#dr taylor mealing

[urayuli]

Give Francis/Clef a cat

he seems to have met his match

bonus.. Fishtopher and his owner, Dr. Taylor Mealing (they/them)

[winter-leftovers]

Til The End Of Eternity ||

Chapter one: Strings (1/?)

(Douxie Casperan x f!reader)

Summary: Y/n is trying to figure her life out but is going to be hard since her brother is the new trollhunter and she is plagued by dreams and feelings she doesn’t understand.

Chapter Summary: Jim is acting weird. Douxie buys guitar strings. Y/n finds a friend.

Word count: 1352

Warnings: mention of a dead animal, my summaries are awful, english is not my first language so tell me if something sounds weird ╰(▔∀▔)╯

(Season 1 Episodes 1, 2 and a little of 3.)

Song?: Enchanted by Taylor Swift

Previous — Next

Masterlist

“Good morning, Arcadia Oaks. It’s still 6 AM.”

The voice of the radio woke up Y/n of her short slumber. She had fallen asleep on top of her college books, again. She took the semester off from college for studying, or at least that’s what she told her mother after she found her sleeping on her desk last month. But if she was honest with herself she hasn’t been reading. She hasn’t even opened her books since she came home. Strange dreams were plaguing her nights; war, monsters, people she doesn’t know but love and a strange but familiar darkness that hugged her.

“Good morning, Y/n!” Downstairs she found her brother Jim making breakfast.

“I told you I could make breakfast” she laughed. Her brother was always eager to help.

“Well, I already did it” he set a plate for her.

“Thanks! Are you sure you don’t need a ride?” She asked as she saw him pick up his backpack.

“Nah, I’m good” he said before disappearing into the garage.

“Okay…Bye! Say hello to Toby!” She screamed.

“Bye!”

As she started to eat her meal. She heard Jim stumbling on the trashcans.

“Ugh! Racoons”

She laughed at his screams.

-

The shifts at the music store could be slow and exhausting. A lot of parents ask her what’s the best instrument for their child like she could know. Even with her favourite music in the background the walk home felt eternal.

A small yelp interrupted her routine. She looked to both sides but nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she kept walking. She heard another yelp but this time it sounded like a…meow? She looked in the dark alley and suddenly, a set of familiar amber eyes were looking back at her.

“Wait” she murmured to herself “Al?” She crouched and extended her hand.

The cat meowed in response. Y/n remember that meow.

“Oh love, it is you! Do you remember me?”

Slowly, the cat walked out of the darkness and smelled her hand recognising her immediately.

“Hello, my little baby” she laughed once the brown cat threw herself at her, purring, just like he did the first time they met.

Y/n walked all the way home holding Al, he was as light as she remembered. She couldn’t let him go and risk losing him again.

A year ago, after Y/n went to another town for college, Al ran away. She had lost her hope of finding her a couple months back when she came home from college and heard about a brown cat being run over by Dr. Muelas.

“Jim! Jim! Look who I found!” She screamed at the seemingly empty house.

“Jim?”

“Meow?”

No answer

“Maybe he went to Toby’s”

Al licked her nose in response

—

The next morning, Y/n woke up to her brother shaking her

“Y/n! Y/n!”

“Mmh, Jim! What?” She put her pillow on her face.

“I need to talk to you!” It sounded urgent.

“Ugh! I’m up I’m up” she sat up on the bed and looked at her brother, he was pacing not paying attention to the cat next to her feet.

“Okay, okay. Last night the craziest thing happened. I was home and I looked at the…”

“You were home last night?“ she looked at her brother’s bewildered face “Keep going. Never mind”

“So…I heard a noise in the basement and I thought it was racoons but there was these huuuge things, with eyes that…”

Jim looked back at her sister and saw the confusion on her face.

“Ha! I think I’m losing my mind. Never mind. Forget it”

“You sure?” Y/n said before falling asleep again without listening to the answer.

—

While Y/n scanned a record for a band she didn’t care about she thought about her brother and the chat they had this morning, if you could call that a chat. Was her brother also having nightmares? Was he having trouble at school? Is she not doing enough at home?

“Hello” A voice brought her back from her mind.

“Welcome. How can I help you?” She looked at the man and felt the blood rushing to her cheeks.

“I’m looking for guitar strings” said in an english accent that sounded so sweet to her ear

The guy smiled and Y/n just stared. There was something about him.

“He doesn’t know how to negotiate!” A distant scream distracted her.

“Toby?” She looked out the window.

“Emmh no, my name is Douxie. Remember?” he laughed.

“Oh, yes. Sorry” she blushed “I’m Y/n…but you knew that…Sorry about that. Electric and acoustic are over that wall”

“Thanks”

Y/n couldn’t stop looking at Douxie. Every time she saw him she would get lost observing him. The way he moved and talked. There was something about him that made her dizzy but she didn’t know what it was.

“If you keep looking at him like that you’ll make a hole in him” Randy, the manager of the store laughed.

“Ha ha! very funny. You should be a comedian” Y/n rolled her eyes “There’s something about him. I think I know him from somewhere”

“Suuuure”

“Come on! Where did I see him before?” She tilted her head and mumbled “Have I ever seen him before?”

Randy sized her up for a second. He has the tendency to think she’s lying.

“He works at Benoit’s”

She looked back at him with at smile.

“Of course! How did I forget it?” She lied.

Yes, she remembered him from Benoit’s. That was the first time she can recall seeing him.

It was an afternoon, Y/n was waiting for her brother and his friend to meet her outside of Benoit’s. They just had a big exam and she wanted to do something nice for them. She was laying against a pole looking at her phone when she heard him.

“There you are! I thought I lost you” He lifted her in the air.

“What are you doing?!” She hits him in his ribs with her elbow.

“Oh, fuzzbuckets!” Douxie put her down and grabbed his stomach.

“Do I know you?” When she turned around and saw him. He was crouched down, his hands across his stomach and his face was partially covered by his black and blue hair.

She felt the world slow down when his hazel eyes met hers. She almost forgot that she was mad at him for touching her without her permission.

He seemed disappointed and that made Y/n chest hurt. She had to mentally slap herself and remind herself that this random man just hugged her from behind without her consent.

He apologized and quickly explained that he thought she was someone else. Y/n chuckled. The red on his cheeks and the big distance he had put between them made her agree that it was a mistake. He even paid for the food she ate with Jim and Toby at Benoit’s when she sat at one of his tables, which y/n thought it was too much. Her boys eat a lot.

Y/n’s ringing phone distracted them from Douxie and his guitar strings.

“Ow, mom is coming to pick you up?” He joked.

“Shut up! your mom actually picks you up” She chuckled.

Randy laughed.

“Hi, mom. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah! One of Jim’s teachers is here and I think you should come by” she whispered.

“Okay, I’ll be there” she smiled at her phone.

“Love you”

“Love ya”

“Can I help you with something more?” Randy spoke.

“No, thanks, '' Douxie smiled, making Y/n’s stomach turn. She doesn’t get nervous with customers anymore, they don’t seem humans to her, but something in Douxie made all the words get stuck in her throat.

“Thank you. Bye, Y/n”

“B-bye Douxie not Toby”

He left the store smiling.

Before she could completely recover Randy spoke again.

“You know, he came for strings last night”

“So?” Y/n didn’t follow.

He laughed “Unless he playing with a knife no one needs the amount of strings this dude buys”

She turned ever redder.

A/n: hi! This is an absolute first for me so im kinda nervous. I hope you liked the first chapter!!! If you think you can guess where this is going let me know👀

~I don’t own the characters or trollhunters :)~

[70s80sandbeyond]

Elizabeth Taylor's eloquent and powerful speech while accepting the Vanguard Award at the 11th annual GLAAD Media Awards in 2000. After her dear friend and co-star Rock Hudson announced that he had AIDS prior to his passing in 1985 (the first high-profile celebrity to do so), Elizabeth—against great opposition during the fear-based AIDS hysteria and stigmatization prevalent in the 1980s—immediately organized a fundraising benefit to raise money for AIDS research (she later stated that she had the phone hung up on her repeatedly while trying to enlist the help of other celebrities with the benefit, and that some people thought she was “crazy” for getting involved with the cause). After Rock passed away on October 2nd, 1985, she also organized his memorial service and soon after became the co-founder (alongside Dr. Mathilde Krim) of the first AIDS research center amfAR. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation was established in 1991 with the specific focus of providing nutritious meals (as well as medical and financial assistance) to people living with HIV and AIDS. She also lobbied the US congress to contribute more money for AIDS research and education, devoting the last twenty-six years of her life to the cause. After Elizabeth passed away in 2011 at the age of 79, a large portion of the $115,932,000 raised at the Christie's auction of her legendary jewelry collection was bequeathed to her charity in order to continue providing the services and assistance she believed were important in perpetuity.

[felicitysmoaksx]

Hi everyone! Not much to say here except this chapter is probably the fluffiest yet in this universe. There is a bit of an ambiguous ending with Hank though so you can decide what Sarah does in this scenario. Or at least until I post another chapter because I adore this version of the series so much and when I think it's the last chapter, I get another idea haha. And for all of you wondering where the next chapter of Bottled Up Feelings are Silently Screaming is at, it's coming. I just hit a bit of writer's block. But it's coming. I might also have another version of this series where Sarah was paralyzed from the last down. But I don't know if that's something people would be interested in reading or if it'd be just interesting to me. So leave me an answer in the comments or tell me in my askbox on Tumblr. Song Recs for this chapter: You’re In Love- Taylor Swift, I'll Keep You Safe- Sleeping At Last, At Least- Jessica Baio Happy Reading!

Rating: Explicit (Minors DNI 18+)

Summary:  Hank says enough is enough and learns about Sarah's new boyfriend while Connor learns something new about Sarah. Which leads to a heart-to-heart between the two.

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: None that I can see except for a few implicit dangerous scenes and explicit smut

Read On AO3 | Fic Playlist | Fic Playlist but Less Shippy | Want to be tagged when I post a Rheese story

There was a stilted silence in the air. Sarah bit her bottom lip before she sighed and stood from the table. Making her way into the kitchen, she watched Hank move about the kitchen for a moment. Another month had passed without them talking and her pseudo-father had finally said enough. He had all but summoned her here tonight. (Well he said it was another family dinner. But when she got to the house she learned, it would just be her and Hank.)

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” She asked quietly. When he told her it was just going to be them tonight, Hank had tried to soften the blow by telling her he was making her favorite meal. (And quite possibly it was also a bribe to get her to stay when she realized no one else was coming.) 

Her pseudo-father shook his head, waving her offer away. “I’m almost done. But you could take our drinks to the table.”

Sarah nodded, grabbed the two glasses of tea, and walked them to the dining room table. She sat down and once more there was that silence. A stilted silence that made the curly-haired brunette fidget with nerves. 

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

“Hey, Doc!” Stella greeted him enthusiastically with a grin as she turned to hand another customer their drink. Then she turned back to grin at him. “Another day at the office?” 

“Another day,” he agreed, nodding his head. “Manhattan please, Stella.” 

Then Connor noticed Detective Lindsay sitting at a table off to the side with a blonde woman, “And another round for Detective Lindsay and her friend please.” 

“You got it.” 

Erin, who heard her name, smirked at her sister’s boyfriend before she waved him over. She scooted over and he took the seat she had been occupying. “Are you trying to earn some brownie points with me, Dr. Rhodes?” 

 “I want to make a good impression.” Connor shrugged, feigning nonchalance. But maybe there was some truth in the police detective’s words because Erin and Sarah were close. If Erin didn’t like him, it wouldn’t be good for his relationship with Sarah. “I know you and Sarah are very close. But I thought you had a family dinner tonight. At least that’s what Sarah told me.” 

“Hank just told her that. They need to talk and this is Hank’s way of doing that. I didn’t know about his plan till I left the district today.” Sarah’s big sister told him, shaking her head, before she turned to her friend. The blonde was trying to contain laughter.  “Annie, this is Sarah’s new boyfriend who isn’t so new, apparently. Connor, this is Annie. We’ve been friends since we were kids, but you might recognize her as Travis’ mom.” 

