Blog
A Kid’ll Eat Ivy, Too
This Iranian jar is almost 6,000 years old. It depicts the Persian, or Bezoar, Ibex – the ancestor of our domesticated goat. While our modern goats have horns, the bezoar ibex has the largest horns, considered in proportion to body weight, of any animal in the world. The enormous horns, and the characteristic beard (from which we get the word "goatee"), are beautifully represented. The ibex's distinctive form and trophy-worthy horns have made it the object of hunters for millennia. Today, t...
Cider: An American Revival
By the19th century, New Jersey was already established as serving both the New York and Philadephia markets with a variety of goods and services. One of the many products that New Jersey excelled in making, especially around the Newark area, was cider. Today, "cider" means "freshly pressed apple juice", but back then cider was an alcoholic beverage, made from apples by pressing and fermentation. At long last, real cider is making a comeback in this country, propelled in part by the success of...
Scents and Sense-Ability
One of the reasons I love public horticulture is the opportunity for new experiences. This past Saturday afforded me just that. We had a booking for a private tour for a group with visual impairments. I did my best to prepare for this unusual engagement, but in the end I was left surprised and pleased while wholly out of my depth. They taught me that bright colors are best. To say "look at your 12 o'clock" instead of "look ahead" .
