i passed the most beautiful hawthorne tree today.
i only just identified it now from my field guide to trees of north america. i thought it might be a mountain ash, but their leaves are thinner and compound.
these leaves are alternate and simple and toothed . . a hawthorne is also called a thorn-apple and there are hundreds of species in north america, making identification as to a particular species difficult (also due to similarities, disagreement as to classification and frequent hybridization). their autumn berries are always so cheerful . . i love passing them along our walks.
this tree happened to be sitting outside of a townhouse where mark twain once resided.
since it's been so warm, we couldn't resist getting an ice cream from amorino's.
you can have as many flavors as you like. chanda chose pistachio, almond (so good!) and coffee. i chose coffee, chocolate and almond. she was on her way back from violin and i met her at the cafe.
tuesday evening my friend elsa and i had bought broccoli rabe at the local health food store on sixth avenue (while our daughters were at ballet). i sauteed it with some zucchini and garlic tonight . . after washing it five times!!
I love broccoli rabe! I even like to eat it raw! I never have to wash it much, though. Was yours really sandy?
ReplyDeleteHawthorne is good for the heart :).
ReplyDeleteYes, it was very sandy! I'll keep that in mind about the hawthorne :)
ReplyDeleteWe can buy broccoli rabe here in many stores, but it is never sandy. I wonder why!
ReplyDeleteThey must wash it. When I was little the kale my mom bought was always very sandy, but now kale is never sandy. I figure the farms must wash the greens off. Perhaps, it depends on whether there was a heavy rainstorm that kicked up the dirt.
DeleteMaybe it also depends on the soil they grow it in. Another vegetable that is always very sandy is leek. Even the frozen one tends to be sandy. The kale we get from farms around here still is quite sandy.
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