A light of reconnection flared in Connor’s blue eyes. “That’s right. Is he doing okay? I know that day was a lot for anyone.”

“Kids are very resilient. Two days later he was fine. Honestly, I was more shaken than he was. It helped that Sarah was there with him. The little danger magnet, though she is, kept him calm and safe. That’s all I could ask for.” 

It was an off-handed comment, by the way Annie said it but it still caught Connor’s attention.

“Danger Magnet?” He repeated and his eyes drifted to stare at Erin. The woman sighed, shaking her head. “Annie,”

“What? Come on Erin. You’ve even said it yourself, it’s like that switch that controls fear flips the other direction with her. Especially when someone else is in danger. Look at last month with Olive.”

Or the month before that with the ED on lockdown.

“Last month? You’re talking about when she got burned?” Connor asked, looking from the police detective to her friend. Erin nodded. “According to Olive, Justin’s wife. Sarah pushed her out of the way just before she could get burned.” 

“And that’s just one example,” Annie said as Stella brought their drinks to their table. With a smile of thanks, their friend/firefighter/bartender left to go tend to other customers. “Go ahead, tell him about that day in the train station.” 

Erin looked like she really didn’t want to and Connor almost told her she didn’t have to, but Annie had already opened the door. Besides that, he was curious. So with a heavy sigh and a large pull of her drink, the detective began her story. 

“Sarah was coming back from a trip to New York. She was looking at medical schools and wasn’t totally sold on Northwestern yet. We were supposed to pick her up at Penn Station. And we were there, but we were also on a case that day too. Antonio Dawson’s son-” Sarah’s sister broke off and the dark-haired surgeon felt his stomach drop and fill with something like dread.

“She heard us talking about a suspect. Saw the guy and Diego Dawson boarding a bus. Next thing we know, we’ve lost her and Voight has a text message from her saying Diego was on a bus.  Then we get the driver on the phone and she is telling us there’s a female cop on her bus. Non-uniformed. But she just flashed her badge. I was the only plain clothes cop there. …Instead of telling us what she thought she saw, Sarah had pickpocketed my badge off of my hip and had gotten on that bus with Antonio's son. Because he was in danger.”

“But it was the anniversary of Camille’s death. We all kind of spiral on that day anyways.” Erin finished the story with a sad sigh. Even Annie’s amused face morphed into one of solemn sadness. 

“I can’t believe that it’s been eight years already,” Annie said softly. Seeing Connor’s confused face, Sarah’s big sister clarified, “Hank’s late wife. Ovarian Cancer.” 

An understanding look passed over the surgeon's face. Sarah had talked about Erin, Justin, Hank, Olive, Erin’s brother: Teddy, and even to some extent Erin’s and Teddy’s mother: Bunny. But she never mentioned Hank having a wife. It made sense though. Justin Voight had to come from somewhere.

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

“Erin mentioned that you have a boy these days?” They were almost halfway through their dinner when Hank brought up Connor. Sarah nearly choked mid-bite. Swallowing tightly, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and coughed. 

“Did she?” She continued to cough before she reached for her glass and swallowed the rest of her drink in two gulps. She wondered if Erin telling Hank about Connor was her pseudo-sister’s way of getting the heat off of her and Jay because Sarah didn’t think they found a way to tell Hank about them being a couple yet. 

Her pseudo-father nodded his head, “She said that you’ve been seeing him for a while too. That it was getting serious?” 

“Five months. Give or take a month,” Sarah answered with a deep flush filling her cheeks. Sarah knew it was on its way to being serious, but was five months actually serious? Despite her many attempts to give it back to him, Connor never took his spare key back from her. That key now lived on her key ring while he just got another spare key made for his apartment. He also had a key to her apartment now too even though (She was pleased to report that he fit in her bed. But just barely.) she spent five nights out of the week at his place. 

Hank tilted his head, regarding her with perceptive eyes. “How’d you meet him?”

“At the hospital. He’s a surgeon there. I’ve actually known him for a while at a distance. Since I started at Med for my ED rotation. We didn’t get close until a few months back.” Sarah explained as she pushed some vegetables around her plate. Her pseudo-father clicked his tongue.

“Another person from the hospital,” he murmured slowly. Sarah heard the apprehension in his voice and the brunette frowned. She shook her head, “It’s not like that. He’s not like Joey, Hank. He treats me well. It’s probably my best relationship as an adult.” 

Her pseudo-father was still gazing at her with that critical look. Avoiding his eyes, Sarah scooped some of the food on her plate into her mouth.

“You think you’ll marry him?” The choking and coughing noise? Yeah, that was coming from her.

“What?? No!” she sputtered, still coughing. Then she thought about it and shrugged. Because now the brunette was actually thinking about it.  Feeling a little sheepish because truthfully? Even though her future was blurry with Connor, it seemed to drift a little more into focus each day. (Sarah, what are you saying? You haven’t even said ‘I love you yet.’) 

“I don’t know. It’s still too early to tell.” 

“You know, I knew I’d marry Camille early on.” He told her with that same wan smile. The one she saw before the car exploded. Sarah felt her hand clench around her fork. It wasn’t like Hank to stall. He wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. Setting the piece of silverware down, the brunette sighed. 

“Why don’t you just tell me why I’m really here, Hank?” The brunette asked him and when he sighed; she continued, “Because you wouldn’t bring me here just to talk about my love life.” 

“I wouldn’t if you would be talking to me at all these days. Take one of my phone calls in the last few months.” Hank said quietly, standing to take the plates to the kitchen. There it was. She followed him to the kitchen. 

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Hank said and Sarah remained silent. Just like Hank promised to be with her till the world blew up, they also made a promise to never lie to each other. Even if things were bad. Especially if things were bad. 

“You lied to me.” Her pseudo-father raised an eyebrow at her accusation as well as the tone of her voice. She continued, “Charlie. Him being back not only in the state of Illinois but in Chicago.” 

Hank sighed, “I didn’t lie to you, Sarah. I just didn’t tell you-”

“No,” Sarah’s voice was so cold and crisp; that it could cut through metal. “Don’t you dare try to pull that. An omission is still a lie. You of all people taught me that.”

“Sarah,  It was an investigation.” Hank turned away from her as he turned on the kitchen sink faucet to start the dishes. 

“But what about after the investigation was over? When you arrested him…What was stopping you from telling me then?” Sarah pressed him, her hands clenched into fists. He sighed again and she felt her hands curl in even tighter. 

Hank dried his hands. Then he rested a hand on her shoulder, “Sarah, I know you’re not a kid anymore. You aged out of the system years ago and I know I’m not your guardian anymore ” 

 “But as I’ve always said, you’re my kid. No blood or piece of paper is stopping the fact that you’re my daughter.  So I’m going to try and protect you whenever I can. You’ve taken enough lumps in your life since I’ve met you and  I’m not always going to explain myself and you’re not going to like that. That is okay. You can be mad at me all you want or need to. But never forget that I love you. That I do these things because I love you.” 

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

“Sarah? You here?” Connor called out, dropping his messenger bag by the door and his keys on the kitchen counter. The television was on when he unlocked his front door and the backlights in his kitchen were on, but the lights in the living room were off. Sarah usually did that because she liked the dim lighting with the glow the city lights cast into his apartment. 

Connor saw her hand shoot up from the couch before he heard Sarah’s soft moan. It sounded like she had been asleep. With a small smile, he made his way over to her. When he saw his girlfriend bundled up, he chuckled a little. “The bed would probably be more comfortable.”

“Didn’t seem late enough to go to bed yet. Plus I was trying to wait up for you. By the way, I brought you some leftovers if you’re hungry. They’re in the fridge.” She yawned as she started to sit up. The dark-haired man felt himself soften. It almost took his mind off of the story Erin had told him earlier. Almost.

“Thanks. But Maggie forced me to take a late lunch break so I’m not that hungry.” He mumbled quietly as he bent down and cupped her face to press a quick kiss to her lips. Then he slipped an arm under her legs and wrapped the other around her waist before he lifted her into the air. 

“Connor, I can walk.” Sarah protested even though she nuzzled her head into his neck and her arms looped around his neck. 

“Sarah, I can carry you,” Connor mimicked her tone, stopping by the door. “Lock the door for me, baby? My hands are kind of tied up.” 

“Whose fault is that?” Sarah teased him as a yawn left her mouth, but she flipped both locks on the door. In response to her teasing, he kissed her forehead. He lingered. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, narrowing her brown orbs at him. Though her sleepy haze clouded her gaze and made her pointed look miss its mark. 

No, with what he was told tonight Connor he was very much not okay because his girlfriend seemed to have a knack for running headfirst into danger...and he had no bubble wrap large enough to wrap around her frame. He moved to the bedroom. “Fine. Just tired. Why do you ask?” 

“You kissed me on the forehead and lingered. You only do that when I’m sick, hurt or something is bugging you. And I’m not sick or hurt. So that leaves the third option.” She told him, rubbing her eyes as she was set on his bed. 

“You did laundry?” Connor asked when he saw the basket of laundry. The curly-haired brunette nodded falling back on the bed. “After my dinner, I needed something to do and I noticed your scrubs were dirty. I also changed the sheets on the bed since you said the other day, you had been meaning to do it. But the dirty ones are washed and in the dryer.” 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Connor told her before he walked the basket to the bathroom so he could fold it tomorrow. He didn’t always use the closet in the bathroom, but he had shuffled things around so Sarah had space for her stuff too. 

“Connor, I spend five nights out of the week here. Sometimes more than that and you do my laundry when I leave stuff here. I can help out. Besides, I needed something to do. My dinner with Hank was something. And it was just Hank and I, by the way, he lied about Erin and Justin being there.” 

“I know. I ran into your sister and her friend Annie, at Molly’s earlier. Erin told me what was going on.” He called as he walked back to her. “Her and Annie had some interesting stories about you. They told me you’re a danger magnet.” 

His blue eyes trailed after her as he leaned against the bathroom door frame, facing into his bedroom. He watched as she tumbled out of his bed and then pulled one of his long-sleeved t-shirts out of the dresser, before she swapped the one she had on her body for it.  It fell to the middle of her thighs.“Had a few stories to prove it too.”

“What do you want me to say here, Connor?” She yawned while he prowled more into the room, shucking his jeans and shirt. “If I see someone I care about in danger, and I have the power to get them out of it then of course I’m going to take the chance.”

Scoffing, he pulled her into his arms, dropping his forehead to hers. “Even if it means at the expense of you?” 

His brunette beauty avoided looking in his eyes while she shrugged. A growl left Connor’s mouth while he tipped her chin up to meet his eyes. Her brown eyes were sad while his were filled with a fiery anger. “You can’t jump in and save everyone, Sarah. It’s just not possible.”

History was repeating itself because he said those exact words to her two years earlier. 

“I might not be able to save everyone but watch me try either way.” She responded in an almost petulant tone of voice. Connor released another growl of frustration and moved his knee in between her legs as he lifted her up to sit on the bed. His stubborn stubborn girlfriend.

“But what about the people that care about you? What happens to them when something happens to you? Your dad, sister, and brother? Your friends?” Me? He left himself out of the question, but from the way her brown eyes softened, she heard the unspoken word. 

She was back to not meeting Connor’s gaze as she admitted quietly, “I’m expendable, Connor.”

“What the hell-”

“There was a time that I didn’t think I’d make it to see my sixteenth birthday. I was nine the first time that thought entered my mind. And I know how fucked up that sounds. I knew it was fucked up then. And I don’t know. Maybe, even though I know I made it past that birthday and I’m healthy. Nothing short of a freak accident happening right now.  Part of me-the unconscious part of me that is still that scared kid, because no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get rid of her and she still thinks she is living on borrowed time.”

Dread filled his stomach because if this was truly the way she thought about herself…Her brown orbs turned glassy as tears gathered in her eyes. “I know that sounds awful. But if I’m going to die…I want my death to mean something.”

