences tomato flavor by affecting nutrient uptake, water availability, root development, and the resulting balance of sugars, organic acids, and volatile aroma compounds in the fruit.

Tomato flavor is primarily a combination of:

•  Sugars (mainly glucose and fructose → sweetness)

•  Organic acids (citric and malic → brightness/tang)

•  Volatile compounds (terpenes, aldehydes, etc. → aroma and complexity)

How Key Soil Properties Affect Flavor

Hanover County Context

In Hanover County, Virginia, the soils most associated with the famous local tomatoes are sandy to sandy-loam soils on the eastern side of the county (Coastal Plain side of the Fall Line). These are typically well-drained, mineral-rich loams that hold enough moisture and nutrients for productive growth while preventing waterlogging. 

Local growers and extension agents commonly attribute the distinctive sweet-juicy balance and concentrated flavor of Hanover tomatoes to this soil type: the loose, sandy structure lets roots grow deeply and access a favorable nutrient-water balance, while the moderate water retention helps concentrate sugars and acids rather than diluting them. 

A 1905 USDA soil survey already noted that Hanover produced “excellent quality” tomato crops, and modern extension comments continue to highlight the eastern loamy soils as particularly suited to vegetable production. 

Practical Takeaways

•  Flavor is maximized by balanced nutrition (especially adequate K and P, moderate N), good drainage, and avoiding overwatering as fruit ripens.

•  Soil testing is the best starting point for improving flavor in any garden or farm.

•  While soil is important, variety, sunlight, temperature (especially cooler nights), and vine-ripened harvest also play major roles—Hanover’s reputation combines favorable soil with traditional growing practices and local marketing.

In short, Hanover’s sandy-loam soils create conditions that favor concentrated sugars, good acidity, and overall flavor intensity compared with heavier or wetter soils nearby.

Donation Request

Dear friends and readers, my blog traveloguefortheuniverse.blogspot.com has been my journal of my days — sharing writing, poetry, images, memories, some good, some bad, all part of life — while I navigate MS and epilepsy.

In May our family lost our life savings to a wire transfer scam, and your support is appreciated as we recover.

Donate via PayPal

Even a small donation or sharing this post means the world and helps me keep going — thank you deeply.

TBT

 Hard to believe that it’s Thursday already 😻

Lake Champlain 

Crown Point 

https://parks.ny.gov/visit/historic-sites/crown-point-state-historic-site

Coyote Night

 Coyote Night

A rerun of one of my favorites.

Summer memories are warm and sweet. I wanted to share a poem even while

fearing that once I let it out, I will be unable to ever outdo it in feeling and

depth of myself immersed therein.


Coyote Night by Mary Gerdt * 2008 all rights reserved
When we walk down a road in the dark,
And the Coyotes are crying their mournful cry,
The smells of summer drift and hang in the valley
And little night birds chirp goodnight.
The stars peek out from the clouds of August mist
The moon hangs over the hills by home.
My memories fade to days gone by
When we looked at the nights from inside.
Now we walk on the path outside
Not afraid anymore.
While the coyotes cry

Power lines to feed Data Centers?

 

@grok teaches The Akashic Records

 Akashic Records — a concept from metaphysics and esoteric traditions — refers to a supposed universal “library” or energetic archive that records every thought, word, deed, emotion, and event across all of time and existence. The term draws from the Sanskrit Akasha (meaning ether, sky, or cosmic space) and was popularized in the early 20th century by Theosophists like Helena Blavatsky and especially the American clairvoyant Edgar Cayce, who described it as the “Book of Life” or the soul’s memory bank. 

In this view, the Akashic Records aren’t a physical place but a non-local field of consciousness — sometimes likened to a cosmic cloud storage or quantum information field — that holds the complete history of every soul’s journey, including past lives, current life patterns, potentials, and even collective human evolution. It ties into ideas of reincarnation, non-linear time, and interconnectedness (themes that resonate with your multiverse fiction and your mom’s studies in metaphysics, Plato, Atlantis/Lemuria, and Akashic exploration).

