View allAll Photos Tagged acidity
$9.99 with a Pregnancy Warning! 12.5% over a couple of nights. The cool climate wine region Friuli Venecia Giulia is boarded by the Alps in north-east Italy. With a hint of white flowers. Bright acidity is followed by a clean refreshing finish. So the label goes on the back
"Bernkastel-Kues (German pronunciation: [ˌbɛɐ̯nkastəlˈkuːs]) is a town on the Middle Moselle in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a well-known winegrowing centre. The town is a state-recognized health resort (Erholungsort), seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Bernkastel-Kues and birthplace of one of the most famous German polymaths, the mediaeval churchman and philosopher Nikolaus von Kues (Cusanus).
Bernkastel-Kues is located in the Moselle valley, about 50 kilometers from Trier. The highest elevation is Mount Olympus (415 m above sea level), the lowest point (107 m above sea level) is on the banks of the Moselle. The urban area covers a total area of 23.71 km², of which 5.93 km² is used for agriculture. This makes Bernkastel-Kues one of the largest cities in the Middle Moselle in terms of area. Immediately neighboring local communities are (clockwise, starting from the north) Zeltingen-Rachtig, Graach an der Mosel, Longkamp, Monzelfeld, Mülheim an der Mosel, Lieser, Maring-Noviand and Platten.
Left tributaries of the Moselle are Heldengraben, Thelengraben, Waldgraben, Krausbach and the stream from the Wehlener Forest. The right tributaries of the Moselle are Goldbach, Heidesheimgraben, Tiefenbach and Schadbach.
Archaeologists discovered the first evidence of human settlement (3000 BC) in Cusa. Around 370, Decimus Magnus Ausonius, Roman poet and teacher at the imperial court, wrote his poem Mosella. Adalbero of Luxembourg, provost of the Trier Monastery of St. Paulin, became Lord of Bernkastel. The first documented mention of Bernkastel dates back to the first half of the 11th century. At the turn of the 7th and 8th centuries a geographer named a place Princastellum. This is considered evidence of a Roman fort in the 4th century near today's Landshut castle ruins; This is indicated, among other things, by fittings, ceramics and iron finds below the castle. The form of the name in the 12th century Beronis castellum was a learned relatinization that referred to the Trier provost Adalbero of Luxembourg (11th century). The third castle construction began in 1277 under the rule of Trier Archbishop Heinrich II von Finstingen . On May 29, 1291, King Rudolf I of Habsburg granted Berrincastel city rights. The Landshut Castle, which was built at that time, only received this name in the 16th century. In 1332 the city rights were reconfirmed by Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria's collecting privilege. Archbishop Boemund II became elector through the Golden Bull. According to legend, he was cured of a serious illness by a glass of wine - the legend of the Berncastler Doctor began. In 1401, Nicolaus Cusanus was born in the house of the Moselle boatman Henne Cryfftz (Krebs), which can be visited. In 1451, the St. Nicholas Hospital (Cusanusstift), a hospital for the poor, was built. In 1505, the name Landshut appeared for the first time for the archbishop's castle in a sovereign decree from James II. In 1512, Emperor Maximilian stayed in Bernkastel on his way to the Reichstag in Trier. The plague raged in Bernkastel in 1627 and in Kues in 1641. In 1692, Landshut Castle fell victim to a fire and has been in ruins ever since. In 1787 the Electorate of Berncastel had 4,743 inhabitants. From 1794 to 1814 Bernkastel was a cantonal town under French rule; at the Congress of Vienna (1815) Bernkastel and Kues were added to the Kingdom of Prussia. Bernkastel became the seat of the Bernkastel mayor's office and in 1821 the seat of the Bernkastel district . In 1848 the revolution also came to Bernkastel: the black, red and gold flag was hoisted at the town hall and a vigilante group was formed. The first road bridge between Bernkastel and Kues was built in 1872/74, and the first rail connection in 1882/83.
The town in its current form was created on April 1, 1905 through the merger of the town of Bernkastel with the wine-growing village of Kues opposite. In 1926 there were major wine unrests on the Moselle, the tax office in Bernkastel and the customs office in Kues were stormed. During the Reichspogromnacht on November 9, 1938, there were serious riots against Jewish fellow citizens; the synagogue was destroyed. Towards the end of the Second World War, the city was bombed several times. On February 19, 1945, numerous houses around the market square in Bernkastel were destroyed and 41 people were killed. In an attack on March 2nd, large parts of the old town hall and other buildings were destroyed and 29 people were killed. On March 11th the Moselle bridge was blown up and the bombardment by American artillery began the following day. On March 15th the Americans moved into Kues and on the 16th into Bernkastel.
The first democratic elections after the war took place in 1946; Hans Weber became city mayor. On November 7, 1970, Andel and Wehlen were incorporated. As a result of the Rhineland-Palatinate administrative reform, the Verbandsgemeinde of Bernkastel-Kues was formed through the merger of the offices of Bernkastel-Land, Lieser, Mülheim, Zeltingen and the city of Bernkastel-Kues. The Burgberg Tunnel was officially opened in 1997. In 2000 the partnership between Bernkastel-Kues and Karlovy Vary (Karlovy Vary) began. In 2005 the city celebrated the 100th anniversary of the merger of Bernkastel and Kues; The community became a climatic health resort.
