Memories of a Mimosa Tree

A healthy Mimosa tree with several trunks and forks.

The beans appear in late summer and early fall.

The pink flowers attract butterflies and humming birds during the summer. Fern-like foliage also closes up and "sleeps" in the evening.

I remember the pink flowers of the Mimosa tree (Silk tree) being sticky and pink like the texture and color of cotton candy. These trees served many purposes for me during my childhood. I would climb their smooth branches and trunks before building forts under them. The forts would end up having more grandaddy long-legs spiders protected behind their four walls than people. Tree foliage and fall beans provided tons of play opportunities. However, admitting to having played "restaurant" with the tree's leaves and beans sounds less adventurous than having built a fort at the base of the trunk. The small individual leaves of the fern-like fronds would also be stripped off and used as confetti. I recall also using the beans as currency for a made-up primitive or post apocalyptic world - it was the 1980s during the Cold War, after all.

How did all of this memory jogging come about? I was driving through Charlestown, Massachusetts and saw a very large example on Monday. I did not know they could thrive this far north. But we seem to be on the edge of a favorable growing zone since we are on the sea coast and have slightly less harsh winters. My garden may be the proud owner of one of these memory laden trees someday.

Toffee Twist Grass / Four-Season Garden Border

A Toffee Twist "bouffant" emerges from a pot.

Recently I discovered this new grass thanks to Martha's blog entry documenting the planting of her terrace at her Maine estate, Skylands, once owned by Edsel B. Ford. Toffee Twist appears dead but grows in a tight mass with wispy ends that trail in the wind. I think it will make a nice accent when fall approaches as well as a spooky element to planters for Halloween. Unfortunately, in our growing zone, the grass is an annual but will bounce back in zones with warmer winters. Gordon Florist & Greenhouses in Ipswich, MA is a smaller nursery with an eclectic selection of plants. They offer a nice selection of ferns and begonias in their greenhouse. I also found a great selection of plants for rock gardens and for use as ground cover. The nicer aspect of going to a smaller nursery with a great selection is that you do not have to go up and down massive rows of the same plant. They also were the source of a few Curly Wurly plants for my garden and deck.

NY TIMES
In The Garden
A Tapestry of Color, Unfolding All Year
By ANNE RAVER
Published: August 13, 2009
A recent tour of the new four-season border at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx introduced me to coneflowers unlike any I’ve ever seen.

Julia Child's Pots Return Home to Her Kitchen

Smithsonian presents Child's famous copper pots.

Julia Child (Meryl Streep) refines her chopping skills.

Julia Child’s Pots and Pans Are Back in Her Kitchen

Yes, another Julia post. This story continues to unravel revealing new layers like an onion. Julia's editor Judith Jones has a blog relating to cooking and her life in food/publishing. Copper pots are not very common to find when out shopping. Only place I find Mauviel cookware is at Williams-Sonoma and they are joined together with chains to prevent theft. Copper cookie cutters are the extent of my copper cookware/tools.

North Pole Set of Copper Cutters

A copper beating bowl would be fun to have to beat egg whites to perfection in. To keep the copper exterior looking new, use a copper polish or a combination of lemon and salt. Martha recommended using Red Bear Copper Cleaner to clean the copper cookie cutters she once sold through her now defunct Martha By Mail division. Another method, which I have not tried, is to use cheap ketchup with a couple of other ingredients to bring back a gleaming finish. The sticker shock and up-keep prevents copper from being as popular as the enameled, cast iron Le Creuset pots or the much less expensive alternatives by Martha Stewart sold at Macy's.

Architectural Digest / Visits: Julia Child / My Take on Film, Julie & Julia

emArchitectural Digest/em Visits: Julia Child: architecturaldigest.com

Shared via AddThis

Recently I posted links to the Smithsonian regarding Julia's famous kitchen. Architectural Digest ran a piece on the entire Cambridge, MA home back in 1979. The warmth of the house reflects the intellectual curiosity and passion of both Julia and her husband, Paul.

Paul Child (Stanly Tucci) and Julia Child (Meryl Streep) live it up Parisian style.

FYI: The Julia parts of the new film are wonderful. The movie reinforces the universal love for Julia while reminding us that her larger-than-life persona cannot be duplicated or replaced. Meryl Streep is excellent and captures the culinary masters essence on celluloid. I strongly recommend picking up a copy of My Life in France. Stanly Tucci is equally wonderful as Julia's devoted, passionate husband. Revisiting my copy, I was stunned at the excellent job the casting director did in casting all the roles in the Julia portion of the film. The actors look as if they jumped off the surface of the original photos courtesy of My Life in France.

Brown Snakes Make for a Happy Garden

A couple of days a go I spotted two baby brown snakes in my garden. It was early evening and they were getting an early start hunting for dinner. Having an urban garden, I don't often see as much wild life as my more rural counterparts do. I was very excited and at first thought they were very healthy earthworms. Sadie has been hunting them around the rock wall which is a great habitat for them - I hope they will survive and outsmart her hound instincts. The best part is that they love to dine - like the French - on snails. Also, they have an appetite for slugs which are in health supply in my garden. I now may not have to rely on another remedy to rid my garden of squishy slugs. There are some other natural ways to void the garden of slugs. For now, I will let the snakes feast on the abundance. I hope they will make my garden their home.

Julia's View of Martha Stewart

Yesterday, I compared the two great ladies (Julia and Martha) of style and cooking and posed the question: "Who would you rather have had a beer with?". Here is an excerpt from a reporter's interview of Julia back in 1997. Julia's true no-nonsense goodness comes through like always. Link to full text follows.

"MR: What do you think of Martha Stewart?

JC: We know her. She's a very special person. And I think she's also a perfectionist. She came to our house when we were doing the baking series. She was very professional and pleasant to be with, and she did a beautiful job.

MR: She has been lampooned and parodied somewhat mercilessly, alas.

JC: Yes, and I don't know why. People are probably jealous of her because she's so good-looking and capable, and anything she sets out to do she can do."

Julia Child, on Marijuana and Martha Stewart by Michael Rowe

Julia Child's Kitchen / Salad Spinner

". . . above all have a good time." Julia Child

vs.

"Life is too complicated not to be orderly." Martha Stewart

Who would you rather have had a beer with?

Film Julie & Julia opens Friday, August 7, 2009