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

No words seemed to be able to convey what he wanted to say. How he wanted to shake her and make her see reason. She wasn’t expendable; she never would be. At least not to her family or to him. So Connor crushed his lips to hers in a desperate kiss as he brought her body closer. No room was left between them. His tongue fighting with hers. The brunette beauty in his arms whimpered, cupping his face in her small hands. She scooted back a little so her legs could wrap around his waist. Connor crawled after her. With a gasp, Sarah pulled away with her lips feeling a little swollen from Connor’s kiss. 

“Connor,” she moaned when he angled his head so he could press open-mouthed kisses to her neck. “Connor,” 

Hands seemed to trace down her body. Everywhere she felt branded by his handprints as they pressed softly into her skin. Her back arched as those hands slipped under her shirt. Connor rasped against her skin, “Arms up, baby. I want you naked right now.” 

Sarah giggled and did as she was told. As the shirt left her body she said playfully, “But I’ll be cold.”

“That’s why you have me,” he growled when she bucked against him. The shirt fell to the floor. Then settling his hips against hers, he pressed his lips to her jaw as he reached behind her to undo her bra. The cool air made her nipples harden as he threw the garment on the floor. Connor’s ocean-blue eyes darkened at the sight. It made Sarah grin. 

She had a set of lingerie she had bought months back in a spur-of-the-moment buy with the man on top of her in mind because it was in his favorite color and accented her cleavage especially, very nicely. But she hadn’t had the confidence to wear it because when she bought the underwear set, she wasn’t sure if buying lingerie for a guy she just sleeping with was socially acceptable. She hadn’t worn the set in the last two months because she worried she would be uncomfortable with the laces in the back agitating her healing burns.

She whined when he wouldn’t let her buck against him. “Connor! Don’t tease. Just fuck me,”

“No,” his voice was a low rumble in her ear. He pressed a kiss there too. “I’m not fucking you tonight.” 

“What? Conn-” she started and was cut off by her boyfriend’s lip capturing hers. She moaned and he swallowed the sound. Her hands drifted to his hair. Now it was her boyfriend who pulled away first. Another whine left Sarah’s mouth. 

“Patience baby.” He murmured against her skin before he leaned up a little. She watched through hooded eyes as he trailed a hand down her stomach. Then it disappeared from view and she felt his fingers against her clit through the fabric of her boyshorts. She jumped a little at the sensation at first before she settled, spreading her legs wider for him. “Ohhh,”

“Already wet and I haven’t really done anything.” He mumbled licking a path up her stomach to her breast with the tip of his tongue. She couldn’t even find it in herself to feel embarrassed. 

“My body knows you.” She mewled the words as an explanation as Connor teased her nipple again by swirling the tip of his tongue around it. “Please, Connor!”

“You need to be wetter for what I have planned though.” He rasped and that voice. That voice and the way he spoke in bed alone could have her dripping in a matter of minutes. But it wasn’t like she didn’t have her own tricks up her sleeve too. 

“And what-Oh!” She was interrupted by him sucking her nipple into his mouth. After sucking on it briefly, he released it with a wet pop. Then she was crying out as he sucked a biting mark just underneath where he had been moments earlier. It added to the collection of love bites she already had. The words that fell out of her mouth were a mere pant and unintelligible, but she finally managed to calm down enough to purr, “And what do you have planned, Dr. Rhodes?” 

“Fuck,” Her boyfriend moaned against her skin. But with the way Connor’s body was pressed against hers, Sarah could feel how much her words affected him without the verbal noise. She grinned as he kissed a path back up to her lips. Another bruising kiss was pressed to her already swollen lips. 

Her hands drifted back to his inky black hair and she tugged on the strands. He pulled away from her lips to tug at her ear lobe with his teeth before he whispered, “I plan on making love to you slowly and thoroughly. I want you wet enough that we can hear it as my cock enters and leaves you. Over and over again.” 

Her teeth sunk into his shoulder a moment later to muffle the loud moan that left her mouth. It wasn’t often that Connor talked dirty like that to her. It was only broken out on special occasions. And she knew from reading romance novel after romance novel in college, that this dirty talk was milder than most. But it excited the curly-haired brunette in just the right way. 

He moaned before he leaned over and took a condom out of his nightstand. Then he removed both of their undergarments still remaining and rolled it on himself. He situated himself against her center.

“Expendable was the word you used baby?” He mumbled, pressing another kiss to her jaw. With her eyes widened, she nodded mutely. Humming Connor instructed her to wrap her arms around his neck, “I want to feel you, Sarah…That’s my girl. Because that’s what you are. Mine. My girl.” 

With those words, he thrust into her shallowly. They both moaned. 

In and out. In a slow steady pace. It was almost like he was teasing her but more intense. They could hear the squelching as well as the slap of their skins. But that wasn’t what filled Sarah’s ears until she and her lover both came; it was the possessive word Connor kept repeating like a mantra. “Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine...” 

“Yours,” Sarah echoed as she reached her high. Nails clawing into his back. Choking out another moan, “Yours.” 

 Connor fell into that pleasurable high a moment later with a throaty groan.

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

Afterward, when Connor had cleaned her up (Because he wouldn’t let her do it herself.) and put cream over the burns on her back, (Okay, that’s because she couldn’t reach her burns herself.) and put his shirt back on her, (“I undressed you, baby. A gentleman always takes care of their woman.”)  they settled against each other in bed. Sarah nuzzled her face into his fuzzy chest. 

“Not that I’m in any way complaining, but what was that?” She whispered, peering up at him from her place on his chest. A worn-out smile on her lips. The arm around her waist tightened as he used his other hand card through her curls. 

“Run head first into danger all you want to. I’m not deluded enough to think I could change that about you. Even if it makes me want to shake some sense into you, I don’t think I want to change that about you.” He started softly, “But you are not expendable baby. You have people that care about you.” 

He paused to cup her jaw so she was looking at him, “I care about you, Sarah. I love you.” 

Their blurry future just got starkly more in focus with those three little words. (She didn’t fail to see the irony that she had just thought about those words just earlier this evening.)  It was a scary feeling to realize that they weren’t just on their way to serious anymore. They were right smack dab in the middle of serious. But the more Sarah thought about it, the more she realized…

“I love you too.” She whispered back, pressing a kiss to the hand holding her chin. Because truthfully, Connor’s warm embrace had become a place of safety for her. His warm citrus scent filled her with similar security to what she felt at home. Connor had become home for her. Despite all of the denying she did and attempts to keep herself from getting too attached to him, that’s why she asked Maggie to get him the night she got burned. She pecked his lips, urging him quietly with a bright grin. “Say it again.” 

“I love you, baby.” His tone was soft and muted. His smile was gentle as he brushed her curls back and traced a finger down her cheek. Another kiss on his lips was his reward, “I love you too.”

[thefrogdalorian]

Hi, Spud!! Firstly, I would like to thank you for your amazing stories, they really help me get through tough times and always brighten my day!! 🥰 I love the way you write, every time I read your stories featuring Din I can literally feel his comforting presence through words and through the way that you describe everything in small details that make up a beautiful and heartwarming story. I think you’re very talented and such an interesting person to get to know better!! I’d really love to 🥺

If you don’t mind, can you answer 4, 13, 11, 22 (What’s your favorite drink??), 27, 28 (What’s your favorite music genre? Perhaps you have a favorite artist?) (it was really hard to choose, I wanted to ask you every one of these questions and more!). How did you get into writing??

Thank you for answering them and absolutely no pressure at all, you can choose the most comfortable ones!!!

Hello friend! Wow, what a lovely message to receive, thanks so much for taking the time to write and send this to me. You made my entire day 🥺

I'm SO happy that you enjoy my writing and my version of Din brings you comfort aaah. That means the world to me and messages like yours are why I love writing so much. To know that something you create means something to another person means the world.

Anyway, gonna answer your questions underneath the cut since you sent quite a few! It means a lot to know that you'd like to get to know me better. I am just a Din Djarin loving loser with an internet connection and far too much time on my hands but it's really nice to hear that you'd like to get to know me better!

4. mythical creature you think/believe is real?

I've got to go with Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. I believe in my heart she is. I remember seeing a film when I was a kid about her being real and idk she seems friend-shaped even if she'd probably rip my head off without a second thought.

11. anything from your childhood you've held onto?

Trauma Nooo seriously: physically I think a lot of books and a fridge magnet collection I started back then. But intangibly: my love for Star Wars, playing musical instruments and a passion for writing and reading that have never truly left, even if they were dormant for a few years while I was at University.

13. first thing you're doing in the purge?

Too much of a coward to do anything really bad or violent, so I'd drive myself (well I don't have my license yet so that would already be one crime... but I think I could manage it hahah) to the nearest toy shop and clean it out of Lego. It's so expensive and there are so many nice sets I'll never own so that would solve that problem.

22. do you have an emotional support water bottle? (and my fave drink)

I do! It's actually a Mando one hahah it's this one I got from Primark and I love it. As for fave drink: it is 100% iced coffee. I don't drink alcohol anymore but tbh I haven't saved that much money since I gave up because of my slight iced coffee addiction.

27. what's your favorite or go-to outfit?

I definitely chose comfort over style. Usually just dress in jeans and a nerdy t-shirt with a comfortable sweater or hoodie on top. And always a pair of Dr. Martens! Comfiest shoes ever when you get past the blisters. I've never been one for fashion really but as long as colours don't clash, I don't care!

28. last meal on earth?

Ooh good question! So, so many foods I love but if I had to pick the last thing i could ever eat, I'd definitely go for a Korean barbecue. Such a good meal and the whole experience with a group of friends is the best.

What’s your favorite music genre? Perhaps you have a favorite artist?

Honestly the basic answer but I'll listen to pretty much anything. My top genres according to spotify wrapped last year were: pop, rock, modern rock, pov: indie (what) and soft rock so make of that what you will! My top artist was Taylor Swift last year and I love her but I have so many other artists I adore too! The other top 5 were blink-182, Lana Del Rey, Coldplay and The 1975 so that gives you some idea of what I'm into hehe. I'm so bad at describing my own music taste but it's sort of middle-aged dad core (also love Arcade Fire, The Stone Roses, Fleetwood Mac and Queen) plus Taylor Swift and Lana. AND 80s CHEESE LIKE ABBA!! Can't forget the cheese.

How did you get into writing??

I've always loved writing and done little bits here and there, but never had much confidence in myself until I did NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2020. I've completed it three times since then but it was really a combination of watching Mando s3 again and reading a book called Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell which I picked up for cheap in a charity shop last summer that made me think.... hey I could write fanfiction! And here we are! I love doing it. It's done so much good for my mental health and allowed me to chat to so many lovely people like you! I'm very grateful to have discovered writing when I did. Not sure where I'd be without it tbh!

Thanks again for all your questions, hope that helped you to get to know me a little better! If you feel like you want to, I'm more than happy for you to message me privately and chat too. But equally no pressure, thanks for your message and I hope we'll speak again!

Ask game

[nickgerlich]

Seemingly Smart

It’s when you realize that pop culture is driving product introductions, you begin to wonder if companies have it all wrong. In an ideal world, marketers would be creating culture with their products, not responding to it. Alas, it just doesn’t work that way all the time these days. Make that even some of the time.

Take, for example, Heinz’s knee-jerk response to what happened at the Kansas City Chiefs game this last Sunday. I’m pretty sure the whole world knows by now that Taylor Swift attended the game, and was seen fanboying her latest alleged crush, Travis Kelce, from the family skybox.

While camera crews were focusing intently on T-Swift, the internet was more concerned with what she was eating, which, as reported in a fan account, was “chicken tenders, ketchup, and seemingly ranch.”

Rather than let an opportunity pass them by, Heinz must have ordered its marketing staff to work nonstop until they figured out a way to capitalize on something that could easily tie to their core product, which, of course, is ketchup. Those marketing people came up with a ketchup and “seemingly ranch” blend, which will be limited to a production run of 100 bottles available via their Instagram account. If you’re one of the lucky ones, that is.