Mosel (German: [ˈmoːzl̩]) is one of 13 German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) for quality wines (Qualitätswein, formerly QbA and Prädikatswein), and takes its name from the Mosel River (French: Moselle; Luxembourgish: Musel). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.
The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the Calmont vineyard located on the Mosel and belonging to the village of Bremm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer Calmont. The Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, but Elbling and Müller-Thurgau also contribute to the production, among others.
In the past two decades red wine production, especially from the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), has increased in the Mosel and throughout the German vignoble and has become of increasing interest to the international wine community. Because of the northerly location of the Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, tending to lower alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than or in addition to "fruity" aromas. Its most common vineyard soil is derived in the main from various kinds of slate deposits, which tend to give the wines a transparent, mineralic aspect, that often exhibit great depth of flavor. In the current era of climate change much work has been done to improve and gain acceptance for completely dry ("Trocken") Rieslings in this region, so that most of the more famous makers have found acceptance for such wines, particularly in Europe." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
© all rights reserved by B℮n
Please take your time... to View it large on black
Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the thirteenth century when viticulture was known to flourish in the Chianti Mountains around Florence. Discover the most celebrated region of Tuscany. The vineyards of this area produce one of the best wines in the world: Chianti Classico. This Wine represents a major source of wealth for the Chianti area, no wonder then that this product has been particularly looked after and protected, in order to distinguish its quality from other wine productions. This is why a rigid legislation has been introduced to regulate the production of Classic Chianti. The first limit obviously regards the geographical area where the grape must grow. But not only the vineyards must be cultivated in the prescribed area: the whole process of wine-making, storage and bottling must take place inside the protected zone. The grape variety from which Chianti is produced is Sangiovese. The alcoholic strength must not exceed 12 %. In addition to this, there are other requirements that must be followed, regarding the average amount of dry product (24 g/l); the acidity rate (4,5 g/l), the colour (intense ruby red), the smell (fruity, with nuances of wildflowers, berries, cherries or plums) and taste (harmonious, dry, strong and with respectable tannin).
We drive on the glorious wine roads of Tuscany. We visit the farms and cellars and of-course taste the great Chianti wine. Here we visit Casale dello Sparviero. Harmoniously set in the hills of Castellina in Chianti, in the Siena's Classico area, the estate is spread 380 hectares. The vineyards are set on the altitude of 250 metres and encircled by woods and self vegetation.
Denk je aan Toscana, dan zie je stadjes op heuveltoppen, wijngaarden omzoomd door cipressen zover het oog reikt. Liefhebbers weten dat je overal tussen die landerijen. wijnhuizen kunt vinden waar je ook nog eens kunt proeven... het idee alleen al doet je toch bijna het water in de mond lopen. Ook als je weer thuis bent en je neemt een slok van je meegebrachte wijn, ben je er in je gedachten weer helemaal: op dat zonovergoten terras in Castellina in Chianti of bij dat fantastische restaurant met die truffelgerechten in Monteriggioni. Zeg je wijn in Toscana, dan zeg je Chianti, een wijn die zich in de laatste 30 jaar tot Classico heeft ontwikkeld. Chianti is de bekendste en populairste van alle Italiaanse wijnen. De wijn wordt gemaakt van de alom aanwezige Sangiovese-druif, die graag veel zon heeft en goed bestand is tegen grote temperatuurschommelingen. De belangrijkste Chianti-zones worden gevormd door de streek Chianti Classico gelegen rond Castellina. Zoals met zoveel in Italia, is ook de wijnbouw begonnen in het zuiden, maar hebben de noorderlingen het later overgenomen. Na de Romeinse tijd kwam de zuidelijke wijnbouw in de versukkeling. De oudste ononderbroken wijntraditie. In de Renaissance kwam de productie weer helemaal terug en wel in...Toscana. Rijke handelaars en bankiers zoals de families Frescobaldi en Antinori namen druivenrassen mee uit Frankrijk en legden daarmee de basis voor het feit dat Toscana tegenwoordig de oudste onononderbroken wijntradities van Italië kent.
The best coffee shop in Bogotá.
****
Also known as vacuum, syphon, vacpot, vacuum coffee maker, or globe, is a method of brewing that works by the principle of heat transfer and vacuum. Created in 1840 by a Scottish naval engineer, it consists of the following pieces: two glass globes, one of them as a funnel, a filter, the base and the flame. The result is a drink of high sweetness, high acidity and medium body.
The coffee was brewed in a coffee maker I had never seen - and honestly, except in a photo or shop window, I didn't see it later either - made up of two glass balls, held by a handle, a rod, and a lighter underneath. It looked like something stolen from the school chemistry lab. I was studying in a high school that had a sensational chemistry lab!
The barista prepared the coffee in front of us and I gaped, as the coffee went up and down the coffee maker, just like the chemical experience.
This strange way of making hourglass coffee was nothing more than the siphon coffee maker, which, as it turns out, is very rare to see around.
