I have always been drawn to still life paintings replete with an abundance of fruit, delicately-blown glasses, curious objects, loaves of bread, and dark or glowing light. Without realizing it, these images have molded my style. I created a home where stands and bowls of …
This month marks the third year of the Black Garden. Swiping through catalogs and exchanging seeds with friends, the possibilities are endless. Perpetually, predictably, unsurprisingly, I’m overwhelmed… until I’m not. I then remember that there’s not enough room for everything and there’s so much pleasure in the complementary way of things. Didn’t grow any zucchini or a particular tomato this year? Well, your friends did and they left a little bundle on your porch. Ain’t life grand?
My spring garden is a combination of greening red currant , fraises des bois, and fig plants with herbs returning again to perfume our space. Most of the garden is brown peppered by green shoots, leaves, and buds. Daffodils, hyacinth, crocus, tulips, and other bulbs are just arriving in spectacular fashion after being lured by a few warm days and then snow, snow, snow.
A mere week ago, these yellow jewels were dusted with snow. Not to be outdone, the magnolia readies itself for its fireworks next month. It knows it’s a showstopper.
At this time of year in Chicago, pansies can only be found pressed between the pages of my favorite books, ensuring that they won’t be forgotten as time goes by. I open Dr. Jessica B. Harris’s Tasting Brazil, and there flowers!
And what do we do with pressed flowers? Make floral windows of course.
Happy spring!
Over the weekend here in Chicago, my dad and I turned our gazes towards my mom as we watched her in action. She was negotiating something in her polite but determined way. With admiration in his voice, my dad said, ”Your mom is fearless.” “If …
I was born and raised in Atlanta and I say that with an abundance of pride. I am what we playfully call a “Grady baby”, which references Grady Memorial Hospital where the majority of African American babies at the time were born. I love Atlanta and its surrounding areas. Today’s post shares one of the city’s treasures, the Municipal Market (aka the Atlanta Curb Market) which is downtown and around the corner from where I was born.
I went to the Curb Market a couple days ago and came away with more than I could almost carry. My bags were full with vegetables that caught my eye, with no thoughts about how they would require picking, stringing, washing, cooking, and tending to them in pots and pots on the stove. Calling my name at the market were collards, turnip greens, pole beans, turnips, string beans, corn on the cob, and okra.
Most of my memories of the Curb Market involve my mother and aunts going there regularly. It was a place that epitomized in my mind the Black experience. Think fresh vegetables and meats to the many who were not that far removed from the farms and rural areas from which they or their parents had come. Although the market is vastly different and has evolved into a more cosmopolitan and diverse space, most of the products still come from the farm.
The other day’s visit to the market was like going to Disney Land! It brought me so much joy. All of my senses were awakened as my eyes feasted on everything that the market had to offer. I wandered around, touching an assortment of colorful vegetables and fruits. Aromas of both familiar and unfamiliar cuisines prepared and sold at various restaurants wafted through the air. I imagined how the various foods would taste. I felt comfortable. I felt at home.
The sweets of my childhood remain my all-time favorite desserts. Lemon meringue pie, ambrosia, peach cobbler, bread pudding, and key lime pie keep me drawing from a well so deep of memories, enough for a lifetime. It surprises no one that all of these are …
Happy St. Patrick’s Day Everyone! Here’s to good luck and an enjoyable meal!
Last Saturday, after a long day of exploring the city, we sat down with friends for dinner at C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar in Atlanta. The lights were perfectly dimmed, service was excellent, and there was joy and excitement in the air. Everyone enjoyed their …