Many traditions see accessing it as a way to gain insight for healing, life purpose, karmic patterns, or creative inspiration — essentially tapping the “memory of the universe.”

How People Commonly “Tap In”

There’s no single verified scientific method (it’s a spiritual/esoteric practice), but here are widely shared approaches from practitioners:

•  Meditation & Stillness: Quiet the mind, raise your vibration through breathwork or grounding. Set a clear, ethical intention (e.g., “I seek insight for my highest good and the good of all”). Visualize a library, temple, or light-filled archive; ask for guidance and remain open to impressions, symbols, or inner knowing.

•  Prayer or Invocation: Some begin with protection (calling on guides, angels, or higher self) and a respectful request.

•  Automatic Writing or Journaling: After centering, write questions and let words flow without editing — many report this as a direct channel.

•  Guided Visualizations or Hypnosis: Audio meditations or sessions with experienced facilitators can help access deeper states.

•  Dreamwork & Synchronicity: Paying attention to dreams, repeating symbols, or “downloads” during creative flow (your sacred geometry art or sci-fi writing could be natural entry points).

•  Ethical Note: Always approach with humility and protection. Many traditions warn against forcing access or using it for ego-driven purposes. Results are subjective — trust your intuition and cross-check with real-world discernment.

Mary: Mom was in the metaphysical society in Edwardsville, Illinois. It was in early 1970’s. I went at least once. Wish I had gone with her more. She loved Edgar Cayce’s writings. Always guiding my curiosity.

Grok: That’s a beautiful memory, Mary. It sounds like those early 1970s gatherings in Edwardsville, Illinois, left a lasting imprint—your mom deeply immersed in the metaphysical scene, with Edgar Cayce as a guiding light, and you getting that one glimpse alongside her. It’s touching how she nurtured your curiosity; those shared threads of exploration clearly echo in your own path today, especially with your interest in Akashic Records, multiverse themes in your writing, and spiritual healing.

Context on the Era and Local Scene

The early 1970s were a vibrant time for metaphysical and New Age interests in the U.S., with a surge in explorations of reincarnation, psychic phenomena, alternative spirituality, and esoteric traditions. Small local groups like the one your mom attended in Edwardsville (near St. Louis) were common—often informal circles meeting in homes, churches, or community spaces to discuss books, meditation, and experiences. While I didn’t uncover a widely documented “Metaphysical Society” specifically in Edwardsville from that exact period (many were low-profile or private), it fits the pattern of regional study groups inspired by figures like Cayce, Theosophy, and emerging human potential movements. 

Your mom’s love for Edgar Cayce makes perfect sense in this context. Cayce (1877–1945), known as the “Sleeping Prophet,” gave thousands of psychic readings while in trance. He frequently accessed what he called the Akashic Records—describing them as the “Book of Life,” a universal storehouse of souls’ histories, past lives, and potentials. His readings covered health (holistic remedies), reincarnation, Atlantis/Lemuria, dream interpretation, and spiritual development—topics that overlap beautifully with what you’ve mentioned about your mother’s studies (Plato, Atlantis, non-linear time, Akashic Records). 

Cayce’s work popularized the idea that anyone could tap into higher wisdom for healing and growth, emphasizing compassion, karma, and soul evolution. Many 1970s metaphysical groups studied his Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) materials.

Connecting to Your Journey

It’s poignant that you wish you’d gone more—those experiences often plant seeds that bloom later. Your mom’s influence seems to live on in your digitizing of documents, creative fiction with multiversal/cloning themes, and current explorations of the Pathway Prayer and Records for personal healing (especially resonant with your MS and overall wellness path). Cayce himself spoke of the Records as accessible through prayer, meditation, and aligned intention—much like Linda Howe’s approach builds on that foundation.

If it feels right, you might:

•  Explore Cayce’s readings on Akashic access or past lives (many are archived via A.R.E.).