Terraced iron-sulphate-stromatolites formed by acid leachates from pyrite-bearing mine wastes, Tintillo river (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Riotinto Mining Basin, Huelva, Spain)
Terraced iron formations of millimetric to metric scale are usually developed during the oxidation and hydrolysis/precipitation of dissolved iron in the acidic solutions after they emerge from waste piles, tailings, or mine portals, and they display a morphological pattern similar to that observed in travertines formed in Ca2+-HCO3 ––rich spring waters. TIFs differ from calcareous travertines, however, in their mineralogical composition, which is characterized by hydrous iron (oxy)hydroxides and/or hydroxysulfates, in agreement with the typical Fe(II)/Fe(III)-SO4 2– chemical composition of most acid mine drainage solutions. These spectacular formations are the result of the interaction between (1) highly acidic and Fe(II)-enriched waters, (2) atmospheric oxygen, and (3) acidophilic microbes that have found perfect habitats for their Fe-oxidizing metabolisms in these extreme environments. The abiotic processes could be more important than the biotic factors in winter (higher flow, lower temperature), and conversely, the bacterial activity could play a major role in summer (lower flow, higher temperature).
The water from the Tintillo river (and other rivers and creeks from Riotinto Mining Basin, Huelva, Spain) has a nearly unique red and orange colour derived from its extremely acidic chemical makeup, with very high levels of iron and heavy metals. There are a number of subsurface sulfide (mainly pyrite) bodies responsible for this acidity. These mineral bodies belong to the Iberian Pyrite Belt, formed 350 My ago in the Devonian Period, connected to active and hydrothermal volcanism that led to the formation of a volcanic-sedimentary complex. Volcanic activity in the region led to eight giant volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits associated with polymetallic massive flanks of volcanic cones in the form of pyrite, but also chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena and cassiterite.
References:
Iron terraces in acid mine drainage systems: A discussion about the organic and inorganic factors involved in their formation through observations from the Tintillo acidic river (Riotinto mine, Huelva, Spain)
pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-pdf/3/3/13...
The Tintillo acidic river (Rio Tinto mines, Huelva, Spain): an example of extreme environmental impact of pyritic mine wastes on the environment or an exceptional site to study acid-sulphate mine drainage systems?
www.researchgate.net/publication/235355068_The_Tintillo_a...
found this big plant along the waters edge by the pond, soil acidity must be quite low, because these plants like neutral to alkaline soils.
Prunella vulgaris, the common self-heal, heal-all, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, carpenter's herb, brownwort or blue curls,[2][3][4][5] is a herbaceous plant in the mint family Lamiaceae.
Self-heal is edible:[2] the young leaves and stems can be eaten raw in salads; the plant as a whole can be boiled and eaten as a leaf vegetable; and the aerial parts of the plant can be powdered and brewed in a cold infusion to make a beverage.[2]
Description
Closeup of flowers
Prunella vulgaris grows 5–30 cm (2.0–11.8 in) high,[6] with creeping, self-rooting, tough, square, reddish stems branching at the leaf axes.[7]
The leaves are lance-shaped, serrated and reddish at the tip, about 2.5 cm (0.98 in) long and 1.5 cm (0.59 in) broad, and growing in opposite pairs down the square stem.[7] Each leaf has 3-7 veins that shoot off the middle vein to the margin. The stalks of the leaves are generally short, but can be up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long.[8]
Kleine Braunelle, Blüte.jpg
The flowers grow from a clublike, somewhat square, whirled cluster; immediately below this club is a pair of stalkless leaves standing out on either side like a collar. The flowers are two-lipped and tubular. The top lip is a purple hood, and the bottom lip is often white; it has three lobes, with the middle lobe being larger and fringed upwardly. Flowers bloom at different times depending on climate and other conditions, but mostly in summer (from June to August in the USA).[7]
Self-heal propagates both by seed and vegetatively by creeping stems that root at the nodes.[9]
Two subspecies of Prunella vulgaris have been identified: var. vulgaris and var. lanceolota. [10][11]
Habitat
Prunella vulgaris is a perennial herb native in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, and is common in most temperate climates.[2] It was introduced to many countries in the 1800s and has become invasive in the Pacific Islands, including Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.[2][12] In Ireland, it is generally abundant.[13][14] This herb also grows in Kashmir where it is known as kalyuth. It is boiled in water, which used to wash and bathe in order to relieve muscle pain.[15]
It grows on roadsides, gardens, waste-places,[13] and woodland edges, and usually in basic and neutral soils.[7][16]
Uses
P. vulgaris var lanceolata
Prunella vulgaris is edible, and can be used in salads, soups, stews, and boiled as a pot herb.[17][18]
The herb, which is called xia ku cao (夏枯草) in Chinese, is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat dizziness, red eyes, dry cough, and dermatitis and boils.[19] It is also a main ingredient in several herbal teas in southern China, including commercial beverages such as Wong Lo Kat.[20]
The Nlaka'pamux drink a cold infusion of the whole plant as a common beverage.[21] The plant is traditionally used by some Indigenous cultures to treat various physical ailments.[22]
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals include betulinic acid, D-camphor, D-fenchone, cyanidin, delphinidin, hyperoside, manganese, lauric acid, oleanolic acid, rosmarinic acid, myristic acid, rutin, linoleic acid, ursolic acid, beta-sitosterol, lupeol, and tannins.[23][24]
Etymology
Prunella is derived from 'Brunella', a word which is itself a derivative, taken from "die Bräune", the German name for quinsy (a type of throat inflammation), which Prunella was historically used to cure.[25] Vulgaris means 'usual', 'common', or 'vulgar'.[25]
Self-heal and heal-all refer to its uses in traditional medicine
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We found another sea lion on the rocks today. So many have been lost over the summer due to starvation and an acidity due to eating seaweed. Their carcasses littered the beaches all summer long. I thought we had turned the corner as the last few weeks, there have not been many at all. I am hoping this little fellow was just resting. The Marin Mammal Center was called and they had certain questions they asked that we answered to the best of our ability. He seemed to be making a retching posture over and over again. They came out for him.
