A side salad of sorts made with fresh grown flowers and sprouts from around the house, with a bit of red onion from the fridge. These salads have become a creative outlet. Luckily, so far, they are tasty too. Growing up, the only salads I ate were made of torn iceberg lettuce, sliced red tomatoes and maybe a chopped cucumber. The dressing was usually mayonnaise from a jar until my mom got into creamy bottled dressings. Recently, at a restaurant, I saw a salad being served. On a lovely china saucer sat a wedge of iceberg lettuce and upon its light green surface was drizzled a bit of white dressing. When I checked the menu for its price, I was a bit startled and could only think of my mom and had to chuckle.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations | Tagged beauty, family, flowers, food, food photography, indoor gardening, Inspiration, memories, Photography, salads | 2 Comments »
When I say some of my growing vessels are tiny, I’m not kidding. This little clay pot is approximately 2 inches deep and 2.5 inches across.
I imagine one day that the cuban oregano growing inside will tip it over. But not yet.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations | Tagged cuban oregano, food, food photography, herbs, indoor gardening, Inspiration, oregano, Photography | 2 Comments »
April 27, 2015 by Cynthia
I’ve been getting a few questions about my garden and how I can be growing everything from traditional herbs to potatoes all indoors. Please keep in mind that some of my planting vessels are re-purposed espresso cups and cereal bowls and very few vessels are large. Nevertheless, I am very lucky to live in an old Victorian with lots of nooks and crannies and windows all around. Outside the kitchen, in the hallway, is a table tucked against a window. And upon that table you will currently find …
Enter the kitchen and one of the very first things you will see is a small bookcase where cookbooks and old recipes are kept on the shelves. On the narrow top, are the following edible parts …
And just ahead, not far, is a small table that receives plenty of light. And so upon its right-hand corner there are stacked the following herbs and sprouts …
Now to the right of the table is a sizeable floor speaker with a sturdy wooden case. That’s right. I usurped a portion of the top and there you will find …
And, last but not least, in this kitchen there is a bay of windows. The curvature is such that the area was just big enough for a certain person to tuck his handmade wooden carpenter’s workbench. I held myself in check and only borrowed a left-hand corner where there now sits …
There are other plants around whose images I like to share with you, but these are the edible ones, close to and in the kitchen, always reaching for the light. I made these guides for the resident chef so that he knows what he is snipping at but I also made them for myself as a calm way to end the day. Enjoy. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations | Tagged cooking, cuisine, edible plants, food art, fun, herbs, indoor gardening, Inspiration, maps | 4 Comments »
April 27, 2015 by Cynthia
It’s just that my cousin sent me a packet of viola seeds and so I became curious about the viola. The seeds have been planted and they are sprouting quite nicely. Meanwhile I decided to visit my favorite flower market where I picked up a few viola plants. The owner saw me coming and he just shook his head. “You just can’t stop yourself, can you?”
I confirmed with him that the flowers are edible and I’ve done a bit of my own research. So, if the winter was a time of the nasturtium, in their pots and on my plate, perhaps the spring will be one featuring the viola decorating this and that to be determined.
But, FYI, the nasturtium continue to grow, including a young pot of Empress of India. The cover of the seed packet suggests that all of the blooms will be dark red. So far all I see is a lot of dark green leaves with no indication of buds let alone blooms. So, I’m back to practicing that patience thing. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations | Tagged beauty, colors, edible plants, flowers, indoor gardening, Inspiration, nasturtium, Photography, violas | 2 Comments »
April 26, 2015 by Cynthia
birch trees by the mystic
More scenes from riverside via this link: http://photosbycynthia.smugmug.com/Nature/Along-the-Mystic/
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged birches, colors, Inspiration, Mystic River, nature, Photography, trees, urban landscape, white | 1 Comment »
April 23, 2015 by Cynthia
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road | Tagged beauty, colors, Inspiration, landscape, Mystic River, Photography, urban landscape | Leave a Comment »
April 22, 2015 by Cynthia
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged beauty, colors, Inspiration, Mystic River, nature, Photography, trees, urban landscape, water | 1 Comment »
April 22, 2015 by Cynthia
On a gray, wet day, I chose to shoot the primrose leaf in black and white. Its veins remind me of trees and rivers, all branching. I’ve never grown primrose before. Its leaves are doing well, quite well, but no new blooms. We’ll see …
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged abstract, beauty, fractals, growth, Inspiration, leaf, patterns, Photography, primrose | 1 Comment »
April 21, 2015 by Cynthia
Another sign of spring, I think. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged colors, flowers, fly, indoor gardening, insects, Inspiration, nasturtium, nature, Photography, urban landscape | 1 Comment »
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