Galeux d’Eysines, Bumpy Gourds, & The Muscovy Duck, what's bumps got to do with it? (Tuesday's Truths WK 95)

In yesterday's blog post, I mentioned that while on my way to a greenmarket and the green-flea (on the UWS) this past Sunday, I noticed (as did many others, including the police) that a raccoon was looking down (from the tree tops near some scaffolding) on all who passed by. I also mentioned that I was at the market longer than I anticipated, so I never did find out what happened to the creature; for when I returned all evidence of the incident, including on-lookers and policemen were gone.

One of the reasons for my tarrying at the greenmarket was that I spotted a pair bumpy looking pumpkins (pictured above) at Gaia's Breath Farm's "vending" stand and took the time to ask about them. I learned from a kind woman working there that these are a variety known as a peanut pumpkins, a term which I immediately googled after putting the one I got atop the urban hedge in my rooftop garden.

According to a gardening-related web-page, "the peanut pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima ‘Galeux d’Eysine’) is an heirloom pumpkin varietal notable for its distinctive peanut-like growths peppering the exterior of its pink hued rind. Certainly unique looking, some might say unattractive, the 'peanuts' are actually a buildup of excess sugar in the flesh of the pumpkin."

I was not surprised to learn that some say the Galeux d’Eysine was "unattractive" because of having peanut-like growths. However, it is the peanut-like growths that drew my attention, because they reminded me of my own lumps and bumps (that I deplore so much that I rarely alllow my picture to be taken, but for purposes of this entry, one is included towards the end) which I have as a result of being born with the medical (neurological) condition, Neurofibromatosis Type-One.

Fred (or Freddie), A Touring Pumpkin

It's been a very rainy (understatement) chilly day in NYC, but that didn't stop Freddie the pumpkin from continuing with his greenmarket tour.

He's been making the rounds (visiting various greenmarkets in NYC) since the first Sunday in October (when he debuted — wearing a face-mask — at the Greenmarket alongside The AMNH (American Museum of Natural History) on the UWS.

He wants people to guess his weight and whomever comes the closest will win a bag of local produce.

Contestants write their guess along with their name and contact info on a piece of paper and give it to the person monitoring his space.

And evidently, on this Saturday, which is the last Saturday in October, the winner will be annouced at the Greenmarket at Tucker Square and where I saw him today).

You would think with the array of pumpkins that are in my garden, which I've carried up five flights of stairs, that I might have an idea, but I don't, I just put down a wild guess, for you have to be in it to win it as the saying goes.

Honoring the (5) Great "new brand" Pumpkins (National Pumpkin Day 2019)

IMAGE CREDIT

Today is not part of my blog posting schedule for this week, but this entry is being published in honor of National Pumpkin Day!

One can hardly think of pumpkins without thinking of The Great Pumpkin made famous by Charles Schultz's Peanuts character, Linus, who can be seen with Sally (directly above) taking delight in a pumpkin patch, where they are awaiting the arrival of him/her.

This year I have five great "new brand variety" pumpkins and a few "standard" pumpkins, all of which I got from various farmers in the tri-state area who come to the Greenmarkets on the UWS.

Monday's Musings: It's not just for the birds, raccoons also do people-ing.

Yesterday I reported on TLLG's Facebook Page, the following: when I was walking up Columbus Avenue, heading towards the greenmarket and green-flea on the UWS, there was a large raccoon who was doing some people-ing from a treetop near to some scaffolding; as evidenced in the picture atop this entry, where the creature can be seen seen "spying" on all who happened to pass by.

Buds: The Potential of Developing into Something Beautiful

Every flower bud has the potential of developing into something beautiful. At this time, I have an array of buds in my urban terrace garden, and the exquisite  bud in the photograph above is from my tree peony, Paeonia suffruitticosa, a shrub that is known to last longer than the gardeners that plant them, so at least I will leave some legacy. I had hoped to leave some legacy of meaningful writings, but often I fail to write about things that interest me as it might prove to be embarrassing, or hurt someone's feelings; and so these days, my muse is busy with my gardening endeavors and my peony tree, which I have had for only one year, has proved to be inspirational.

