While reviewing ninety recent iPhone photos of tulips, I questioned whether I could limit myself to posting only seven (my usual self-imposed limit). Yet as I narrowed down and edited I began to doubt if any of my photos were doing justice to the truly real appealing tulips everywhere I walked this week.
Anyway here are photos that at least allude to what tulips have been offering in my neighborhood as April ends and May begins.
I hope that people who see this post will comment with tips on photographing tulips. Better yet, share your own tulip photos or links to ones you have taken!
Holiday wreaths fit happily within the realm of ‘Pleasures of Plants,’ so one late December day I photographed several in my neighborhood.
The longer I looked, the more I appreciated their common and distinctive features. All are circular, continuous, connected, intertwined. Some are mostly evergreens, while others keep bare branches.
Pine cones, flowers, berries and other aspects of the natural world appear in many wreaths. Ribbons, cute creatures and ornaments distinguish others.
All add welcome and grace to doorways. Many enhance design elements around them.
You can imagine or remember their aromas and their textures in your hands.
These few selected from my strolling through the streets are ones that lent themselves to iPhone captures, while others are still out there waiting for better portraits.
Has my tangent come full circle or will it continue in some way? For now I’ll wait for words, ideas, and images about wreaths around you!
Words and photos by Deb Lee, Michele Maniscalco; photo from Lee family album
*last of five parts, so far, with responses from friends and family to my request for photos and text related to edible plants in the life or remembrance of Minna Lee (1917-2005) prompted by her birthday on August 23.
Deb Lee: My childhood memories include summer visits to a peach orchard owned by family friends. My sister Bec and I helped their boys pick peaches, from which our mother made peach cobbler for all. No luck finding old photos of that experience, but I can share photos from eight years ago when we picked blueberries at a farm near Bec and then enjoyed delicious pancakes.
picking blueberries in Germanyblueberries and pickers 2014preparing blueberry pancakes 2014enjoying blueberry pancakesenjoying blueberry pancakes in Oberschweinbach
Michele Maniscalco:I bet Grandmother Minna would have gotten a kick out of these pictures!
carrots in the kitchenIt’s a boy!
The two carrot pictures indoors were taken in our kitchen at 29 E. Concord Street. I call the one of the anatomically correct carrot, “It’s a Boy”.
Michele holding carrots, September 2015carrots in gardenPraying mantis in community garden
I especially love the one of the praying mantis staring at the camera: that was such an amazing moment for me! I’ll never forget that night. Of course, the carrots and tomatoes were grown at our plot in Northampton Community Garden.
Photos and text by John Miller; Text by Brad Gurman with photo by Bernard Lee
*fourth of five parts, so far, with responses from friends and family to my request for photos and text related to edible plants in the life or remembrance of Minna Lee (1917-2005) prompted by her birthday on August 23.
John Miller: Happy birthday to my Aunt Minna!Attached is Wendy (Adams) in her veg garden (enclosed to keep the baboon out). Located in Wilderness Heights, South Africa, if you want to locate it. Spinach, lettuces of all kinds, cabbage, celery, onions, much more …
Courtyard plants and herbs
Courtyard plants and herbs 4Entrance 1Entrance 2
Wendy in her garden
lettuce
Brad Gurman: I do have the fondest memories of your mother’s cooking in general, but more her willingness, no, a strong desire or need to explore any fruits and vegetables and after a short visit to Japan, sushi and octopus. I still recall my often hesitation to try new things, but confidence to try anything she prepared. My apology, but I have no photos of any of these memorable events. (note from DL: Bernard Lee’s 1984 photo from our album fits with your comments!) Thank you for the opportunity to recall her memory. Happy Birthday to Minna.
copy of a photo by Bernard S. Lee 1984: Minna hosting New Year celebration
Words from Annie Monahan, Photos from Marjory Wunsch; Photos from Lee family album
*third of five parts, so far, with responses from friends and family to my request for photos and text related to edible plants in the life or remembrance of Minna Lee (1917-2005) prompted by her birthday on August 23.
Annie Monahan: ‘Happy birthday Aunt Minna, wonder what you’ll be finding for the meal of the day and where the participants will be found’.There was happy excitement in the air.
Later as I reached for a peach ripening on the window sill, I thought again of Minna wondering if peaches, in season, might be part of the picture.Picture was important because texture and color were part of the art of the meal.
I have such fond memories of visiting …..always going for a drive to find the perfect ears of corn so and so had, and the veggies so and so was saving for her just picked that morning. Or if one left early enough a tour of the garden itself.
Food was hand in hand with the people she encountered. Everyone seemed so delighted to see her, as always she left people happier.
. …. meals were a community effort….for example, your grandma cutting veggies as her sight was diminishing being told where they came from and their colors and how they’d be added to others, asking which bowl might be used etc.
Thinking of so many of the family visiting during Aunt Minna’s birthday ‘season’ brings a big smile. Family and food, hooray.
Minna and Ruth in NJ kichenMinna on deck at Falmouth house
Text and photos by Renee Kasinsky and Tina Gram; Text by Harold Snedcof, photo by Marjory Wunsch; text by Linda Harris, photo from Lee/Levy family album
*second of five parts (so far) with responses from friends and family to my request for photos and text related to edible plants in the life or remembrance of Minna Lee (1917-2005) prompted by her birthday August 23.