Of course, Heinz did not need to put their food scientists on overtime, because they actually already sell a product that is…well…ketchup and ranch. Available since 2019, Kranch meets the needs and wants of those who like to mix condiments. They just do the heavy lifting for you.

All of which means that the marketing people only had to come up with a new label for this gimmicky item, and then let the media do all the rest. It is brilliant marketing in many regards, even if the phrase will have a shelf life of about a week max. If it steers more people to the real Kranch, then good for Heinz. But it will take more marketing than just this in the long run.

And we still don’t have a firm answer for all the inquiring minds: Are Swift and Kelce dating?

More than anything, Heinz’ response shows just how powerful pop culture is, especially internet culture. As they said on The Morning Brew Daily yesterday, “Internet culture IS culture.” I tend to agree, even if the marketers are put in the sometimes unenviable position of having to respond to it. It’s like the tail wagging the dog.

The problem is that internet culture changes fast. Very fast. Today’s hot meme is next week’s yawn. Anything buzzworthy now is old news even by lunch tomorrow. Even the fastest marketer risks putting effort into something that has already started to fade.

As for Heinz, good on them for recognizing this for what it is: it’s a viral story, one they could capitalize on, but not spend a lot of money doing so. And therein is the lesson. If you find the tail wagging you, then do everything possible not to oscillate out of control.

I realize it is tempting to want to hitch your wagon to anything Swift is doing these days. Her Eras Tour is set to rake in $2.2 billion in ticket sales in North America alone, earning it honors as highest-grossing concert tour ever. Then factor in all the merch sold, hotels, meals, and so forth, and you realize just what an economic impact this one person has. You go, Heinz. Taylor Swift is golden right now. You may go a long time before an opportunity like this lands in your lap.

Me, I’ll stick with Franch, the fictitious condiment parodied on a Breaking Bad episode a decade ago. I don’t need to tell you what’s in it. And if Heinz had been paying attention then, they could have easily come to market with it, or at least staged an Instagram contest.

Then again, neither Walt nor Jesse are anywhere near as attractive—or culturally powerful—as Taylor Swift.

Dr “Pop Goes The Culture” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark to Premiere Seven Movies in September — See the Full Schedule (Exclusive/TVLine)

Love and murder are in the air this September.

The Hallmark Channel is kicking off its “Fall Into Love”-themed programming blitz with four movie premieres in September featuring very familiar TV faces.

Premiering on Hallmark Channel:

Love in the Great Smokey Mountains: A National Park Romance Premieres: Saturday, September 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT Synopsis: Former sweethearts (played by The Vampire Diaries’ Zach Roerig and 9-1-1′s Arielle Kebbel) reunite at an archeological dig in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While working alongside each other and competing for the same research grant, they discover they might still have feelings for one another.

Fourth Down and Love Premieres: Saturday, September 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT Synopsis: Sparks are reignited when a single mom (played by When Calls the Heart’s Pascale Hutton) and a pro football player (General Hospital’s Ryan Paevey) coincidentally meet again on her daughter’s flag football field after his career is derailed by a injury.

Retreat to You Premieres: Saturday, September 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT Synopsis: Abby (Chesapeake Shores’ Emilie Ullerup) and Sean (Rookie Blue’s Peter Mooney) were best friends in high school until they had a falling out at their graduation party. Years later, when Abby’s friend Rachel (Sex/Life’s Meghan Heffern) brings her to a wilderness retreat, she is shocked to run into Sean. When then get separated from the group, will they find their way back to the campsite… or back into each other’s arms? 

A Very Venice Romance Premieres: Saturday, September 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT Synopsis: Amy (Defiance’s Stephanie Leonidas) is a New York City executive working for a wellness company trying to launch deliverable meal prep kits. She needs to find an expert to help guide the venture and tries to woo Marcello Barone (Raniero Monaco Di Lapio), an Italian chef. When Amy contacts him, he turns her down, so she enrolls in his cooking school in a Venetian palazzo. Will Amy then return home, or pursue amore?

Premiering on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries:

Guiding Emily Premieres: Friday, September 8 at 9 pm ET/PT Synopsis: Emily (Grey’s Anatomy’s Sarah Drew) sees her life veer off course after an accident leaves her permanently blind and she struggles to cope with her new reality. Meanwhile, a potential guide dog named Garth (voiced by Will & Grace’s Eric McCormack) faces his own struggles in the training department. With Garth by her side Emily takes on her biggest challenge yet, opening her heart. Blood & Treasure’s Anthony Cupo and Nancy Drew’s Sharon Taylor also star.

Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major Premieres: Friday, September 22 at 9 pm ET/PT Synopsis: Former orchestra conductor Gethsemane Brown (Sister, Sister’s Tamera Mowry-Housley) moves to the Irish countryside to teach music at a boarding school. There, she meets a handsome math teacher (Virgin River’s Marco Grazzini) who helps her professionally, and a renowned composer Eamon McCarthy (The Power’s Risteard Cooper) who is rumored to be behind the death of his longtime love. Oh, did we mention that Eamon’s actually a ghost hot to solve his murder? Supernatural’s Adam Fergus also stars.

Mystery Island Premieres: Friday, September 29 at 9 pm ET/PT Synopsis: London Police psychiatrist Dr. Emilia Priestly (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Elizabeth Henstridge) needs to take a relaxing break from her stressful job, so her wealthy friend invites her to Mystery Island, an immersive murder-mystery-themed resort hosting a special retreat for the original investors. As the mystery game begins, tragedy strikes when the resort’s reclusive founder is murdered. Emilia “partners” with local detective Jason Trent (How to Get Away With Murder’s Charlie Weber) to investigate.

To read the full article over at TVLine click this LINK.

[aureliusantoninusmarcus]

last day in gradschool and we spent an additional hour and 30 minutes on zoom with Dr Serr/an0, I even had a meal ready and he had to cut some food for his dinner in front of the screen (kasi it was 9pm already).

We just talked about music and films in different era, jumping from carly rae to taylor swift, to local bands, and regional songs, from city pop to present pop. Even films from west to east asia films, but dialogues that are inevitable to stir with is this gramsci's intellectualizing random stuff in most of our casual topics lol.

why did we end the course in gramsci's formation of intellects lol

best term so far, sadly we didnt have a post party drink after class, coz doc needed to go to china for a conference.

[hometownpizzaau]

Italian Pizza Caroline Springs | Watervale Shopping Center Pizza Shop

Each meal on our menu is freshly made by our skilled chefs utilizing ingredients and spices that are native to the area. For Italian Pizza Caroline Springs, our Watervale shopping center pizza shop delivers online, takeout, and pickup orders. You may be confident that everything on the menu is reasonably priced and will provide a wonderful dining experience. Order now to experience the difference. Reach out to us!

Shop3/2/14 Calder Park Dr, Taylors Hill VIC 3037

(03) 8382 0500

Order Now: https://orderonline.hometownpizza.com.au/

Locate us on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/CYTQ6J5msDtW3h5B6

[tameblog]

Seeds contain stories. Without generations of farmers and seed collectors, the vegetables and fruits we enjoy today wouldn’t exist. We owe the existence and popularity of crops like okra, eggplants, and sweet potatoes to thousands of Black Americans who cultivated them. Famous Black agriculturalists like Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, and Dr. Booker T. Whatley are responsible for dozens of farming and gardening initiatives. Compost, crop rotation, and how plants respond to light are some concepts these three Doctors studied and popularized. Not only did they study and learn about plants, but they also taught their local communities how to reap the benefits of their research.  This February, we celebrate the Black gardeners, farmers, and growers of America’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize the importance of community gardening. No person is an island, and the same is true for gardeners. Share seeds, garden with your neighbors, and volunteer in your local community garden to get involved! Collards Georgia Southern Collards Seeds Cowpea Bean California Blackeye Bush Cowpea Seeds Okra Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds Soybean This is one of the crops that create the backbone of the agricultural industry. Soybeans are a crucial crop in America. Alongside corn and wheat, they form the backbone of our agricultural industry. Though many growers now love soybeans, Dr. George Washington Carver loved and promoted them widely in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work at Tuskegee University is essential to our understanding of plants and their effect on the soil. At the time, many agricultural fields were wrecked by decades of cotton growing. The soil was exhausted and needed rejuvenation. Soybeans are nitrogen fixers—they partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria near their roots to turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can access.  Dr. Carver taught that soybeans help the farmer and the soil. They provide an easy cash crop while boosting nitrogen rates in depleted soils. Honor Dr. Carver and his legacy with a few soybean plants in your garden. They grow like bean plants, with trifoliate leaves and thin, spindly stems. Fresh and dried soybeans are edible, adding protein and fiber to the meal. Peanut This soil-enriching crop was promoted by Dr. Carver, a famous Black agriculturalist. Peanuts are another soil-enriching cash crop that Dr. Carver promoted during his lifetime. The plants’ roots partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, creating fertile soil wherever they grow. Though they originated from South America, they came to North America via the African Diaspora. Peanuts grow nut-like seeds, though they’re leguminous like beans and peas. They form yellow pea-like flowers above the ground. After pollination, the flowers form pods and dive underground to form nutritious peanuts.  Sweet Potato This crop has been popularized by black chefs using it in recipes like sweet potato pie. The sweet potato is a popular food staple of the southern U.S., growing well in the warm summer weather that’s common in the region. Black chefs helped popularize the root crop, using it in recipes like sweet potato pie.  In 1881, Abby Fisher published a recipe for homemade sweet potato pie in her book What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. She’s the second African-American woman to publish a cookbook in America, carving the way for later generations. The first is Mrs. Malinda Russell; she self-published A Domestic Cookbook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen in 1866! Dr. Carver loved sweet potatoes too. He experimented with using them in over 100 new ways, creating demand for the roots with new products and machinery.  Though sweet potatoes form seeds, you’re better off planting “slips.” Slips are cut pieces of the tubers with sprouts. Plant them after frost dissipates from your area.  Okra This crop with mucilaginous pods originated from Africa and has made its way to North America. Okra hails from Africa and Asia where it grows in warm, tropical regions. Like peanuts, the crop came to North America from Africa. It’s incredibly popular in the South where it often grows perennially. Cooks fry the chopped pods and serve them with dipping sauce. They’re delicious!  Though delicious, the pods are mucilaginous, meaning they have a slimy coating inside. Some people don’t mind the sliminess, though others vehemently dislike it! Try a few first to see if you like them before planting.  If you don’t like their taste, consider growing them as ornamental plants! Space a few around your flowering shrubs and perennials. They sprout mallow-like yellow flowers with maroon throats that are gorgeous under the summer sunshine.  Black-Eyed Pea They are legumes that originated from Africa and are essential to traditional African-American dishes. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, are legumes. They’re beans, not peas, growing well during the summer. Popular in the South, they are an essential ingredient in traditional African-American dishes like Hoppin’ John. It’s a delicious recipe with slow-cooked black-eyed peas, collards, and ham, and it’s perfect for warming the belly on cold winter days. Dr. Carver knew the importance of these beans. He wrote about them in one of his bulletins, saying, “…they are absolutely indispensable in a wise crop rotation and in the rational feeding of both man and beast.” In this, he meant that black-eyed peas feed livestock with forage and farmers with edible beans. They also fix nitrogen. Plant pea seeds during Black History Month or later in the spring to maximize soil fertility.  These beans originated from Africa, where they grow perennially under continuous warmth. Though they grow best in the South, you can plant them in summer from USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10.  Gilo Eggplant The ‘Gilo’ is a highly decorative eggplant that originated in West Africa. Gilo eggplants are similar to traditional ones, with tasty flesh and thin skin. They form a white globe that looks like a teardrop. They’re highly decorative! Though they originated in West Africa, they’re now popular throughout the East Coast and southern U.S. Some other names include garden egg and scarlet eggplant. They’re close relatives of pumpkin-on-a-stick, a lovely decorative eggplant that first grew in West Africa.  Highly versatile, gilo eggplants add savory flavor to boiled, sauteed, and roasted dishes. You’ll often find these eggplants in cans or jars at grocery stores, labeled “garden eggs.” Though this is an easy way to try them, they taste much better when you grow them in your garden.  Collards This is one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. Collards, or collard greens, are cabbage relatives with sweet, nutrient-rich leaves. The leaves are the main vegetable of the crop, as they’re wide, thick, and hardy. Both heat and frost-tolerant, collards are perfect for growing in warm temperate zones throughout the U.S. These greens are an essential part of American history, as they’re one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. They originated in Greece, where they traveled South through Africa. From Africa, they made their way to the U.S. during the African Diaspora. If you’re looking to honor Southern cooking, you’ll need a collard or two in your garden. The leaves cook down well like Swiss chard. Sauté butter with onions and garlic, add broth, then place chopped, washed collards in the boiling broth. Let them simmer until soft and tender for a nutrient-rich and delicious side dish! Cantaloupe In Africa, gardeners and farmers enjoy cantaloupe as it is a main staple of cuisines. Like collards and black-eyed peas, cantaloupe is a main staple of cuisines spanning continents—gardeners and farmers enjoy it in Africa, the southern U.S., India, and Australia, among other places. It grows like watermelon, sprouting edible melons from long-travelling vines. Lush, green leaves shade the maturing melons while they capture sunlight. Unlike most other crops on this list, this fruit is best fresh. Plant cantaloupe seeds after the last frost (around Black History Month for warmer zones), and you’ll enjoy fresh melons in 80 days. They’re ready to eat when they emit a sweet-smelling odor and have brown netting on their skin. Sesame The sesame originated from various parts of the world and has spread throughout parts of Africa. Sesame may not be the first plant you think of planting in February, though it’s a perfect plant to honor Black History Month! It originated from areas like India, Assam, Bangladesh, and the West Himalayas, and it naturalized itself throughout parts of Africa. For thousands of years, chefs and cooks used it in China, Egypt, and Babylon. Sesame is incredibly popular in the South, where it grows well in long, warm summers and plenty of direct sunlight. Look for sweet recipes, such as benne wafers, which consist of ground sesame and whole seeds. Benne wafers are a staple cookie in South Carolina and are common in stores around the state. Make them yourself with homegrown sesame for tasty treats unlike any you’ve had before! African Rice This is a well-known crop in Africa that is easy to grow and does not require flooding. This drought-tolerant rice is rapidly disappearing from the world! Rice strains of Oryza sativa are replacing this African native rice, displacing it from its original habitats. Preserve this rice’s history by growing a plant this year. Rice is easier to grow than you’d think, and it often doesn’t require flooding like in commercial farming. After growing the rice, collect and harvest the seeds. You’ll enjoy whole grain edible rice, and you’ll have seeds to plant the next year. Though this rice is well-known in Africa, it’s been a popular grain in the American South since the early 1800s. You’ll sometimes find it by the name “red-bearded upland rice.” Flowering Cherry The flowering cherry tree is a legacy of Roland Maurice Jefferson, the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum. Not a crop, the flowering cherry tree is an iconic ornamental species native to Japan, China, and Korea. Plant one today and you’ll honor the legacy of the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum, Roland Maurice Jefferson. He started at the arboretum replacing plant labels before becoming head botanist.  His professional work is essential in our understanding of crabapple and cherry genetics, as well as the history of these two tree species. He studied the flowering cherry specimens in the arboretum and Washington D.C., taking cuttings to propagate further. After letting the cuttings grow, he presented the trees to Japan alongside First Lady Nancy Reagan. These are some of the dozens of iconic achievements Roland Jefferson made during his lifetime! Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Before his passing, he donated the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. It includes his records on cherry and crabapple cultivation. Honor his incredible legacy with a flowering cherry; they grow well in containers! Source link