"Half-timbered house, partly solid, post construction, marked 1551, portal 1620; Baroque pavilion on the side.
Kaimt is a district of Zell (Mosel) in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, located in the Zeller Hamm loop of the Moselle. The district had 996 inhabitants in November 2021. Kaimt includes Marienburg, a former Augustinian monastery.
The old town lies on the left of the Moselle , but the district extends far into the Hunsrück on the right of the Moselle. Other districts include Barl (mountain district), Eckzeilerhof, Franksmühle, Haus Nonnenkehr, Marienburg restaurant and laundry.
The district of Kaimt borders (clockwise from the north): Alf, Bullay, Merl (Zell), Zell (Mosel), Peterswald, Altlay, Briedel and Pünderich.
Kaimt is located on federal highway 53 and to the right of the Moselle, south of the Altlayer Bach , and on state highway 194.
Kaimt is connected to Zell via the Zell Mosel Bridge and the Zell-Kaimt pedestrian bridge. Kaimt borders in the north on the Prinzenkopftunnel (Mosel route) and the double-decker bridge (Bullay).
Zell (Mosel) is a town in the Zeller Hamm (Moselle loop) and is located in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Zell, of which it is also a member. Zell is a state-recognized resort and designated as a medium-sized center according to state planning.
Zell (Mosel) is an hour's drive from both Koblenz and Trier, almost exactly in the middle between these two cities. The neighboring town towards Koblenz is Cochem, neighboring towns towards Trier are Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel-Kues. To Frankfurt-Hahn Airport on the Hunsrück and to the health resort of Bad Bertrich in the Voreifel: ½ hour by car each. The riverside districts, the old town, Kaimt and Merl are at an altitude of around 100 m above sea level. NHN on a striking Moselle loop, the Zeller Hamm.
Zell was founded by the Romans after 70 AD. The district of Kaimt was first mentioned in documents in 732/33. In 1222 Zell received city rights. Since 1332, Zell was an Electoral Trier town and until 1794 the Electoral Trier seat of the Zell district. With the occupation of the left bank of the Rhine by French revolutionary troops in 1794, the place became French, and in 1815 the city was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. Fires in 1848 and 1857 destroyed a large part of the old town. Since 1946, the city has been part of the then newly formed state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Kaimt was incorporated in 1950. Until 1969, Zell was the district town of the Zell (Mosel) district of the same name. As part of the Rhineland-Palatinate administrative reform, this became the Cochem-Zell district with the administrative headquarters in Cochem. With the district headquarters, Zell also lost numerous other government offices and other institutions. At the same time, Merl was incorporated. The city also achieved compensation through the settlement of numerous commercial companies, particularly in the high-altitude district of Barl.
On June 7, 1969, the previously independent municipality of Merl was incorporated.
Mosel (German: [ˈmoːzl̩]) is one of 13 German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) for quality wines (Qualitätswein, formerly QbA and Prädikatswein), and takes its name from the Mosel River (French: Moselle; Luxembourgish: Musel). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.
The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the Calmont vineyard located on the Mosel and belonging to the village of Bremm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer Calmont. The Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, but Elbling and Müller-Thurgau also contribute to the production, among others.
In the past two decades red wine production, especially from the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), has increased in the Mosel and throughout the German vignoble and has become of increasing interest to the international wine community. Because of the northerly location of the Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, tending to lower alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than or in addition to "fruity" aromas. Its most common vineyard soil is derived in the main from various kinds of slate deposits, which tend to give the wines a transparent, mineralic aspect, that often exhibit great depth of flavor. In the current era of climate change much work has been done to improve and gain acceptance for completely dry ("Trocken") Rieslings in this region, so that most of the more famous makers have found acceptance for such wines, particularly in Europe." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
© all rights reserved by B℮n
Please take your time... to View it large on black
Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the thirteenth century when viticulture was known to flourish in the Chianti Mountains around Florence. Discover the most celebrated region of Tuscany. The vineyards of this area produce one of the best wines in the world: Chianti Classico. This Wine represents a major source of wealth for the Chianti area, no wonder then that this product has been particularly looked after and protected, in order to distinguish its quality from other wine productions. This is why a rigid legislation has been introduced to regulate the production of Classic Chianti. The first limit obviously regards the geographical area where the grape must grow. But not only the vineyards must be cultivated in the prescribed area: the whole process of wine-making, storage and bottling must take place inside the protected zone. The grape variety from which Chianti is produced is Sangiovese. The alcoholic strength must not exceed 12 %. In addition to this, there are other requirements that must be followed, regarding the average amount of dry product (24 g/l); the acidity rate (4,5 g/l), the colour (intense ruby red), the smell (fruity, with nuances of wildflowers, berries, cherries or plums) and taste (harmonious, dry, strong and with respectable tannin).