Holidays that Honor the Treat of Ice Cream (And A Shout Out to Ice Cream Makers)

I learned of the holiday known as National Ice Cream Day when I went to my local flea market which is kiddy corner from The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

According to Holiday Insights (HI), it is always celebrated on the third Sunday of the month.

HI writes "In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month. He also established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in the month."

The holiday could've easily come and gone without my knowing it, because I either had forgotten about this occasion, or, I didn't realize that yesterday was already the third Sunday of the month!

But because of my Sunday routine I was made aware of the holiday.

You see, quite often on Sunday I will bring my "materials" to a composting station at a nearby Greenmarket that is situated parallel to the grounds of The AMNH. On occasion, after doing so, I will check out my local flea market since it is in such close proximity.

Yesterday, there was an array of ice cream vendors at that flea market, which is not the norm, and the array of what each one offered was mind boggling, causing me to recall the Mutts strip which I've posted atop this entry.

Unfortunately I was not feeling very well and eating ice cream would not have been an option, but I still was able to check out the array of vendors, and since they are NYC based, there's a good chance that I can try their products when I'm feeling better.

I need not worry that I could not do so on the official day, for, as I just stated President Regan, ear-marked the entire month of July as National Ice Cream month. And if I'm not feeling better during the  fifteen days that remain in July, I can always celebrate on December 13th, which is Ice Cream Day!

In any event, for you New Yorkers who may have missed National Ice Cream Day, fear not, I have the scoop (excuse the pun) on the various vendors who participated at my local flea market and you can check them out at your leisure.

The first one that I came upon was Too Cool Chix Ice Cream sandwiches. Their web-site states:"The founders of Too Cool Chix are Michele Elmer and Sharon Monahan. Together they’ve elevated the humble ice cream sandwich because they think outside the pint."

I was drawn to their "station" because of their use of birds (chicks) in their logo and packaging as seen below:

I am hoping to feel well enough to try their "Beauty Bar," which is Lavender Ice Cream with a Soft Lemon Cookie.

I told the women working their that I had helped Cam write her book, Words In Our Beak Volume One,

and I boldly proposed they came up with a flavor in Cam's honor! Rather they do this or not, I intend to try their product and encourage you to do so also, dear reader.

Another vendor that I came upon was VICTORY GARDEN, featuring gelato made from goat's milk.

I will be eager to try this at some point, for my cyber-freindship with the goat-raising, Italy-based Michelle Fabio, has always been an impetus for me to try products made with goat's milk. Readers of my blog may recall that I've written about Fabio in by gone years.

Moreover, Fabio has reviewed the digital version of Words In Our Beak Volume One for Goodreads.

Be that as it may I'm intrigued by products made with goats milk because of the wonderful cheeses made by Ardith Mae, who sells them at the greenmarket that I go to on Sundays.

The folks at VICTORY GARDEN were very accommodating and if their product is anything like the goodness they showed, I'm in for a taste treat when I'm on the mend!

Monday's Memo: "GOURD-JUS" Gourds! Creating Awesome Thanksgiving Decor

The photograph atop-this entry features a carton of awesome looking gourds that I procured from Pamela Torres of Prospect Hill Orchards a few weeks ago (November 2, 2017). She delivered them to the building where I live (transporting them on a dolly) from the greenmarket at Tucker Square (located on the UWS in NYC), where her farm has a stand on Thursdays and Saturdays.

"Cows, Bread and Autism", Bobolink's Answer To What's Cheese got to do with it?