[urayuli]

related doodles under the cut

[ramestoryworld]

Seeds contain stories. Without generations of farmers and seed collectors, the vegetables and fruits we enjoy today wouldn’t exist. We owe the existence and popularity of crops like okra, eggplants, and sweet potatoes to thousands of Black Americans who cultivated them. Famous Black agriculturalists like Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, and Dr. Booker T. Whatley are responsible for dozens of farming and gardening initiatives. Compost, crop rotation, and how plants respond to light are some concepts these three Doctors studied and popularized. Not only did they study and learn about plants, but they also taught their local communities how to reap the benefits of their research.  This February, we celebrate the Black gardeners, farmers, and growers of America’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize the importance of community gardening. No person is an island, and the same is true for gardeners. Share seeds, garden with your neighbors, and volunteer in your local community garden to get involved! Collards Georgia Southern Collards Seeds Cowpea Bean California Blackeye Bush Cowpea Seeds Okra Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds Soybean This is one of the crops that create the backbone of the agricultural industry. Soybeans are a crucial crop in America. Alongside corn and wheat, they form the backbone of our agricultural industry. Though many growers now love soybeans, Dr. George Washington Carver loved and promoted them widely in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work at Tuskegee University is essential to our understanding of plants and their effect on the soil. At the time, many agricultural fields were wrecked by decades of cotton growing. The soil was exhausted and needed rejuvenation. Soybeans are nitrogen fixers—they partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria near their roots to turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can access.  Dr. Carver taught that soybeans help the farmer and the soil. They provide an easy cash crop while boosting nitrogen rates in depleted soils. Honor Dr. Carver and his legacy with a few soybean plants in your garden. They grow like bean plants, with trifoliate leaves and thin, spindly stems. Fresh and dried soybeans are edible, adding protein and fiber to the meal. Peanut This soil-enriching crop was promoted by Dr. Carver, a famous Black agriculturalist. Peanuts are another soil-enriching cash crop that Dr. Carver promoted during his lifetime. The plants’ roots partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, creating fertile soil wherever they grow. Though they originated from South America, they came to North America via the African Diaspora. Peanuts grow nut-like seeds, though they’re leguminous like beans and peas. They form yellow pea-like flowers above the ground. After pollination, the flowers form pods and dive underground to form nutritious peanuts.  Sweet Potato This crop has been popularized by black chefs using it in recipes like sweet potato pie. The sweet potato is a popular food staple of the southern U.S., growing well in the warm summer weather that’s common in the region. Black chefs helped popularize the root crop, using it in recipes like sweet potato pie.  In 1881, Abby Fisher published a recipe for homemade sweet potato pie in her book What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. She’s the second African-American woman to publish a cookbook in America, carving the way for later generations. The first is Mrs. Malinda Russell; she self-published A Domestic Cookbook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen in 1866! Dr. Carver loved sweet potatoes too. He experimented with using them in over 100 new ways, creating demand for the roots with new products and machinery.  Though sweet potatoes form seeds, you’re better off planting “slips.” Slips are cut pieces of the tubers with sprouts. Plant them after frost dissipates from your area.  Okra This crop with mucilaginous pods originated from Africa and has made its way to North America. Okra hails from Africa and Asia where it grows in warm, tropical regions. Like peanuts, the crop came to North America from Africa. It’s incredibly popular in the South where it often grows perennially. Cooks fry the chopped pods and serve them with dipping sauce. They’re delicious!  Though delicious, the pods are mucilaginous, meaning they have a slimy coating inside. Some people don’t mind the sliminess, though others vehemently dislike it! Try a few first to see if you like them before planting.  If you don’t like their taste, consider growing them as ornamental plants! Space a few around your flowering shrubs and perennials. They sprout mallow-like yellow flowers with maroon throats that are gorgeous under the summer sunshine.  Black-Eyed Pea They are legumes that originated from Africa and are essential to traditional African-American dishes. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, are legumes. They’re beans, not peas, growing well during the summer. Popular in the South, they are an essential ingredient in traditional African-American dishes like Hoppin’ John. It’s a delicious recipe with slow-cooked black-eyed peas, collards, and ham, and it’s perfect for warming the belly on cold winter days. Dr. Carver knew the importance of these beans. He wrote about them in one of his bulletins, saying, “…they are absolutely indispensable in a wise crop rotation and in the rational feeding of both man and beast.” In this, he meant that black-eyed peas feed livestock with forage and farmers with edible beans. They also fix nitrogen. Plant pea seeds during Black History Month or later in the spring to maximize soil fertility.  These beans originated from Africa, where they grow perennially under continuous warmth. Though they grow best in the South, you can plant them in summer from USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10.  Gilo Eggplant The ‘Gilo’ is a highly decorative eggplant that originated in West Africa. Gilo eggplants are similar to traditional ones, with tasty flesh and thin skin. They form a white globe that looks like a teardrop. They’re highly decorative! Though they originated in West Africa, they’re now popular throughout the East Coast and southern U.S. Some other names include garden egg and scarlet eggplant. They’re close relatives of pumpkin-on-a-stick, a lovely decorative eggplant that first grew in West Africa.  Highly versatile, gilo eggplants add savory flavor to boiled, sauteed, and roasted dishes. You’ll often find these eggplants in cans or jars at grocery stores, labeled “garden eggs.” Though this is an easy way to try them, they taste much better when you grow them in your garden.  Collards This is one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. Collards, or collard greens, are cabbage relatives with sweet, nutrient-rich leaves. The leaves are the main vegetable of the crop, as they’re wide, thick, and hardy. Both heat and frost-tolerant, collards are perfect for growing in warm temperate zones throughout the U.S. These greens are an essential part of American history, as they’re one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. They originated in Greece, where they traveled South through Africa. From Africa, they made their way to the U.S. during the African Diaspora. If you’re looking to honor Southern cooking, you’ll need a collard or two in your garden. The leaves cook down well like Swiss chard. Sauté butter with onions and garlic, add broth, then place chopped, washed collards in the boiling broth. Let them simmer until soft and tender for a nutrient-rich and delicious side dish! Cantaloupe In Africa, gardeners and farmers enjoy cantaloupe as it is a main staple of cuisines. Like collards and black-eyed peas, cantaloupe is a main staple of cuisines spanning continents—gardeners and farmers enjoy it in Africa, the southern U.S., India, and Australia, among other places. It grows like watermelon, sprouting edible melons from long-travelling vines. Lush, green leaves shade the maturing melons while they capture sunlight. Unlike most other crops on this list, this fruit is best fresh. Plant cantaloupe seeds after the last frost (around Black History Month for warmer zones), and you’ll enjoy fresh melons in 80 days. They’re ready to eat when they emit a sweet-smelling odor and have brown netting on their skin. Sesame The sesame originated from various parts of the world and has spread throughout parts of Africa. Sesame may not be the first plant you think of planting in February, though it’s a perfect plant to honor Black History Month! It originated from areas like India, Assam, Bangladesh, and the West Himalayas, and it naturalized itself throughout parts of Africa. For thousands of years, chefs and cooks used it in China, Egypt, and Babylon. Sesame is incredibly popular in the South, where it grows well in long, warm summers and plenty of direct sunlight. Look for sweet recipes, such as benne wafers, which consist of ground sesame and whole seeds. Benne wafers are a staple cookie in South Carolina and are common in stores around the state. Make them yourself with homegrown sesame for tasty treats unlike any you’ve had before! African Rice This is a well-known crop in Africa that is easy to grow and does not require flooding. This drought-tolerant rice is rapidly disappearing from the world! Rice strains of Oryza sativa are replacing this African native rice, displacing it from its original habitats. Preserve this rice’s history by growing a plant this year. Rice is easier to grow than you’d think, and it often doesn’t require flooding like in commercial farming. After growing the rice, collect and harvest the seeds. You’ll enjoy whole grain edible rice, and you’ll have seeds to plant the next year. Though this rice is well-known in Africa, it’s been a popular grain in the American South since the early 1800s. You’ll sometimes find it by the name “red-bearded upland rice.” Flowering Cherry The flowering cherry tree is a legacy of Roland Maurice Jefferson, the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum. Not a crop, the flowering cherry tree is an iconic ornamental species native to Japan, China, and Korea. Plant one today and you’ll honor the legacy of the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum, Roland Maurice Jefferson. He started at the arboretum replacing plant labels before becoming head botanist.  His professional work is essential in our understanding of crabapple and cherry genetics, as well as the history of these two tree species. He studied the flowering cherry specimens in the arboretum and Washington D.C., taking cuttings to propagate further. After letting the cuttings grow, he presented the trees to Japan alongside First Lady Nancy Reagan. These are some of the dozens of iconic achievements Roland Jefferson made during his lifetime! Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Before his passing, he donated the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. It includes his records on cherry and crabapple cultivation. Honor his incredible legacy with a flowering cherry; they grow well in containers! Source link