We drive on the glorious wine roads of Tuscany. We visit the farms and cellars and of-course taste the great Chianti wine. Here we visit Casale Dello Sparviero. Harmoniously set in the hills of Castellina in Chianti, in the Siena's Classico area, the estate is spread 380 hectares. The vineyards are set on the altitude of 250 metres and encircled by woods and self vegetation. The Casale dated back to XVI century. The building houses the wine cellars, where wine continues its precious evolution in large oak barrels for quality wine.
Denk je aan Toscana, dan zie je stadjes op heuveltoppen, wijngaarden omzoomd door cipressen zover het oog reikt. Liefhebbers weten dat je overal tussen die landerijen. wijnhuizen kunt vinden waar je ook nog eens kunt proeven... het idee alleen al doet je toch bijna het water in de mond lopen. Ook als je weer thuis bent en je neemt een slok van je meegebrachte wijn, ben je er in je gedachten weer helemaal: op dat zonovergoten terras in Castellina in Chianti of bij dat fantastische restaurant met die truffelgerechten in Monteriggioni. Zeg je wijn in Toscana, dan zeg je Chianti, een wijn die zich in de laatste 30 jaar tot Classico heeft ontwikkeld. Chianti is de bekendste en populairste van alle Italiaanse wijnen. De wijn wordt gemaakt van de alom aanwezige Sangiovese-druif, die graag veel zon heeft en goed bestand is tegen grote temperatuurschommelingen. De belangrijkste Chianti-zones worden gevormd door de streek Chianti Classico gelegen rond Castellina. Zoals met zoveel in Italia, is ook de wijnbouw begonnen in het zuiden, maar hebben de noorderlingen het later overgenomen. Na de Romeinse tijd kwam de zuidelijke wijnbouw in de versukkeling. De oudste ononderbroken wijntraditie. In de Renaissance kwam de productie weer helemaal terug en wel in...Toscana. Rijke handelaars en bankiers zoals de families Frescobaldi en Antinori namen druivenrassen mee uit Frankrijk en legden daarmee de basis voor het feit dat Toscana tegenwoordig de oudste onononderbroken wijntradities van Italië kent.
Fantastically balanced; a fresh decadent summer fruit cup. Great value. Shimmering straw gold. Good aromatics. Ripe white nectarine, juicy pineapple, light tinge of citrus, floral honey and apple in the long dense finish. Good acidity
... fresh Physalis in their husks. Both to eat and to photograph!
Physalis is characterised by the small orange fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk derived from the calyx.
The berry also goes by the names Golden Strawberry,Chinese Lantern and Cape gooseberry.
Not all Physalis species bear edible fruit. Select species are cultivated for their edible fruit, however; the typical Physalis fruit is similar to a firm tomato in texture, and like strawberries or pineapple in flavour, with a mild acidity.
Physalis fruit is a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron, calcium and trace amounts of B vitamins.
These fruits contain 18 kinds of amino acids.
These berries are also abundant in polysaccharides, compounds that may help fortify the immune system.
Yes, Nature creates its own jewellery.
A skeleton of Physalis, the small shrivelled fruit captured inside the fine lacy filigreed petals.
PHYSALIS alkekengi or Chinese Lantern Plant, they are native from southern Europe east across southern Asia to Japan.
Popular for the papery bright-orange lantern pods that develop around the ripening fruit, these are often cut and used for Thanksgiving and Halloween arrangements.
Plants are aggressive spreaders, and best kept out of the perennial border so they don't take over.
Also can be grown in tubs.
Small white flowers appear in midsummer, over a bushy mound of coarse green leaves.
Pods are green at first, but should be harvested as soon as the orange colour develops, the leaves stripped then stems hung upside down to dry in a warm dark room.
Thank you for your time and comments, greatly appreciated, M, (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
PHYSALIS, orange, fruit, "Magda Indigo", "black background", STUDIO, square, husk, skeleton, "Golden Strawberry", "Chinese Lantern", "Cape gooseberry", design, colour, "conceptual art", NikonD7000, "Magda indigo"
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Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the thirteenth century when viticulture was known to flourish in the Chianti Mountains around Florence. Discover the most celebrated region of Tuscany. The vineyards of this area produce one of the best wines in the world: Chianti Classico. This Wine represents a major source of wealth for the Chianti area, no wonder then that this product has been particularly looked after and protected, in order to distinguish its quality from other wine productions. This is why a rigid legislation has been introduced to regulate the production of Classic Chianti. The first limit obviously regards the geographical area where the grape must grow. But not only the vineyards must be cultivated in the prescribed area: the whole process of wine-making, storage and bottling must take place inside the protected zone. The grape variety from which Chianti is produced is Sangiovese. The alcoholic strength must not exceed 12 %. In addition to this, there are other requirements that must be followed, regarding the average amount of dry product (24 g/l); the acidity rate (4,5 g/l), the colour (intense ruby red), the smell (fruity, with nuances of wildflowers, berries, cherries or plums) and taste (harmonious, dry, strong and with respectable tannin).
We drive on the glorious wine roads of Tuscany. We visit the farms and cellars and of-course taste the great Chianti wine. Photo of the warm colors of the Tuscany evening sunset taken on the Casale dello Sparviero estate.
