night anemones

 

Once a year, the mountains of Bovina New York roar with something other than the desolate wind or the pounding rain or like today, the crashing thunder. They echo with a boom, a thud in the night. There in the mountains are most spectacular fireworks one could ever see. Two families host two separate parties that light the night sky like explosions on the sun. I have come many years and photographed these night anemones. Every year they are somehow different from last as are the people who come and the children who run wild tearing through the wet grass with sparklers ablaze behind them. There is a moment of brilliance as it fades away to the palest red or green and then it's gone.

to see a larger gallery of fireworks photos go to http://www.hungryghostfoodandtravel.com/photo-archive/bovina-fireworks/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

flying fox and sour cherries

I stayed in the city this weekend under the premise of mounds of work.  For the most part  I have been sticking to a rigorous schedule. I did however, let my dear friend Marcia pull me away to the New Amsterdam Market for an hour or so today. We met at 11am sharp in front of Pasanella and Sons, just as the market had opened. I told her we had better make bee line to see Maggie Nesciur at Flying Fox to get some cherries before they were sadly gone. Last time I was the market I showed up too late and all of Maggie's fruit was sold out! She is tucked away in the farthest Northwestern corner of the market. Today, we had no problem as we were early. We did scoop up the last three pints of the most beautiful little strawberries that Maggie had lovingly harvested on a small farm  in Upstate New York. It seemed she was a little meloncholy to see them go as they are the last of the strawberries she will pick this year.  Maggie harvests only by hand, small batch seasonal organic local fruits and berries, and ONLY from small farms. She picks everything by hand and runs a solo operation supplying a few small resturants and now doing the NAM market once a week.

Talk about hard work and dedication. Though it may be an Urban farming myth, I have heard that she even slept in a strawberry field overnight just to be able to give the berries a bit more sun in the morning, before gathering them and heading back to the city. I am kind of fascinated by her.

Maggie began harvesting seasonal tree ripened fruits and berries from small farms in the Northeast region in 2006. She is dedicated to building and maintaing a community through sustainable farming in New York city.

In addition to the strawberries I picked up some some local blackberries and some Hudson Valley sour cherries that I plan on making into jam later tonight.

 MAGGIE"S FRUIT CALENDAR 

JUNE

strawberries

rasberries ( red, yellow, black)

cherries (sweet+sour)

JULY

currants (red, black, white)

blackberries

rasberries

blueberries

gooseberries (green and red)

apricots

sugar plums

nectarines

peaches (yellow, white, donut)

AUGUST

melons

watermelons

blackberries

raspberries (red, yellow)

apricots

sugar plums

nectarines

peaches (yellow, donut)

September +

grapes

pears

cranberries

beach plums

figs

elderberries

raspberries (red , yellow)

pawpaws

apples

peaches (yellow)

CONTACT

Maggie Nesciur

FRUITERER

917-637-9143

maggienes@gmail.com

 Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

a tree peony.

Right about this time every year, our tree peonies bloom Upstate for one glorious week. Ours bloom a little later than most because of the cold weather and the high altitude of the Catskill Mountains. Because of these factors, we have a very short growing season in general. It takes all of our efforts to get up the gumption to plant a garden year after year knowing many things will never come to fruition before the first frost. Yet, we all do it. We do it because there is something sublimely magical and satisfying in tending a garden. There is definitely magic and beauty in plants. Luckily, my peonies tend to look after themselves, more or less. They don't mind the fickle weather Upstate nor the partial shade of our wooded home. I never had tree peonies growing up. It wasn't until I photographed some for a story, that I became completely and utterly in love with them. Historically, tree Peonies were first present in China and later brought to Japan during the eigth century. Both China and Japan have a long standing love for both herbaceous and tree peonies. Along with being prized for their beauty, the roots and seeds were and are sometimes used for their medicinal properties. It was not until the 1700's that the first  Chinese tree peonies showed up in Europe. In the 1800's Japanese tree peonies made thier way to Europe, where the lighter single blooms gained popularity over the Chinese full double blooms. I have always loved herbaceous peonies having grown up with them as they tend to flourish on the East Coast. These are the more common bush peonies, pale pink, whites and deep reds, that you are most likely familiar with. For me, they always marked the end of school and the beginning of the  long hot Western Mass. Summer.   Tree peonies are different they grow on a hard woody stem as opposed to soft green ones and can with time become as much as five feet high. I feel very lucky to see them bloom knowing they have made it through another long cold Catskill Winter. Summer has truly arrived.

A trusted source for ordering tree peonies is Khlems Song Sparrow. Tree Peonies are planted in the Fall.

   All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

 to see afull gallery of peonies and similiar images go to ; http://www.hungryghostfoodandtravel.com/photo-archive/peonies/

waiting for pippin

 

 Summer has arrived with a lush and verdant boom. Though I won't be going Upstate this weekend as I am waiting on my dear friend's baby to arrive, I will be feeling Summer in the City nonetheless. There will be round two of the Smorgasburg, a birthday for Io in McCarren Park, The Far Rockaways for a bite to eat and whatever else the weekend dreams up... Dinner at Roman's, a Sandwich at Saltie, a backyard barbeque and a baby perhaps? Rolling in the grass upstate will have to wait a little longer, while the city gets some love.

  All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved