Links that may or may not be related to gardens, food, travel, nature, or heterotopias and liminal spaces but probably are. Sources in parentheses.
article: The Many Virtues of Mountain-Mint (Colby Galliher/ Northern Woodlands). I’ve had Pycnanthemum virginianum growing in my garden since 2022, after admiring swaths of it in Longwood Gardens’ meadow; this year it seems to have already reached the “leaping” stage and I love it. Like many plants with clustered small white flowers it’s a pollinator magnet, as the article extols. Also: “For the ecologically minded gardener, Pycnanthemum species are a must-have. Once established in partial or full sun, they will form dense patches that require minimal care. Their strong smell deters deer and other browsers. And because many species of predatory wasp frequent mountain-mint, its presence in the garden can facilitate natural pest control when cultivated near crops.”
reportage: A new French cookbook shows the diversity of Marseille through its cuisine (Eleanor Beardsley on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday). Hugues Mbenda “marries French dishes with African flavors – chiles, mango sauce, a bit of baobab added to a creamy hollandaise. He says Marseille is the perfect place to experiment. … I like the sun, la mer, the sea, and for me, it’s big. Marseille is the second city of France, but it’s like a small city because every people talk together. We have time.”
flower seed/bulb/plant catalog: Procut Plum Sunflower Seeds (Plantgem). Plantgem is in Boulder Colorado, founded by two women who are “always on the hunt for the hard to find (but easy to grow) gems.” They sell plants, seeds, and bulbs. I haven’t ordered from them but their aesthetic and pricing is appealing. And this muted sunflower is just the thing. Also check out the Tecolote Flamenco Ranunculus corms. And the Scabiosa Cherry Vanilla Scoop. I could go on.
essay/recipes: Fig leaves, Pat Jennings, a baby’s scalp and an excellent ice cream (Mark Diacono’s Garden to Table). Fig leaf syrup (and its use in a pina colada mojito) and fig leaf ice cream, made with coconut milk and olive oil.
humourous essay: YOUR BODY’S UPDATED TERMS OF SERVICE (Chas Gillespie/McSweeney’s Internet Tendency). “If you ever start to believe that life is a one-way escalator moving downward, ever downward, it is recommended that you stop thinking that somehow.”
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