Last Saturday, June 18th 2011, I left you dear reader, with photographs of mouth-watering cheeses, (known as Drumm and Very Special Cave-Aged Cheddar respectively), and a promise to tell you a little bit about them as well as discuss the folks that make them in today's post. So, without further ado:

Composting Day

Today, May the 29th, Memorial Day is being celebrated in the U.S.A., because it's the last Monday in May. As you most likely know, the date for a given Memorial Day varies from year to year. I have written about this fact in a number of prior entries here on Blogger. But, there is another holiday occurring today that is always honored on this day.

The holiday I'm referring to is Learn About Composting Day. Holiday Insights (HI) created this special day in 2011. HI proclaims to be "strong advocates of the 'Go Green' environmental movement." And they state "Composting is easy. We believe everyone can practice composting, to leave a better world for our children." 

Ardith Mae and the "Special, Secret Service" of Goat Cheese

Perhaps, these three kids (in the photograph posted above which is a screen shot of a photograph taken by Michael Poster for the web-site of a well known cheese maker) look familiar to my cheese loving readers, and if not, you definitely will want to get to know these cover girls —  as well as the folks that take care of them: Shereen and Todd —  who do this on their farm in Northern Pennsylvania, a farm they bought after living in Brooklyn and working in the city.  On their farm they allow "animals to be animals" as they most likely realize "girls just wanna have fun . . . "

Easter Season Decor Ends (for the year) in the Indoor Succulent Garden

This past Sunday was the Feast of Pentecost, which ends the Easter Season, and, even though the Easter Season is a fifty day celebration, I am already feeling a bit unfulfilled —  despite my participation in the intense Easter observances as well as the preparation for them during Lent. 

Therefore, I was consoled to read the following comment by the blogger, Emily L. Hauser who is referring to her experience with her 2011 Passover celebrations.

Hauser writes, "It really does seem that every year, Passover goes by faster. One minute I'm hyperventilating over the inhumane amount of cleaning, the next minute I'm saying 'what, it's over?' But here we are. Tonight is the start of the second holiday, the one that closes the week, and boom — its back to bread." I realize that Passover 2011 ended quite some time ago, and that for Ms. Hauser the festival of Shavuot (which is symbolically and historically related to Pentecost) was last week, but it is aways comforting to be reminded of the fact that my emotions are hardly unique to me, and that, in fact quite often, they transcend cultures and belief systems.  

Additionally, as this Easter Season comes to a close, I am also reminded that it is probably time to remove the Easter decorations that are interspersed with my indoor garden of succulents which grow  (under a special lighting system using cold/hot bulbs) in containers that have been lovingly and strategically placed on top of humidity trays (that are laden with pebbles), which are resting on a space 

I've created for an indoor garden on top of my kitchen armoire. (Please see this past blog entry for details.) You may recall, dear reader, that I initially created this indoor garden during wintertime (a few years ago) to have a home for some of my plants that would not withstand winter temperatures and conditions. (Yes, this does happen with my outdoor plants — on rare occasions —  in spite of my attentive winterizing methods — methods that I have described in a previous blog post which can be found by clicking here.

In any event, indoor gardens are quite nice to have — even if you do have the space for an outdoor garden. You may recall that in an earlier blog entry I wrote about a neighborhood indoor garden, a garden that is a celebration of the textures of succulents; and if you'd like to reread it, you may refer to by clicking here.

As for my "armoire-top" garden, it now contains a variety of succulents found at the Greenmarket at Union Square in New York City. 

Monday's Memo: Facts re Daylilies

"Don't fence me in," certain daylilies growing within Theodore Roosevelt Park seemed to be saying (as evidenced in the photograph atop this entry) when I passed by them on my way home from the greenmarket.

I've seen this flora variety on countless occasions but I must confess I may not have noticed their expressive details (featured in the following sequence of pictures).

I was so intriged by my sighting that upon my return home I did some research to see what I could find out about them.

One of the things I learned (from a web-page named Florgeous where an article by someone who identifies herself as Rebekah P) and "shoulda" known is this: "each daylily flower remains open for just one day."

