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)
still at it
Welcome to August! I have my head deep into my keynote. My son is harvesting first year burdock roots to dry and store to use as a bittering agent in his homemade amari (bittersweet herbal liqueurs). So you get burdock root. See you tomorrow. :-)
burdock roots (Arctium lappa)
dianthus for the distracted
In a couple of weeks I am heading to Longwood Garden near Philadelphia, PA to be one of several instructors at a week long photography conference. These are the kinds of things I get invited to do now ever since the success of my book. Anyway, I am not only teaching for three days but I am also giving the keynote speech. Today, I sat down in earnest to begin the laborious task of putting together what I hope to be a memorable keynote. As a result, I reached for the easy dianthus in a bouquet of flowers I was gifted recently. When time of short, work with you got. Even if it’s non-native and store bought.
pink dianthus
They glow from within, don’t they? Sometimes I try to imagine the world without color and think I’d miss yellow the most…
Got the keynote wrapped up?
And what is Joe going to do with QAL seeds? (a loose end I’ve been wondering about).
Hi Ginny,
Joe plans to harvest the seeds to use as a seasoning in soups and savory dishes. As you know, wild carrot (QAL) is in the same family as fennel, parsley, dill, celery, parsnips, and cumin. So, not surpisingly, the seeds tastea little like carrot, pepper, coriander, with a tad of fennel and rosemary, with also a citrusy hint. Joe is filling our pantry with as much locally harvested food as possible. It’s a noble goal–but he does head back to NYU in 3 weeks.
xox MJ