Denk je aan Toscana, dan zie je stadjes op heuveltoppen, wijngaarden omzoomd door cipressen zover het oog reikt. Liefhebbers weten dat je overal tussen die landerijen. wijnhuizen kunt vinden waar je ook nog eens kunt proeven... het idee alleen al doet je toch bijna het water in de mond lopen. Ook als je weer thuis bent en je neemt een slok van je meegebrachte wijn, ben je er in je gedachten weer helemaal: op dat zonovergoten terras in Castellina in Chianti of bij dat fantastische restaurant met die truffelgerechten in Monteriggioni. Zeg je wijn in Toscana, dan zeg je Chianti, een wijn die zich in de laatste 30 jaar tot Classico heeft ontwikkeld. Chianti is de bekendste en populairste van alle Italiaanse wijnen. De wijn wordt gemaakt van de alom aanwezige Sangiovese-druif, die graag veel zon heeft en goed bestand is tegen grote temperatuurschommelingen. De belangrijkste Chianti-zones worden gevormd door de streek Chianti Classico gelegen rond Castellina. Zoals met zoveel in Italia, is ook de wijnbouw begonnen in het zuiden, maar hebben de noorderlingen het later overgenomen. Na de Romeinse tijd kwam de zuidelijke wijnbouw in de versukkeling. De oudste ononderbroken wijntraditie. In de Renaissance kwam de productie weer helemaal terug en wel in...Toscana. Rijke handelaars en bankiers zoals de families Frescobaldi en Antinori namen druivenrassen mee uit Frankrijk en legden daarmee de basis voor het feit dat Toscana tegenwoordig de oudste onononderbroken wijntradities van Italië kent.
If you are not French, it’s likely you haven’t ever heard the word “Saintonge”, and have no clue what it means. If you are French, it’s probably the same thing. Unless, that is, you are a fan of Romanesque, in which case you know that Saintonge, that small region of France centered around the town of Saintes (hence the name), not far from the Atlantic Ocean, just North of Bordeaux... features the highest density of Romanesque churches of all the country!
I had never visited that area of France, and so in the middle of October 2021, I took that long overdue trip and stayed two weeks in Saintes, driving left and right daily to photograph all the most significant Romanesque churches... and unfortunately leaving out many others, as they are so thick on the ground!
Saintonge always was a small but rich province: the soil is very fertile, fairly flat and hence easy to cultivate, and its acidity is excellent for the growing of grapes: it is the land of Cognac brandy. The profits from that trade, and that of white wine, in particular with Great Britain and The Netherlands via the port of La Rochelle, paid throughout history for many of those churches, inter alia!
This is what I meant to illustrate with this photo: rich soil and abundant crops to feed people, and in the next field, Cognac brandy to make money with foreign trade.
In questa zona, conosciuta anche come Hverir, esistono molte fumarole fumanti e pentole di fango bollente, circondate da cristalli di zolfo di vari colori.rsi.
A una profondità di 1000 metri, la temperatura è superiore a 200°C.
L'acqua che scorre sotto la superficie viene rapidamente riscaldata e torna in superficie trasformata in vapore.
Il gas della fumarola contiene acido solfidrico che provoca quel caratteristico odore di uova marce che rende questi luoghi così particolari.
Il suolo della zona presenta poca vegetazione a causa dell'acidità causata da questi processi geotermici.
Nel 1969 è stata costruita una centrale geotermica a ovest dell'area di Námafjall.
L'impianto attualmente produce 60 MW di energia geotermica.
Sono state sollevate preoccupazioni sui piani attuali per espandere l'impianto a 90 MW.
In particolare, ci sono state preoccupazioni per quanto riguarda l'effetto dell'impianto sul delicato ecosistema del lago Mývatn.
Il capo di una ONG ambientale ha recentemente chiesto una nuova valutazione di impatto ambientale sui piani e la questione continua a essere dibattuta.
Nella foto si scorgono le tubazioni di trasporto dei gas agli impianti di trasformazione e le bolle rosse di protezione dei siti di fuoriuscita dei gas.
In this area, also known as Hverir, there are many steaming fumaroles and boiling mud pots, surrounded by sulfur crystals of various colors.
At a depth of 1000 meters, the temperature is above 200 ° C.
The water flowing under the surface is rapidly heated and returns to the surface transformed into steam.
The fumarole gas contains hydrogen sulphide which causes that characteristic smell of rotten eggs that makes these places so special.
The soil in the area has little vegetation due to the acidity caused by these geothermal processes.
In 1969, a geothermal power plant was built west of the Námafjall area.
The plant currently produces 60 MW of geothermal energy.
Concerns have been raised about current plans to expand the plant to 90 MW.
In particular, there have been concerns regarding the effect of the plant on the delicate ecosystem of Lake Mývatn.
The head of an environmental NGO recently called for a new environmental impact assessment on the plans and the issue continues to be debated.
In the photo you can see the gas transport pipes to the transformation plants and the red protection bubbles of the gas leakage sites.
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“By far the best wine club in the U.S. is Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino County (Anderson Valley), and there are various reasons:
1. Superb white wines with great acidity (Gewurztraminer, Riesling, even a dry Muscat!).
2. An outstanding array of balanced red wines including superb Pinot Noirs and numerous other wines.
3. Very reasonable prices. And the only way to get these wines is via the mail since they do not sell at retail.” -Dan Berger, Wine writer.
