mostly herbs
like cuban oregano
and lavender
and then there’s the little fern
Posts Tagged ‘herbs’
in a corner of the kitchen
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged cuban oregano, fern, herbs, indoor gardening, Inspiration, kitchen, Photography, plants on December 11, 2013| 3 Comments »
“stroking lemons and lavender will not pay the bills”
Posted in Books I Love, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged colors, cooking, creativity, food, food photography, herbs, indoor gardening, Inspiration, Photography, writers, writing process on September 5, 2013| 3 Comments »
That thought crossed my mind this morning as I did everything except the one thing I needed to be doing — write, write, write. But, eventually, I remembered that part of my creative process, especially when I am feeling stuck on a writing project, is to get up from the computer and to walk toward … something. In this case it was toward a small table in Steve’s kitchen.
On the table is an eclectic mix of items: an antique silver pitcher against which leans a postcard of Hiroshige’s Plum Garden, a small pot of basil, two pots of red peppers separated by a pot of Cuban oregano, lavender that needs to be replanted and some lemon verbena.
Nestled amidst all of these herbs are bits of pottery filled with fruits of the season, glass votives, an empty wooden basket, and another postcard, Romare Bearden’s Autumn Lamp (Guitar Player).
Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy sits open upon the table, too. I think I have it for two more weeks from the library before I have to return it. It’s a good book that I think I am going to add to my Christmas list. I flipped through the book for a bit, letting my eyes dance over her words and images. And then guess what?
I closed the book (after marking what I intend to try for dinner tonight). I sat back down at the computer and began to put fingers to the keyboard, feeling just a little bit less stuck. 😉
images from a walk through ricky’s
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, flower market, flowers, gardens, herbs, Inspiration, nature, Photography, plants, Ricky's Flower Market, Somerville, walking on April 20, 2013| 12 Comments »
Ricky’s Flower Market is a lovely shop in the heart of Union Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. When his door opens April-ish, then you know spring has arrived even if there’s still snow on the ground. When I need a visual respite, I like to wander through his indoor/outdoor space that’s filled with annuals, perennials, herbs, clay pots and everything and anything else needed for gardening. When the sun finally popped out this morning, I decided to make my way over there, and I am glad I did.
steve’s kitchen in autumn
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, food, food photography, gardening, herbs, home, Inspiration, kitchens, light, nature, plants, relationships, sage on November 12, 2012| 4 Comments »
I have written of Steve’s kitchen quite often and in various ways, from the dishes he prepares to the memories evoked by his simple act of making coffee. This autumn, I have found that even with that cup of coffee in hand, I like to sit in the quiet of his warming kitchen. Like ritual, I watch the remaining leaves on the towering oak tree flutter in a morning breeze, and then … it happens. I look across the table at Steve and I say, “The sun is coming around the corner on its sled.” He says, “Mmmmhmm.”
It does not flood the room, this autumn light. It moves slowly like honey or light maple syrup across a plate. My favorite part? How light pours upon the pot of sage.
It soaks into dusty leaves, alive and dead, and runs along unruly stems.
Truth be told, there are other herbs in the room, on the same little table, buckets of basil, rosemary stalks and more. But my favorite sight in the morning light, this autumn so far anyway, remains the sage …
…even when its leaves are not green.
In the Kitchen
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, food, green, herbs, Inspiration, japanese paper, nature, Photography, spices on June 7, 2012| 6 Comments »
A short break in the kitchen with a few herbs, spices and small squares of Japanese paper.
Culinary Abstractions
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, flowers, food, herbs, Inspiration, nature, Photography on May 20, 2012| 1 Comment »
A few photos of herbs and flowers from the kitchen and the landlord’s garden.
English parsley drying in the window.
A bit of sage.
A stalk of lavender to dress up the table.
Beauty in the Darkness
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, herbs, Inspiration, light, musings, nature, Photography, shadows on April 4, 2012| 1 Comment »
Ever have a period in your life when you’re feeling just a bit out of your routine, or as my fellow likes to say, “discombobulated?” Well, I’m certainly feeling that way at the moment. Not sure if it is cosmic in origin (there’s a lot of cool astronomical stuff happening right now) or if it’s regular life stuff (lot of different projects coming due). To give myself a break over past day or so, I’ve wandered with my camera outside and around the house. I have found myself drawn to the concrete, like the above dark pansy growing in what has become a local restaurant’s outdoor ashtray, and to the more nebulous and ethereal like these shadowy branches of a dead tree dancing on a wall in my apartment.
Yesterday, I found myself in the kitchen mesmerized by herbs in silhouette like this dill against a clay saucer and rosemary in relief upon the table.
There was the lovely coil of copper surrounding a single strand of thyme …
… and three shells collected I can’t remember where, but now sitting in the hallway amidst all sorts of plants.
Part of me would love to sit with these images and see what writing they inspire. Perhaps later. Right now, I must rise from this chair, and get ready for a gig. There I will do my best to stay disciplined and quite focused, and not lose myself in the shadows and other dark beauty revealed by the spring light.
Stirring the Pot … Abstractly
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, art, beauty, flowers, herbs, Inspiration, light, nature, Photography on March 27, 2012| 1 Comment »
An Interior Light in the Tulip
I don’t think of myself as an “abstract” person but of late I have felt like exploring that side of myself, especially today when I know there are other things I should be doing. 😉 I will do those things but …
Herbs in Silhouette on the Kitchen Table
… for a moment I give myself permission (once again) to creatively procrastinate by sorting through the digital files and pulling out a few images catching my attention. Some certainly bordering on the abstract. All imbued with a certain light and play of shadows.
Fresh Basil Reflected in Glass of a Blueberry Print
Water on the Green
Window Frames in Shadow on the Wall
Cactus All Aglow
Mystic River Lights Through Reeds
Behind the Fence Brightly
Ideas are starting to come to mind for how I might use these and other images. But … after a while … procrastination is procrastination no matter what adjective I put in front of the word. And so, for now, I must put away the camera and avert my eyes from photography files. At least until tomorrow. 😉
Culinary Colors …
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged cheese, colors, food, fruit, herbs, Inspiration, Photography, photos, pictures, vegetables on November 16, 2011| 1 Comment »
On a gray day in Somerville, a fun respite to quickly capture colors in the kitchen. Hope your day goes well. 😉
Oregano in Salt
Greek Oregano Drying
Lemon Thyme & Peppercorn
Clementines
Toasted Bread
Tomatoes and Cheese
Fruity Herbal Silhouettes
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged color, food art, fruit, herbs, images, light, patterns, Photography, photos, pictures, seasons, silhouette on August 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »
While I do not look forward to summer’s end, one of the things I do like about this time of year is how the light shifts coming in through Steve’s kitchen window. It creates shadows that make me pause in my day. Like these “fruity herbal silhouettes.”
What you’re seeing: At the window there sits a tall glass jar overflowing with thyme. Beneath the jar sits a small bowl of fruit and chile peppers picked up at the farmer’s market, and next to the bowl sits a small seedless watermelon. Beautiful colors in light and shadow.
