The Harvest Moon

Did you see the Harvest Moon tonight? The image below isn't actually of our moon, but it is identical to the one we're experiencing tonight (my camera couldn't get a close enough shot of ours way up in the sky). 

I called out to my fellow Twitter friends to see if they had all witnessed it, and my good friend Kelli Matthews (@kmatthews) - who never fails me with her resourcefulness - sent me this link to Wikipedia, which explained a bit of the origins of the Harvest Moon. 

It says that the Harvest Moon is the first full moon after the first frost (have we already had frost??). And, a legend of Norse mythology, it is said to be the most powerful of the Moons granting Loki's blessing for the strong harvest of plenty. 

The Harvest Moon rises 30 minutes later from one night to the next allowing for less time periods of darkness from sunset to moonrise around the time that surrounds these special moons. In the past, it's been said that this feature helped farmers who worked tirelessly to bring in their crops to keep going, event after sunset. 

And that fact there makes me even more excited to see what delectable items will be showcased at our farmers' markets this week. 

Oh, another incredibly important item to note is that one of the Harvest Moon's other names is: the Wine Moon. Now that makes me adore it even more!

For more information, read the full article in the Wikipedia link above. It's interesting to finally know a little history behind the big orange moon up above. 

Cheers, (literally, the moon suggests it!)

~JF