breaking free

It seems odd to be noticing maple samaras now, but I just looked it up and these Amur Maple samaras do indeed mature in late summer. Amur maple is not not native to North America, so maybe that explains the discordancy of maple seeds ripening in August. I love the pink and lime green color combination in these half-mature seeds. They will continue to ripen to a very dark pinky red in the next few weeks. I find myself wondering why all the non-native imports are so much more colorful than our native plants, and then I remind myself that these plants were exported around the globe precisely because they are colorful. It’s not that ALL plants from Eurasia are more color than ours, it’s simply that the ones that have been brought here were specifically chosen for that very reason. Is this what they call a tautological question?

amur maple samaras (Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala)

new-to-me

You know how much I like surprising you with new subjects :-). Here’s one I am guessing at least some of you haven’t seen before, the flower of a caper bush. As most of you know, Steve has a passion for all things Mediterranean, and has been trying to grow as many mediterranean culinary plants as possible. Right now we are proud owners of VERY large bay laurel tree (that overwinters in our basement under grow lights, a Meyer lemon tree, a fig tree, and a caper bush. We’ve had a hot summer here, so right now all of them are thriving.

Here are few fun facts about capers:
Capparis spinosa is native to almost all the circum-Mediterranean countries, and is included in the flora of most of them, but whether it is indigenous to this region is uncertain. The family could have originated in the tropics and later spread to the Mediterranean basin. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning or garnish, and the fruit (caper berries), both of which are usually consumed salted or pickled.

caper flower (Capparis spinosa)

fair’s fair

It only seems fair that I show you the flowers that bloomed from yesterday’s buds. I smile when I look up the proper name for a plant and its official name includes the word “common”. For the most part, I only photograph subjects I find beautiful. So to find that a beautiful subject is so ubiquitous to earn the moniker “common” makes me happy. More beauty for all.

common sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)

streets of gold

It’s roadside sunflower season! From here on out our roadsides here in the North will keep getting more and more golden as our 18 (!) native goldenrods come online. As the sun starts to get lower in sky, and lights it all up, it will look like our streets are edged in gold.

roadside Common Sunflower buds (Helianthus annuus)

time of harvest

Today Joseph and I went for breakfast at a local diner, and stopped to harvest mustard plants on the way home. Joe has been keeping an eye on the roadside wild mustards so he could harvest the seeds and make his own mustard. We found a generous patch along a little used frontage road. Once home, Joe spent about an hour separating the tiny (1-2 mm) seeds from chaff using his thumb, and then winnowed away the remaining chaff debris using a fan. It worked remarkably well. The seeds, from arms length look a uniform brown in the bottom of the bowl. But if you pull them closer, it’s a whole different story.

Tomorrow we make mustard. I’ve done it once before. It is remarkably easy to do.

hand harvested black mustard seeds (Brassica nigra)