amor y amargo
Amor y Amargo is a bar in the east village that has a deep history in our family. It is an amaro bar introduced to us by our friend Erik Eastman, and it has long been our favorite bar in New York City. As part of my son and husband’s ongoing and very idiosyncratic search for native plants that can also be used for food and beverages, they planted this bottle gentian last spring. Gentian root is the bittering agent for many if not most amari, and lo and behold we have one that is native to Minnesota. In related news, Amor y Amargo means “love and bitterness” in Spanish, and as of this afternoon, there is a mostly friendly war in our household between my newfound love of these spectacular fall wildflowers, and my boys’ desire to dig them up for their bitter roots. I don’t think i’m going to win this one.
closed bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)
Oh no! Surely you and the boys can find some middle ground. You each should have your own patch of these delightful beauties. American Meadows sells the seed, so maybe y’all should grow some? Expand your population :)
PS – ever since you posted the pic of Jerusalem artichoke/sunchoke blossoms, I have been wondering whether the boys have done anything interesting with their edible tubets
*tubers
This is magnificent! I gasped when I saw it.