Renee Kasinsky: Minna always served great salads and generously shared with family and friends. Salad vegetables: tomato, basil, rhubarb:
Tina Gram:The only time I met Minna was at the house in Falmouth and I recall she cooked up quite a meal. She enjoyed cooking and shared generously with Deb’s visiting friends. It was a memorable evening and made special by Minna’s presence. Garden photos (six, captioned):
pole beans, Swiss chard, cocktail tomatoesharvest-green beans, rainbow chard, and zinniaseggplant flowers (left) , Another creature is enjoying my tomatoes… Probably a squirrel…sinking his teeth in each one! (right) Grape arbor
Harold Snedcof:Now to get to your mother’s love of plants- I remember fondly her chopping up rosemary and then placing the herb on roast beef in your kitchen at the house in Little Silver. The combination was delicious.
table with squash and rosemary, photo by Marjory Wunsch
Linda Harris: And my fondest thoughts of your wonderful wonderful mother, I did really love her! So warm and welcoming and supportive! What a mom!
Photos and texts by Ellen Kramer, Barbara Nachmias-Kedesdy, Judy Morris, Barbara Gold, Sandy Millikin, Ethan Gould
*one of five parts, so far, with responses from friends and family to my request for photos and text related to edible plants in the life or remembrance of Minna Lee (1917-2005) prompted by her birthday August 23.
Ellen Kramer:The box in the backyard where I grow herbs and vegetables has given me many happy hours. This summer’s heat and drought has stressed many of the plants living in the box. The cherry tomatoes in the attached picture have grown up to the first-floor window despite adversity. It is a joy to be back there watering the plants and eating ripe little tomatoes warm from the sun.
Sandy Millikin: The pictures are of my tomatoes with the first Pink Brandywine nearly ripe. The Sungolds have been pickable for a week. But no ripe green zebras yet ……….tomorrow’s lunch will be the Pink Brandywine with basil and olive oil and perhaps mozzarella! As I enjoy it I will be thinking of Minna.
Ripening for Caprese salad
Barbara Nachmias-Kedesdy:Happy birthday, Minna. Both photos feature plants from our garden. Arugula and basil, pine nuts, and ricotta salad (left), Tomatoes ripening for Caprese salad (right)
Ethan Gould: Reviving the blog in memory of Grandmother is a great idea. I’m sure she would be proud of you! Attached is a picture I took on Sunday of the tomatoes on the vine in Michele’s garden plot.
Lora Myers:My backyard basil…such versatile leaves! This year’s abundance will yield lots of freezer pesto and tastes of the sun in winter.
Fig on Fig Tree from Judy Morris
Judy Morris: One little fig on the fig tree.
I love my small herb garden mixed with portulacas, one of my Mother’s favorites.
Barbara Gold: Minna Lee and her family were my most important influences outside of my family. Their home was an informal salon of kids, artists and writers. Bern showed us interesting new gadgets – the first Waring blender I’d seen. They were open-hearted, open-minded, encouraging and always interested in what we were doing, thinking, feeling. A true blessing!
Minna and Bern at Goldschmidt’s celebration, 1965
Minna raking Vale Homes yard garden, 1942? (copy from worn-out old photo)
The sun-powered rush to grow, bloom and reproduce is under full steam now with wave after wave of plants hoisting their flowers up to the wind and/or the pollinators and the eyes of those who are seeing. They tempt with color—much of it invisible to my human eye—and scent and, for the insects, tiny magnetic […]
On a rainy evening in Harvard Square, May 2019, I responded to a sudden assignment in a smartphone camera class by taking photos inside Brattle Square Florist. As one of countless devoted customers for more than forty years, I had secretly dreamed of somehow documenting the special qualities of its long tall corridor packed floor to ceiling with a great array of plants. In this mesmerizing space, staffed by busy but always available family members, I would reliably wander choosing flowers for my home or gifts for others.
To celebrate the survival of Brattle Square Florist after a precarious time, I now share some photos from that evening along with quotes and links (with pertinent photos) to convey their current heartening story.
“Last month’s announcement that Brattle Square Florist would be closing on January 31st led to an outpouring of support from its customers and the community. Moved by that outpouring, Stephen Zedros, the longtime manager at Brattle Square Florist, put plans in place to take over the business and maintain operations without interruption starting February 1st. “ (quote from Cambridge Chronical-TAB story by William J Dowd, Wicked Local, Feb 8, 2022)
“The Gomatos Brothers, Zedro’s grandparents, opened Gomatos Brothers Fresh Produce in 1917. …. In the 1970s, the family switched over to selling strictly flowers and plants. For years, Zedros’ mother, Catie, and her brother, Ted Gomatos, kept Brattle Square Florist in business and kept it thriving in Harvard Square. “ ( quote from Harvard Square Business Association News, Jan 28, 2022)
“The store will ……. relocate steps away to 52 Brattle Street. Zedros noted, “Brattle Square Florist has been operating in Harvard Square for over 100 years and I’m planning to lay the foundation for the next 100 years.””( quote from Harvard Square Business Association News, Jan 28, 2022)
During frigid February days in New England, I was happily transported by photos Julie Shaw texted during her brief family vacation in Arizona. Inspired by those radiant images from that distinctly different landscape, I asked her to share some in a post on Pleasures of Plants. Fortunately for all viewers, she responded with the following images, including well-researched enlightening captions and notes.
Photos 1, 2, and 3 are by Julie Shaw. Photos 4, 5, and 6 are by Susie Shaw.
These photos were all taken in late February at the Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, Arizona.
1. Prickly Pear Cactus, very plentiful at Tanque Verde Ranch. It grows in many climates but is particularly beautiful here.2. Golden Barrel Cactus in front of a Yucca plant 3. Santa Rita Purple Prickly Cactus 4. Saguaro Cactus. These giants can live up to 200 years and are found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert. 5. More Prickly Pear6. Saguaro Skeleton. When the Saguaro die, their woody leaves can be used for roofs and fences.
Many thanks to Julie Shaw and Susie Shaw for sharing their photos and perspectives!
Pleasures of Plants 