[alexha2210]

Seeds contain stories. Without generations of farmers and seed collectors, the vegetables and fruits we enjoy today wouldn’t exist. We owe the existence and popularity of crops like okra, eggplants, and sweet potatoes to thousands of Black Americans who cultivated them. Famous Black agriculturalists like Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, and Dr. Booker T. Whatley are responsible for dozens of farming and gardening initiatives. Compost, crop rotation, and how plants respond to light are some concepts these three Doctors studied and popularized. Not only did they study and learn about plants, but they also taught their local communities how to reap the benefits of their research.  This February, we celebrate the Black gardeners, farmers, and growers of America’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize the importance of community gardening. No person is an island, and the same is true for gardeners. Share seeds, garden with your neighbors, and volunteer in your local community garden to get involved! Collards Georgia Southern Collards Seeds Cowpea Bean California Blackeye Bush Cowpea Seeds Okra Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds Soybean This is one of the crops that create the backbone of the agricultural industry. Soybeans are a crucial crop in America. Alongside corn and wheat, they form the backbone of our agricultural industry. Though many growers now love soybeans, Dr. George Washington Carver loved and promoted them widely in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work at Tuskegee University is essential to our understanding of plants and their effect on the soil. At the time, many agricultural fields were wrecked by decades of cotton growing. The soil was exhausted and needed rejuvenation. Soybeans are nitrogen fixers—they partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria near their roots to turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can access.  Dr. Carver taught that soybeans help the farmer and the soil. They provide an easy cash crop while boosting nitrogen rates in depleted soils. Honor Dr. Carver and his legacy with a few soybean plants in your garden. They grow like bean plants, with trifoliate leaves and thin, spindly stems. Fresh and dried soybeans are edible, adding protein and fiber to the meal. Peanut This soil-enriching crop was promoted by Dr. Carver, a famous Black agriculturalist. Peanuts are another soil-enriching cash crop that Dr. Carver promoted during his lifetime. The plants’ roots partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, creating fertile soil wherever they grow. Though they originated from South America, they came to North America via the African Diaspora. Peanuts grow nut-like seeds, though they’re leguminous like beans and peas. They form yellow pea-like flowers above the ground. After pollination, the flowers form pods and dive underground to form nutritious peanuts.  Sweet Potato This crop has been popularized by black chefs using it in recipes like sweet potato pie. The sweet potato is a popular food staple of the southern U.S., growing well in the warm summer weather that’s common in the region. Black chefs helped popularize the root crop, using it in recipes like sweet potato pie.  In 1881, Abby Fisher published a recipe for homemade sweet potato pie in her book What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. She’s the second African-American woman to publish a cookbook in America, carving the way for later generations. The first is Mrs. Malinda Russell; she self-published A Domestic Cookbook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen in 1866! Dr. Carver loved sweet potatoes too. He experimented with using them in over 100 new ways, creating demand for the roots with new products and machinery.  Though sweet potatoes form seeds, you’re better off planting “slips.” Slips are cut pieces of the tubers with sprouts. Plant them after frost dissipates from your area.  Okra This crop with mucilaginous pods originated from Africa and has made its way to North America. Okra hails from Africa and Asia where it grows in warm, tropical regions. Like peanuts, the crop came to North America from Africa. It’s incredibly popular in the South where it often grows perennially. Cooks fry the chopped pods and serve them with dipping sauce. They’re delicious!  Though delicious, the pods are mucilaginous, meaning they have a slimy coating inside. Some people don’t mind the sliminess, though others vehemently dislike it! Try a few first to see if you like them before planting.  If you don’t like their taste, consider growing them as ornamental plants! Space a few around your flowering shrubs and perennials. They sprout mallow-like yellow flowers with maroon throats that are gorgeous under the summer sunshine.  Black-Eyed Pea They are legumes that originated from Africa and are essential to traditional African-American dishes. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, are legumes. They’re beans, not peas, growing well during the summer. Popular in the South, they are an essential ingredient in traditional African-American dishes like Hoppin’ John. It’s a delicious recipe with slow-cooked black-eyed peas, collards, and ham, and it’s perfect for warming the belly on cold winter days. Dr. Carver knew the importance of these beans. He wrote about them in one of his bulletins, saying, “…they are absolutely indispensable in a wise crop rotation and in the rational feeding of both man and beast.” In this, he meant that black-eyed peas feed livestock with forage and farmers with edible beans. They also fix nitrogen. Plant pea seeds during Black History Month or later in the spring to maximize soil fertility.  These beans originated from Africa, where they grow perennially under continuous warmth. Though they grow best in the South, you can plant them in summer from USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10.  Gilo Eggplant The ‘Gilo’ is a highly decorative eggplant that originated in West Africa. Gilo eggplants are similar to traditional ones, with tasty flesh and thin skin. They form a white globe that looks like a teardrop. They’re highly decorative! Though they originated in West Africa, they’re now popular throughout the East Coast and southern U.S. Some other names include garden egg and scarlet eggplant. They’re close relatives of pumpkin-on-a-stick, a lovely decorative eggplant that first grew in West Africa.  Highly versatile, gilo eggplants add savory flavor to boiled, sauteed, and roasted dishes. You’ll often find these eggplants in cans or jars at grocery stores, labeled “garden eggs.” Though this is an easy way to try them, they taste much better when you grow them in your garden.  Collards This is one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. Collards, or collard greens, are cabbage relatives with sweet, nutrient-rich leaves. The leaves are the main vegetable of the crop, as they’re wide, thick, and hardy. Both heat and frost-tolerant, collards are perfect for growing in warm temperate zones throughout the U.S. These greens are an essential part of American history, as they’re one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. They originated in Greece, where they traveled South through Africa. From Africa, they made their way to the U.S. during the African Diaspora. If you’re looking to honor Southern cooking, you’ll need a collard or two in your garden. The leaves cook down well like Swiss chard. Sauté butter with onions and garlic, add broth, then place chopped, washed collards in the boiling broth. Let them simmer until soft and tender for a nutrient-rich and delicious side dish! Cantaloupe In Africa, gardeners and farmers enjoy cantaloupe as it is a main staple of cuisines. Like collards and black-eyed peas, cantaloupe is a main staple of cuisines spanning continents—gardeners and farmers enjoy it in Africa, the southern U.S., India, and Australia, among other places. It grows like watermelon, sprouting edible melons from long-travelling vines. Lush, green leaves shade the maturing melons while they capture sunlight. Unlike most other crops on this list, this fruit is best fresh. Plant cantaloupe seeds after the last frost (around Black History Month for warmer zones), and you’ll enjoy fresh melons in 80 days. They’re ready to eat when they emit a sweet-smelling odor and have brown netting on their skin. Sesame The sesame originated from various parts of the world and has spread throughout parts of Africa. Sesame may not be the first plant you think of planting in February, though it’s a perfect plant to honor Black History Month! It originated from areas like India, Assam, Bangladesh, and the West Himalayas, and it naturalized itself throughout parts of Africa. For thousands of years, chefs and cooks used it in China, Egypt, and Babylon. Sesame is incredibly popular in the South, where it grows well in long, warm summers and plenty of direct sunlight. Look for sweet recipes, such as benne wafers, which consist of ground sesame and whole seeds. Benne wafers are a staple cookie in South Carolina and are common in stores around the state. Make them yourself with homegrown sesame for tasty treats unlike any you’ve had before! African Rice This is a well-known crop in Africa that is easy to grow and does not require flooding. This drought-tolerant rice is rapidly disappearing from the world! Rice strains of Oryza sativa are replacing this African native rice, displacing it from its original habitats. Preserve this rice’s history by growing a plant this year. Rice is easier to grow than you’d think, and it often doesn’t require flooding like in commercial farming. After growing the rice, collect and harvest the seeds. You’ll enjoy whole grain edible rice, and you’ll have seeds to plant the next year. Though this rice is well-known in Africa, it’s been a popular grain in the American South since the early 1800s. You’ll sometimes find it by the name “red-bearded upland rice.” Flowering Cherry The flowering cherry tree is a legacy of Roland Maurice Jefferson, the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum. Not a crop, the flowering cherry tree is an iconic ornamental species native to Japan, China, and Korea. Plant one today and you’ll honor the legacy of the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum, Roland Maurice Jefferson. He started at the arboretum replacing plant labels before becoming head botanist.  His professional work is essential in our understanding of crabapple and cherry genetics, as well as the history of these two tree species. He studied the flowering cherry specimens in the arboretum and Washington D.C., taking cuttings to propagate further. After letting the cuttings grow, he presented the trees to Japan alongside First Lady Nancy Reagan. These are some of the dozens of iconic achievements Roland Jefferson made during his lifetime! Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Before his passing, he donated the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. It includes his records on cherry and crabapple cultivation. Honor his incredible legacy with a flowering cherry; they grow well in containers! Source link

[angusstory]