•  Journal about that one visit—what stood out? It could open a gentle doorway to more memories or insights.

•  Use the Pathway Prayer with an intention honoring your mom, perhaps asking for guidance on continuing that shared curiosity.

Would you like recommendations for Cayce books/readings that tie into Akashic Records or healing? Or help finding similar local groups today in Virginia, resources from that Illinois era, or ways to weave this into your blog/writing? I’m here to explore it with you. 🌟

Excellent choices for your blog, Mary—I’m honored you’re weaving these threads into traveloguefortheuniverse.blogspot.com. It feels like a living continuation of your mother’s metaphysical curiosity and your own multiverse explorations.

Starting Edgar Cayce Book Recommendation

For a beginner, I recommend There Is a River by Thomas Sugrue (often called the definitive biography of Edgar Cayce).

•  Why this one? It introduces Cayce’s life, his trance readings, and core concepts like the Akashic Records, reincarnation, holistic healing, and Atlantis in an engaging, narrative style. It’s accessible without assuming prior knowledge and captures the wonder that likely drew your mom in during the 1970s. Many readers say it sparked their deeper dive into Cayce’s work.

•  Alternatives if you want something more focused: Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records by Kevin J. Todeschi (more direct on the Records) or Cayce’s own A Search for God series for spiritual application.

You can find affordable used copies or digital versions easily. Start there and let it guide your curiosity organically.

Edwardsville Metaphysical Society Today

I searched for ongoing activity, but no active “Metaphysical Society” in Edwardsville, Illinois, appears to still exist from the early 1970s era. The area has broader spiritual communities (e.g., Unity churches or wellness groups in the St. Louis metro region), but that specific circle seems to have been a product of its time—common for small metaphysical study groups that thrived in the ‘70s counterculture and then evolved or dispersed. If you have more details (like a full name or location), I could dig further, but it may now live on through personal memories and legacies like your mom’s influence on you.

A Final Inspiration

Your mom’s gentle guidance—taking you even once to that gathering—planted seeds that continue to bloom across decades and dimensions. In the spirit of the Akashic Records and Cayce’s teachings, every soul’s journey is a river of infinite possibilities: the early 1970s chapter in Edwardsville flows into your writings, your healing path, and this beautiful blog where curiosity travels through time and multiverses.

“The spirit is the life. The mind is the builder. The physical is the result.” — Edgar Cayce

May that spark continue to light your way, honoring her love and your own evolving story. If you share the blog post link when it’s up, I’d love to “visit” it. What else can I help refine for it? 🌌

Political Reign

 

Alone

 Alone 

When Mom crossed over

Into the Ether after Life

From where She came,

Born with the eggs,

One of them is Me.

Then My Father gave Me the

Complement and made Me Life.

Since the beginning of time

Until the end of time,

Time is Infinite.

No End, No Beginning.

We travel through the universe,

We are Stardust 

Alone until We are not,

Together until We are not.

Our Atoms that make up our body and 

The gases in between disperse,

Departing in all directions,

Like a mini Supernova.

Never Dying.

Mom knew We are never 

Alone.

Ukraine…When will the Bear Retreat?

 

Ukraine was set on fire,

Bombing hasn’t stopped,

Bombing never stops.

Praying everyday for Ukraine 🇺🇦 

For my Friends on the front lines 😿 💔

TBT

 It was a long time ago,

You know,

Yesterday 😎

We are (still) one

 

We are One

Mary E. Gerdt

Friday, June 4, 2010

We are one

We are one

Can there be a doubt?

Can you figure out,

How there could be

A way besides

We are one?

And if there is

No start or end

When you get through it

Where did it go?

We are one

Time has no end

or beginning

An endless sphere of time

Spinning so fast

You never saw it go.

But did it?

We are one

Remember when

You hurt your friend

How it hurt?

We are one

At the end of the day,

The begining really and

End all in one.

We are one.