... fresh Physalis in their husks. Both to eat and to photograph!
Physalis is characterised by the small orange fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk derived from the calyx.
The berry also goes by the names Golden Strawberry,Chinese Lantern and Cape gooseberry.
Not all Physalis species bear edible fruit. Select species are cultivated for their edible fruit, however; the typical Physalis fruit is similar to a firm tomato in texture, and like strawberries or pineapple in flavour, with a mild acidity.
Physalis fruit is a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron, calcium and trace amounts of B vitamins.
These fruits contain 18 kinds of amino acids.
These berries are also abundant in polysaccharides, compounds that may help fortify the immune system.
Yes, Nature creates its own jewellery.
A skeleton of Physalis, the small shrivelled fruit captured inside the fine lacy filigreed petals.
PHYSALIS alkekengi or Chinese Lantern Plant, they are native from southern Europe east across southern Asia to Japan.
Popular for the papery bright-orange lantern pods that develop around the ripening fruit, these are often cut and used for Thanksgiving and Halloween arrangements.
Plants are aggressive spreaders, and best kept out of the perennial border so they don't take over.
Also can be grown in tubs.
Small white flowers appear in midsummer, over a bushy mound of coarse green leaves.
Pods are green at first, but should be harvested as soon as the orange colour develops, the leaves stripped then stems hung upside down to dry in a warm dark room.
Thank you for your time and comments, greatly appreciated, M, (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
PHYSALIS, orange, fruit, "Magda Indigo", "black background", STUDIO, square, husk, skeleton, "Golden Strawberry", "Chinese Lantern", "Cape gooseberry", design, colour, "conceptual art", "Magda indigo"
Looking north.
"Ediger-Eller is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem, whose seat is in the like-named town.
Ediger-Eller lies on the river Moselle. The constituent community of Eller is found at the foot of the Calmont.
The two constituent communities have a history that, according to a documentary mention, stretches at least as far back as the year 639. Potsherds that have been found, which came from a Roman factory near Trier suggest that the municipality may have existed as early as the 2nd or 3rd century AD.
Even older traces of settlement – remnants of a stone wall of a flight castle from Celtic times – can be found on the Hochkessel, the mountain on the other side of the Moselle. On the side of the Moselle facing towards the Hunsrück is a Roman-Gaulish burying ground near Saint Peter's Chapel (Peters-Kapelle) in Neef.
The sparse remnants of a Roman legion's garrison outpost can be found in the heights of the Calmont.
The constituent community of Eller was as early as the 5th century, in Merovingian times, the seat of a monastery consecrated to Saint Fridolin. Built onto the Late Romanesque tower is a Baroque nave with fine furnishings, among them a Stumm organ. In Saint Arnulf's Chapel across the street hangs the picture Verspottung Christi (“Mocking of Christ”) from the 15th century, after a drawing by Martin Schongauer. The Pyrmont and Electoral-Trier manor houses from the 16th century, today the ancestral seat of the Barons of Landenberg-Trimborn, underscore Eller's former importance.
Behind the railway bridge, with a slope of 65%, rises the Calmont, whose south side is the world's steepest vineyard, reaching a height of 378 m. A hike up the via ferrata to the mountain ridge is among the most impressive experiences on the Moselle. On the other side, on the former Insula Sankt Nicolai, stands the ruin of a convent church that once belonged to the Stuben Augustinian convent, founded in 1137. From 1208 to 1788, it housed the famous Limburger Staurothek, a reliquary that is important to art history, allegedly containing bits of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. Today, it is part of the Limburg cathedral treasury.
Beginning in 1794, Ediger and Eller lay under French rule and were merged to form a single municipality. In 1815 they were assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna, and once again became two separate municipalities. Since 1877, Eller has lain near the end of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tunnel, which begins in Cochem and is named after Emperor Wilhelm I (not his more infamous grandson, Wilhelm II). From the time of its completion until 1987, it was Germany's longest railway tunnel at 4 205 m. The tunnel is part of the Moselstrecke (Moselle line). Not far from the tunnel portal, and before the Moselle bridge, stands Ediger-Eller railway station.
Beginning in 1946, the two municipalities were part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate. On 7 June 1969, in the course of administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Ediger and Eller were once again merged to form a single municipality.
Mosel (German: [ˈmoːzl̩]) is one of 13 German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) for quality wines (Qualitätswein, formerly QbA and Prädikatswein), and takes its name from the Mosel River (French: Moselle; Luxembourgish: Musel). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.
The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the Calmont vineyard located on the Mosel and belonging to the village of Bremm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer Calmont. The Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, but Elbling and Müller-Thurgau also contribute to the production, among others.
In the past two decades red wine production, especially from the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), has increased in the Mosel and throughout the German vignoble and has become of increasing interest to the international wine community. Because of the northerly location of the Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, tending to lower alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than or in addition to "fruity" aromas. Its most common vineyard soil is derived in the main from various kinds of slate deposits, which tend to give the wines a transparent, mineralic aspect, that often exhibit great depth of flavor. In the current era of climate change much work has been done to improve and gain acceptance for completely dry ("Trocken") Rieslings in this region, so that most of the more famous makers have found acceptance for such wines, particularly in Europe." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
Viewed from the hillside.