Seeds contain stories. Without generations of farmers and seed collectors, the vegetables and fruits we enjoy today wouldn’t exist. We owe the existence and popularity of crops like okra, eggplants, and sweet potatoes to thousands of Black Americans who cultivated them. Famous Black agriculturalists like Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, and Dr. Booker T. Whatley are responsible for dozens of farming and gardening initiatives. Compost, crop rotation, and how plants respond to light are some concepts these three Doctors studied and popularized. Not only did they study and learn about plants, but they also taught their local communities how to reap the benefits of their research.  This February, we celebrate the Black gardeners, farmers, and growers of America’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize the importance of community gardening. No person is an island, and the same is true for gardeners. Share seeds, garden with your neighbors, and volunteer in your local community garden to get involved! Collards Georgia Southern Collards Seeds Cowpea Bean California Blackeye Bush Cowpea Seeds Okra Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds Soybean This is one of the crops that create the backbone of the agricultural industry. Soybeans are a crucial crop in America. Alongside corn and wheat, they form the backbone of our agricultural industry. Though many growers now love soybeans, Dr. George Washington Carver loved and promoted them widely in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work at Tuskegee University is essential to our understanding of plants and their effect on the soil. At the time, many agricultural fields were wrecked by decades of cotton growing. The soil was exhausted and needed rejuvenation. Soybeans are nitrogen fixers—they partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria near their roots to turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can access.  Dr. Carver taught that soybeans help the farmer and the soil. They provide an easy cash crop while boosting nitrogen rates in depleted soils. Honor Dr. Carver and his legacy with a few soybean plants in your garden. They grow like bean plants, with trifoliate leaves and thin, spindly stems. Fresh and dried soybeans are edible, adding protein and fiber to the meal. Peanut This soil-enriching crop was promoted by Dr. Carver, a famous Black agriculturalist. Peanuts are another soil-enriching cash crop that Dr. Carver promoted during his lifetime. The plants’ roots partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, creating fertile soil wherever they grow. Though they originated from South America, they came to North America via the African Diaspora. Peanuts grow nut-like seeds, though they’re leguminous like beans and peas. They form yellow pea-like flowers above the ground. After pollination, the flowers form pods and dive underground to form nutritious peanuts.  Sweet Potato This crop has been popularized by black chefs using it in recipes like sweet potato pie. The sweet potato is a popular food staple of the southern U.S., growing well in the warm summer weather that’s common in the region. Black chefs helped popularize the root crop, using it in recipes like sweet potato pie.  In 1881, Abby Fisher published a recipe for homemade sweet potato pie in her book What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. She’s the second African-American woman to publish a cookbook in America, carving the way for later generations. The first is Mrs. Malinda Russell; she self-published A Domestic Cookbook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen in 1866! Dr. Carver loved sweet potatoes too. He experimented with using them in over 100 new ways, creating demand for the roots with new products and machinery.  Though sweet potatoes form seeds, you’re better off planting “slips.” Slips are cut pieces of the tubers with sprouts. Plant them after frost dissipates from your area.  Okra This crop with mucilaginous pods originated from Africa and has made its way to North America. Okra hails from Africa and Asia where it grows in warm, tropical regions. Like peanuts, the crop came to North America from Africa. It’s incredibly popular in the South where it often grows perennially. Cooks fry the chopped pods and serve them with dipping sauce. They’re delicious!  Though delicious, the pods are mucilaginous, meaning they have a slimy coating inside. Some people don’t mind the sliminess, though others vehemently dislike it! Try a few first to see if you like them before planting.  If you don’t like their taste, consider growing them as ornamental plants! Space a few around your flowering shrubs and perennials. They sprout mallow-like yellow flowers with maroon throats that are gorgeous under the summer sunshine.  Black-Eyed Pea They are legumes that originated from Africa and are essential to traditional African-American dishes. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, are legumes. They’re beans, not peas, growing well during the summer. Popular in the South, they are an essential ingredient in traditional African-American dishes like Hoppin’ John. It’s a delicious recipe with slow-cooked black-eyed peas, collards, and ham, and it’s perfect for warming the belly on cold winter days. Dr. Carver knew the importance of these beans. He wrote about them in one of his bulletins, saying, “…they are absolutely indispensable in a wise crop rotation and in the rational feeding of both man and beast.” In this, he meant that black-eyed peas feed livestock with forage and farmers with edible beans. They also fix nitrogen. Plant pea seeds during Black History Month or later in the spring to maximize soil fertility.  These beans originated from Africa, where they grow perennially under continuous warmth. Though they grow best in the South, you can plant them in summer from USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10.  Gilo Eggplant The ‘Gilo’ is a highly decorative eggplant that originated in West Africa. Gilo eggplants are similar to traditional ones, with tasty flesh and thin skin. They form a white globe that looks like a teardrop. They’re highly decorative! Though they originated in West Africa, they’re now popular throughout the East Coast and southern U.S. Some other names include garden egg and scarlet eggplant. They’re close relatives of pumpkin-on-a-stick, a lovely decorative eggplant that first grew in West Africa.  Highly versatile, gilo eggplants add savory flavor to boiled, sauteed, and roasted dishes. You’ll often find these eggplants in cans or jars at grocery stores, labeled “garden eggs.” Though this is an easy way to try them, they taste much better when you grow them in your garden.  Collards This is one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. Collards, or collard greens, are cabbage relatives with sweet, nutrient-rich leaves. The leaves are the main vegetable of the crop, as they’re wide, thick, and hardy. Both heat and frost-tolerant, collards are perfect for growing in warm temperate zones throughout the U.S. These greens are an essential part of American history, as they’re one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. They originated in Greece, where they traveled South through Africa. From Africa, they made their way to the U.S. during the African Diaspora. If you’re looking to honor Southern cooking, you’ll need a collard or two in your garden. The leaves cook down well like Swiss chard. Sauté butter with onions and garlic, add broth, then place chopped, washed collards in the boiling broth. Let them simmer until soft and tender for a nutrient-rich and delicious side dish! Cantaloupe In Africa, gardeners and farmers enjoy cantaloupe as it is a main staple of cuisines. Like collards and black-eyed peas, cantaloupe is a main staple of cuisines spanning continents—gardeners and farmers enjoy it in Africa, the southern U.S., India, and Australia, among other places. It grows like watermelon, sprouting edible melons from long-travelling vines. Lush, green leaves shade the maturing melons while they capture sunlight. Unlike most other crops on this list, this fruit is best fresh. Plant cantaloupe seeds after the last frost (around Black History Month for warmer zones), and you’ll enjoy fresh melons in 80 days. They’re ready to eat when they emit a sweet-smelling odor and have brown netting on their skin. Sesame The sesame originated from various parts of the world and has spread throughout parts of Africa. Sesame may not be the first plant you think of planting in February, though it’s a perfect plant to honor Black History Month! It originated from areas like India, Assam, Bangladesh, and the West Himalayas, and it naturalized itself throughout parts of Africa. For thousands of years, chefs and cooks used it in China, Egypt, and Babylon. Sesame is incredibly popular in the South, where it grows well in long, warm summers and plenty of direct sunlight. Look for sweet recipes, such as benne wafers, which consist of ground sesame and whole seeds. Benne wafers are a staple cookie in South Carolina and are common in stores around the state. Make them yourself with homegrown sesame for tasty treats unlike any you’ve had before! African Rice This is a well-known crop in Africa that is easy to grow and does not require flooding. This drought-tolerant rice is rapidly disappearing from the world! Rice strains of Oryza sativa are replacing this African native rice, displacing it from its original habitats. Preserve this rice’s history by growing a plant this year. Rice is easier to grow than you’d think, and it often doesn’t require flooding like in commercial farming. After growing the rice, collect and harvest the seeds. You’ll enjoy whole grain edible rice, and you’ll have seeds to plant the next year. Though this rice is well-known in Africa, it’s been a popular grain in the American South since the early 1800s. You’ll sometimes find it by the name “red-bearded upland rice.” Flowering Cherry The flowering cherry tree is a legacy of Roland Maurice Jefferson, the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum. Not a crop, the flowering cherry tree is an iconic ornamental species native to Japan, China, and Korea. Plant one today and you’ll honor the legacy of the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum, Roland Maurice Jefferson. He started at the arboretum replacing plant labels before becoming head botanist.  His professional work is essential in our understanding of crabapple and cherry genetics, as well as the history of these two tree species. He studied the flowering cherry specimens in the arboretum and Washington D.C., taking cuttings to propagate further. After letting the cuttings grow, he presented the trees to Japan alongside First Lady Nancy Reagan. These are some of the dozens of iconic achievements Roland Jefferson made during his lifetime! Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Before his passing, he donated the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. It includes his records on cherry and crabapple cultivation. Honor his incredible legacy with a flowering cherry; they grow well in containers! Source link

[tumibaba]

Seeds contain stories. Without generations of farmers and seed collectors, the vegetables and fruits we enjoy today wouldn’t exist. We owe the existence and popularity of crops like okra, eggplants, and sweet potatoes to thousands of Black Americans who cultivated them. Famous Black agriculturalists like Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, and Dr. Booker T. Whatley are responsible for dozens of farming and gardening initiatives. Compost, crop rotation, and how plants respond to light are some concepts these three Doctors studied and popularized. Not only did they study and learn about plants, but they also taught their local communities how to reap the benefits of their research.  This February, we celebrate the Black gardeners, farmers, and growers of America’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize the importance of community gardening. No person is an island, and the same is true for gardeners. Share seeds, garden with your neighbors, and volunteer in your local community garden to get involved! Collards Georgia Southern Collards Seeds Cowpea Bean California Blackeye Bush Cowpea Seeds Okra Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds Soybean This is one of the crops that create the backbone of the agricultural industry. Soybeans are a crucial crop in America. Alongside corn and wheat, they form the backbone of our agricultural industry. Though many growers now love soybeans, Dr. George Washington Carver loved and promoted them widely in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work at Tuskegee University is essential to our understanding of plants and their effect on the soil. At the time, many agricultural fields were wrecked by decades of cotton growing. The soil was exhausted and needed rejuvenation. Soybeans are nitrogen fixers—they partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria near their roots to turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can access.  Dr. Carver taught that soybeans help the farmer and the soil. They provide an easy cash crop while boosting nitrogen rates in depleted soils. Honor Dr. Carver and his legacy with a few soybean plants in your garden. They grow like bean plants, with trifoliate leaves and thin, spindly stems. Fresh and dried soybeans are edible, adding protein and fiber to the meal. Peanut This soil-enriching crop was promoted by Dr. Carver, a famous Black agriculturalist. Peanuts are another soil-enriching cash crop that Dr. Carver promoted during his lifetime. The plants’ roots partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, creating fertile soil wherever they grow. Though they originated from South America, they came to North America via the African Diaspora. Peanuts grow nut-like seeds, though they’re leguminous like beans and peas. They form yellow pea-like flowers above the ground. After pollination, the flowers form pods and dive underground to form nutritious peanuts.  Sweet Potato This crop has been popularized by black chefs using it in recipes like sweet potato pie. The sweet potato is a popular food staple of the southern U.S., growing well in the warm summer weather that’s common in the region. Black chefs helped popularize the root crop, using it in recipes like sweet potato pie.  In 1881, Abby Fisher published a recipe for homemade sweet potato pie in her book What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. She’s the second African-American woman to publish a cookbook in America, carving the way for later generations. The first is Mrs. Malinda Russell; she self-published A Domestic Cookbook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen in 1866! Dr. Carver loved sweet potatoes too. He experimented with using them in over 100 new ways, creating demand for the roots with new products and machinery.  Though sweet potatoes form seeds, you’re better off planting “slips.” Slips are cut pieces of the tubers with sprouts. Plant them after frost dissipates from your area.  Okra This crop with mucilaginous pods originated from Africa and has made its way to North America. Okra hails from Africa and Asia where it grows in warm, tropical regions. Like peanuts, the crop came to North America from Africa. It’s incredibly popular in the South where it often grows perennially. Cooks fry the chopped pods and serve them with dipping sauce. They’re delicious!  Though delicious, the pods are mucilaginous, meaning they have a slimy coating inside. Some people don’t mind the sliminess, though others vehemently dislike it! Try a few first to see if you like them before planting.  If you don’t like their taste, consider growing them as ornamental plants! Space a few around your flowering shrubs and perennials. They sprout mallow-like yellow flowers with maroon throats that are gorgeous under the summer sunshine.  Black-Eyed Pea They are legumes that originated from Africa and are essential to traditional African-American dishes. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, are legumes. They’re beans, not peas, growing well during the summer. Popular in the South, they are an essential ingredient in traditional African-American dishes like Hoppin’ John. It’s a delicious recipe with slow-cooked black-eyed peas, collards, and ham, and it’s perfect for warming the belly on cold winter days. Dr. Carver knew the importance of these beans. He wrote about them in one of his bulletins, saying, “…they are absolutely indispensable in a wise crop rotation and in the rational feeding of both man and beast.” In this, he meant that black-eyed peas feed livestock with forage and farmers with edible beans. They also fix nitrogen. Plant pea seeds during Black History Month or later in the spring to maximize soil fertility.  These beans originated from Africa, where they grow perennially under continuous warmth. Though they grow best in the South, you can plant them in summer from USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10.  Gilo Eggplant The ‘Gilo’ is a highly decorative eggplant that originated in West Africa. Gilo eggplants are similar to traditional ones, with tasty flesh and thin skin. They form a white globe that looks like a teardrop. They’re highly decorative! Though they originated in West Africa, they’re now popular throughout the East Coast and southern U.S. Some other names include garden egg and scarlet eggplant. They’re close relatives of pumpkin-on-a-stick, a lovely decorative eggplant that first grew in West Africa.  Highly versatile, gilo eggplants add savory flavor to boiled, sauteed, and roasted dishes. You’ll often find these eggplants in cans or jars at grocery stores, labeled “garden eggs.” Though this is an easy way to try them, they taste much better when you grow them in your garden.  Collards This is one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. Collards, or collard greens, are cabbage relatives with sweet, nutrient-rich leaves. The leaves are the main vegetable of the crop, as they’re wide, thick, and hardy. Both heat and frost-tolerant, collards are perfect for growing in warm temperate zones throughout the U.S. These greens are an essential part of American history, as they’re one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. They originated in Greece, where they traveled South through Africa. From Africa, they made their way to the U.S. during the African Diaspora. If you’re looking to honor Southern cooking, you’ll need a collard or two in your garden. The leaves cook down well like Swiss chard. Sauté butter with onions and garlic, add broth, then place chopped, washed collards in the boiling broth. Let them simmer until soft and tender for a nutrient-rich and delicious side dish! Cantaloupe In Africa, gardeners and farmers enjoy cantaloupe as it is a main staple of cuisines. Like collards and black-eyed peas, cantaloupe is a main staple of cuisines spanning continents—gardeners and farmers enjoy it in Africa, the southern U.S., India, and Australia, among other places. It grows like watermelon, sprouting edible melons from long-travelling vines. Lush, green leaves shade the maturing melons while they capture sunlight. Unlike most other crops on this list, this fruit is best fresh. Plant cantaloupe seeds after the last frost (around Black History Month for warmer zones), and you’ll enjoy fresh melons in 80 days. They’re ready to eat when they emit a sweet-smelling odor and have brown netting on their skin. Sesame The sesame originated from various parts of the world and has spread throughout parts of Africa. Sesame may not be the first plant you think of planting in February, though it’s a perfect plant to honor Black History Month! It originated from areas like India, Assam, Bangladesh, and the West Himalayas, and it naturalized itself throughout parts of Africa. For thousands of years, chefs and cooks used it in China, Egypt, and Babylon. Sesame is incredibly popular in the South, where it grows well in long, warm summers and plenty of direct sunlight. Look for sweet recipes, such as benne wafers, which consist of ground sesame and whole seeds. Benne wafers are a staple cookie in South Carolina and are common in stores around the state. Make them yourself with homegrown sesame for tasty treats unlike any you’ve had before! African Rice This is a well-known crop in Africa that is easy to grow and does not require flooding. This drought-tolerant rice is rapidly disappearing from the world! Rice strains of Oryza sativa are replacing this African native rice, displacing it from its original habitats. Preserve this rice’s history by growing a plant this year. Rice is easier to grow than you’d think, and it often doesn’t require flooding like in commercial farming. After growing the rice, collect and harvest the seeds. You’ll enjoy whole grain edible rice, and you’ll have seeds to plant the next year. Though this rice is well-known in Africa, it’s been a popular grain in the American South since the early 1800s. You’ll sometimes find it by the name “red-bearded upland rice.” Flowering Cherry The flowering cherry tree is a legacy of Roland Maurice Jefferson, the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum. Not a crop, the flowering cherry tree is an iconic ornamental species native to Japan, China, and Korea. Plant one today and you’ll honor the legacy of the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum, Roland Maurice Jefferson. He started at the arboretum replacing plant labels before becoming head botanist.  His professional work is essential in our understanding of crabapple and cherry genetics, as well as the history of these two tree species. He studied the flowering cherry specimens in the arboretum and Washington D.C., taking cuttings to propagate further. After letting the cuttings grow, he presented the trees to Japan alongside First Lady Nancy Reagan. These are some of the dozens of iconic achievements Roland Jefferson made during his lifetime! Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Before his passing, he donated the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. It includes his records on cherry and crabapple cultivation. Honor his incredible legacy with a flowering cherry; they grow well in containers! Source link

