It's Groundhog Day. I don't care if Ontario's albino woodchuck, Wiarton Willie saw his shadow, and declared another six weeks of Winter. I, along with the rest of Toronto have declared it Spring. There was a Robin in the garden last week. We are enjoying the second warmest Winter in Toronto history.
Sunny yellow freesias are the perfect companion to the orange and creamy yellow tulips in this bouquet. Freesias are native to Southeast Africa, from South Africa to Kenya. They have a fresh, peppery, vanilla-citrus scent. Tulips are one of only a handful of flowers which are scent-free.
Tulips were first cultivated in Persia in the 10th Century, however, it wasn't until the 1590's that they were imported to Northern Europe from Turkey. An ambassador to Emporer Ferdinand I, Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq, is credited with sending bulbs from the Ottoman Empire to Vienna, Austria.
From the moment in 1594, when the first tulip bloomed in the Netherlands, the Dutch were wild about them. Tulips were rare and expensive. When the Mosaic Virus attacked the plant, it actually increased its value. The virus created colourful flame-like markings on the tulip petals, making them all the more desirable.
The subject of many a Dutch still life painting, the tulip became so prized, that tulip bulbs were a form of currency. Tulip traders were futures commodity traders of old. They signed contracts before a Notary. Everyone wanted in, and many sold land, their homes, and life savings to buy more bulbs. Prices were astronomical. It was a time known as Tulip Mania. In March of 1637, the price of a single tulip bulb was ten times the annual earnings of a skilled craftsman.
Some decided to get out while the going was good. That started a sell-off, and prices plummeted. The government offered to honour contracts at ten percent, but that only drove prices down even further...not unlike what happened during our Crazy Cauliflower season, when prices for a head of cauliflower reached eight dollars in some Toronto markets, before falling back to normal Winter prices.
While we're on the subject of pricey vegetables...I was reading today about the photograph of an Irish potato which celebrity photographer, Kevin Abosch recently sold to an unnamed client for one million Euros! That's right, Potato #345 is valued at 1.6 million dollars.
It's February. Whether I've declared it Spring or not, tulips will not be blooming in Toronto for many weeks yet. They are popping up in buckets outside of florist shops all over the city. This weekend, pick up a bright bouquet of tulips, and bring Spring into your home! You won't have to spend much, and you'll feel like a million bucks! Serve up a bowl of mashed potatoes, and feel like 1.6!
Photographs Copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.
No comments:
Post a Comment