Voilà! It's Nouveau Beaujolais Day! Sarmentelles and Thanksgiving

During Thanksgiving time, I appreciate the shapes and textures of the gourds that enhance my urban garden's environment during this time of year, as seen in this photograph posted above of an assortment of gourds (from the greenmarket), which have been placed in an old wire "shopping basket" propped up against a planter and alongside my Juncus effusus (Juncaceae or Unicorn Soft Rush). The Juncus' playful spirally foliage is always a welcome texture in my garden (as seen below),

and texture is something I discussed in a previous post, Celebrating Texture . Meanwhile, as if giving a standing ovation to the beauty of November,  . . . my 'Tamuekyam's' leaves (seen below)

seem to know their textures and colors are much appreciated — especially at Thanksgiving. I referred to my Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Tamukeyam' in  a previous post back in August when its leaves were burgundy, which was lovely too.

Juan's Installation

I now have a vine trailing up that wall, and it is jumping on trivets that have been placed on the wall by the artist, Juan. I had seen Juan’s “installation” of trivets on a wall at a shop on the Upper West Side of New York some years ago and had long admired their placement. 

This year Juan has been working with me in my urban garden because, in addition to being an artist, he is a gardener extraordinaire. Since I had so many trivets from years gone by, I asked him to do an “installation” on my brick wall so that my Clematis paniculata (Sweet Autumn Clematis) would have a place to play. The Clematis is loving it! This vine is somewhat of a newcomer (one year old) to my outdoor space.

Another chance to test out your powers of observation!

Two weeks and one day ago, in my blog entry for October 15th 2021, I posted a copy of the image which is atop this entry and I stated:

A few weeks ago, Juan V was here and arranged pumpkins and squashes which I received from a program at the Greenmarket. 

They are included in the photo on the left (which features one of my urban hedges aka garden shelving).

However, this past Wednesday he added something to the "installation."

Check out the photo at the right. Can you tell what's new?

By the way my garden is the setting for all versions of my books that have "Words In Our Beak" in their title.

Juan was here again today and made an "adjustment" to what is on the bottom shelf. 

Check out the photo directly below and see if you notice the chsange that was made. 

Follow Up Friday: Donna's Legacy Continues!

The image atop today's blog entry was taken by Juan V when he came over to help me tend to my rooftop urban (NYC) garden yesterday, on the first day of autumn.

#ClapBecauseWeCare Session 26 ETC

IMAGE CREDIT

For my 176th segment of Tuesday's Truths which is falling on the twenty-first of April, I'd like to begin by saying that one month ago today on March 21st, which was a Saturday, headlines were being made that NYC would be in a two week lockdown starting on Sunday night (the 22nd of March).

Sunday's Sentiments for 11-12-2017

It's a few minutes after midnight Eastern Standard Time and I am just now composing my entry for Sunday, November the 12th 2017, as it is my first opportunity to write a blog post for that day.

Sightings in Theodore Roosevelt Park

"Adjacent to the American Museum of Natural History on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Theodore Roosevelt Park is rated one of the top five small parks in New York City," states a web-page.

Today I passed through there after dropping off my compost at the nearby greenmarket.

I came upon many lovely sights, including a squirrel.

It's still very much October: Rites of Autumn, Moon-Lit Skies and soon All Hallow's Eve

Halloween is a week and a day from the date of this posting. I have honored it by placing orange candles and pumpkin decorations in various places in my garden as seen in the photographs above. 

My decorations are subtle, I find the orange colors to be a way of celebrating the hues offered by the Cheerful Cherry Farm's Sweet Autumn Clematis, discussed in previous posts. The orange also compliments the hues of my Strawberry Plants, Thom-Thumb Shrub, Contorted Hazelnut, and English Lavender. 

Fall is a lovely season for gathering in the garden with friends to enjoy rosemary-infused cocktails  and conversation. Or just to simply be alone and sip on a Hot Chocolate (made with Chauo's special blend swirled into Ronny Brook Farm milk -- a find at the Greenmarket in Union Square) while gazing at the stars.