[romaleen]

Seeds contain stories. Without generations of farmers and seed collectors, the vegetables and fruits we enjoy today wouldn’t exist. We owe the existence and popularity of crops like okra, eggplants, and sweet potatoes to thousands of Black Americans who cultivated them. Famous Black agriculturalists like Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, and Dr. Booker T. Whatley are responsible for dozens of farming and gardening initiatives. Compost, crop rotation, and how plants respond to light are some concepts these three Doctors studied and popularized. Not only did they study and learn about plants, but they also taught their local communities how to reap the benefits of their research.  This February, we celebrate the Black gardeners, farmers, and growers of America’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize the importance of community gardening. No person is an island, and the same is true for gardeners. Share seeds, garden with your neighbors, and volunteer in your local community garden to get involved! Collards Georgia Southern Collards Seeds Cowpea Bean California Blackeye Bush Cowpea Seeds Okra Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds Soybean This is one of the crops that create the backbone of the agricultural industry. Soybeans are a crucial crop in America. Alongside corn and wheat, they form the backbone of our agricultural industry. Though many growers now love soybeans, Dr. George Washington Carver loved and promoted them widely in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work at Tuskegee University is essential to our understanding of plants and their effect on the soil. At the time, many agricultural fields were wrecked by decades of cotton growing. The soil was exhausted and needed rejuvenation. Soybeans are nitrogen fixers—they partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria near their roots to turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can access.  Dr. Carver taught that soybeans help the farmer and the soil. They provide an easy cash crop while boosting nitrogen rates in depleted soils. Honor Dr. Carver and his legacy with a few soybean plants in your garden. They grow like bean plants, with trifoliate leaves and thin, spindly stems. Fresh and dried soybeans are edible, adding protein and fiber to the meal. Peanut This soil-enriching crop was promoted by Dr. Carver, a famous Black agriculturalist. Peanuts are another soil-enriching cash crop that Dr. Carver promoted during his lifetime. The plants’ roots partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, creating fertile soil wherever they grow. Though they originated from South America, they came to North America via the African Diaspora. Peanuts grow nut-like seeds, though they’re leguminous like beans and peas. They form yellow pea-like flowers above the ground. After pollination, the flowers form pods and dive underground to form nutritious peanuts.  Sweet Potato This crop has been popularized by black chefs using it in recipes like sweet potato pie. The sweet potato is a popular food staple of the southern U.S., growing well in the warm summer weather that’s common in the region. Black chefs helped popularize the root crop, using it in recipes like sweet potato pie.  In 1881, Abby Fisher published a recipe for homemade sweet potato pie in her book What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. She’s the second African-American woman to publish a cookbook in America, carving the way for later generations. The first is Mrs. Malinda Russell; she self-published A Domestic Cookbook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen in 1866! Dr. Carver loved sweet potatoes too. He experimented with using them in over 100 new ways, creating demand for the roots with new products and machinery.  Though sweet potatoes form seeds, you’re better off planting “slips.” Slips are cut pieces of the tubers with sprouts. Plant them after frost dissipates from your area.  Okra This crop with mucilaginous pods originated from Africa and has made its way to North America. Okra hails from Africa and Asia where it grows in warm, tropical regions. Like peanuts, the crop came to North America from Africa. It’s incredibly popular in the South where it often grows perennially. Cooks fry the chopped pods and serve them with dipping sauce. They’re delicious!  Though delicious, the pods are mucilaginous, meaning they have a slimy coating inside. Some people don’t mind the sliminess, though others vehemently dislike it! Try a few first to see if you like them before planting.  If you don’t like their taste, consider growing them as ornamental plants! Space a few around your flowering shrubs and perennials. They sprout mallow-like yellow flowers with maroon throats that are gorgeous under the summer sunshine.  Black-Eyed Pea They are legumes that originated from Africa and are essential to traditional African-American dishes. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, are legumes. They’re beans, not peas, growing well during the summer. Popular in the South, they are an essential ingredient in traditional African-American dishes like Hoppin’ John. It’s a delicious recipe with slow-cooked black-eyed peas, collards, and ham, and it’s perfect for warming the belly on cold winter days. Dr. Carver knew the importance of these beans. He wrote about them in one of his bulletins, saying, “…they are absolutely indispensable in a wise crop rotation and in the rational feeding of both man and beast.” In this, he meant that black-eyed peas feed livestock with forage and farmers with edible beans. They also fix nitrogen. Plant pea seeds during Black History Month or later in the spring to maximize soil fertility.  These beans originated from Africa, where they grow perennially under continuous warmth. Though they grow best in the South, you can plant them in summer from USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10.  Gilo Eggplant The ‘Gilo’ is a highly decorative eggplant that originated in West Africa. Gilo eggplants are similar to traditional ones, with tasty flesh and thin skin. They form a white globe that looks like a teardrop. They’re highly decorative! Though they originated in West Africa, they’re now popular throughout the East Coast and southern U.S. Some other names include garden egg and scarlet eggplant. They’re close relatives of pumpkin-on-a-stick, a lovely decorative eggplant that first grew in West Africa.  Highly versatile, gilo eggplants add savory flavor to boiled, sauteed, and roasted dishes. You’ll often find these eggplants in cans or jars at grocery stores, labeled “garden eggs.” Though this is an easy way to try them, they taste much better when you grow them in your garden.  Collards This is one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. Collards, or collard greens, are cabbage relatives with sweet, nutrient-rich leaves. The leaves are the main vegetable of the crop, as they’re wide, thick, and hardy. Both heat and frost-tolerant, collards are perfect for growing in warm temperate zones throughout the U.S. These greens are an essential part of American history, as they’re one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. They originated in Greece, where they traveled South through Africa. From Africa, they made their way to the U.S. during the African Diaspora. If you’re looking to honor Southern cooking, you’ll need a collard or two in your garden. The leaves cook down well like Swiss chard. Sauté butter with onions and garlic, add broth, then place chopped, washed collards in the boiling broth. Let them simmer until soft and tender for a nutrient-rich and delicious side dish! Cantaloupe In Africa, gardeners and farmers enjoy cantaloupe as it is a main staple of cuisines. Like collards and black-eyed peas, cantaloupe is a main staple of cuisines spanning continents—gardeners and farmers enjoy it in Africa, the southern U.S., India, and Australia, among other places. It grows like watermelon, sprouting edible melons from long-travelling vines. Lush, green leaves shade the maturing melons while they capture sunlight. Unlike most other crops on this list, this fruit is best fresh. Plant cantaloupe seeds after the last frost (around Black History Month for warmer zones), and you’ll enjoy fresh melons in 80 days. They’re ready to eat when they emit a sweet-smelling odor and have brown netting on their skin. Sesame The sesame originated from various parts of the world and has spread throughout parts of Africa. Sesame may not be the first plant you think of planting in February, though it’s a perfect plant to honor Black History Month! It originated from areas like India, Assam, Bangladesh, and the West Himalayas, and it naturalized itself throughout parts of Africa. For thousands of years, chefs and cooks used it in China, Egypt, and Babylon. Sesame is incredibly popular in the South, where it grows well in long, warm summers and plenty of direct sunlight. Look for sweet recipes, such as benne wafers, which consist of ground sesame and whole seeds. Benne wafers are a staple cookie in South Carolina and are common in stores around the state. Make them yourself with homegrown sesame for tasty treats unlike any you’ve had before! African Rice This is a well-known crop in Africa that is easy to grow and does not require flooding. This drought-tolerant rice is rapidly disappearing from the world! Rice strains of Oryza sativa are replacing this African native rice, displacing it from its original habitats. Preserve this rice’s history by growing a plant this year. Rice is easier to grow than you’d think, and it often doesn’t require flooding like in commercial farming. After growing the rice, collect and harvest the seeds. You’ll enjoy whole grain edible rice, and you’ll have seeds to plant the next year. Though this rice is well-known in Africa, it’s been a popular grain in the American South since the early 1800s. You’ll sometimes find it by the name “red-bearded upland rice.” Flowering Cherry The flowering cherry tree is a legacy of Roland Maurice Jefferson, the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum. Not a crop, the flowering cherry tree is an iconic ornamental species native to Japan, China, and Korea. Plant one today and you’ll honor the legacy of the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum, Roland Maurice Jefferson. He started at the arboretum replacing plant labels before becoming head botanist.  His professional work is essential in our understanding of crabapple and cherry genetics, as well as the history of these two tree species. He studied the flowering cherry specimens in the arboretum and Washington D.C., taking cuttings to propagate further. After letting the cuttings grow, he presented the trees to Japan alongside First Lady Nancy Reagan. These are some of the dozens of iconic achievements Roland Jefferson made during his lifetime! Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Before his passing, he donated the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. It includes his records on cherry and crabapple cultivation. Honor his incredible legacy with a flowering cherry; they grow well in containers! Source link