"Piesport is a local community in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate and the largest wine-growing town in the Mosel wine-growing region. She has been a member of the Bernkastel-Kues municipality since January 1, 2012.
The local community is located, surrounded by vineyards, meadows and forests, on a loop of the Moselle that bulges out to the north in the Moselle valley between Bernkastel-Kues and Trier, more precisely between Minheim and Neumagen. The district of Piesport is located on the left bank of the river on the Eifel side. On the opposite, gently rising side of the river on the Hunsrück side is the Müstert district and a little further downstream, at the exit of the loop, is the Reinsport district. The higher district around the church of St. Martin is Emmel. Ferres is located slightly upstream on the left bank of the river. Müstert used to consist of just a few houses that gather around the All Saints Chapel at the bridgehead of the lower of the two Moselle bridges. This district grew together with Emmel and Reinsport over the centuries and formed the independent municipality of Niederemmel until the administrative reform in 1969. The B 53, the Moseluferstrasse, runs through the district of Niederemmel. From here, at a roundabout at the entrance to the town from the direction of Neumagen, the L 50 branches off to the north over the Moselle bridge to Klausen and the L 156 branches off to the south towards Neumagen-Dhron.
It can be assumed that in Roman times there was a ford through the Moselle at the site of today's town, through which wagons could drive when the water level was low. This ford was dedicated to Mercurius Bigentius, a local deity, from which the name Porto Pingontio was derived, which gradually became Piesport.
A sanctuary was also dedicated to Bigentius, which stood on the northern, left-hand bank on the mountain slope and which is now only remembered by the chapel house, which is also popularly known as Michelskirch ( Lage→ ). In Christian times it was replaced by a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael, which was attested in 1350 as the matrix ecclesia (“mother church”). Because of the long and arduous journey to the parish of Piesport on the banks of the Moselle, a new church was finally built, today's parish church of St. Michael.
The Romans already settled in the region around Piesport. The vineyards framed the place “like the tiers of an amphitheater,” wrote the poet Ausonius. The largest Roman wine press north of the Alps was discovered and partially reconstructed in 1985 between the districts of Alt-Piesport and Ferres. It is the center of the Roman Press Festival, which takes place annually on the second weekend in October. In 1950, a Roman diatret jar was found in a sarcophagus in a burial ground near Niederemmel, which is now in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier. Witnesses to the Roman era are also the Roman road (L 157) on the height between Niederemmel and Morbach, where a Roman grave was found near the Tonnkopf hunting lodge, as well as the Römerhof on the southern outskirts of Niederemmel. There was also a Roman milestone at the Tonnkopf.
The first documented mention of Piesport was in 776. Between 1506 and 1508, Piesport lost 82 of its 95 citizens (households) to the plague. In the Middle Ages and early modern times, Piesport was part of Kurtrier. From 1794 the area was under French rule, and in 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. Since 1946 it has been part of the then newly formed state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Today's community was re-formed on June 7, 1969 from the dissolved communities of Piesport (then 503 residents) and Niederemmel (1,633 residents).
Mosel (German: [ˈmoːzl̩]) is one of 13 German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) for quality wines (Qualitätswein, formerly QbA and Prädikatswein), and takes its name from the Mosel River (French: Moselle; Luxembourgish: Musel). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.
The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the Calmont vineyard located on the Mosel and belonging to the village of Bremm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer Calmont. The Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, but Elbling and Müller-Thurgau also contribute to the production, among others.
In the past two decades red wine production, especially from the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), has increased in the Mosel and throughout the German vignoble and has become of increasing interest to the international wine community. Because of the northerly location of the Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, tending to lower alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than or in addition to "fruity" aromas. Its most common vineyard soil is derived in the main from various kinds of slate deposits, which tend to give the wines a transparent, mineralic aspect, that often exhibit great depth of flavor. In the current era of climate change much work has been done to improve and gain acceptance for completely dry ("Trocken") Rieslings in this region, so that most of the more famous makers have found acceptance for such wines, particularly in Europe." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
The 'Sunset Apple' was raised from a Cox's Orange Pippin seedling by G C Addy, Igtham, Kent c 1918. It was named and introduced in 1933.
Small to medium sized with orange flush and stripes over a golden yellow skin covered in small russet patches.
It is moderately juicy with crisp, cream coloured flesh. Sweet tasting but plenty of acidity with flavour very similar to Cox.
The farmer has tipped loads of this white crushed rock around his field, ready to dress the ground after this crop of Rapeseed is harvested.
Agricultural lime, sometimes called aglime. It is a soil conditioner made from crushed limestone. Once the lime dissolves, it releases a base that lowers the acidity of the soil. Farmers apply lime to increase yields.
The rainy season arrives, arid land that dominates the island of Madura district gradually began to look green as farmers began to work his fields for planting rice. Very nice to see a situation like this, known as Madura farmers rely on rain to irrigate his fields, because the area is famous for arid.
Planting rice in the field is generally planted at regular intervals. The most popular on the island of Java, is a 20-cm. Young plants plugged into the waterlogged soil depth of 10 to 15 cm to its roots buried below ground level.
Upland rice is planted directly in the field. After the wet soil, seed sowing in bolt-bolt. Upland rice generally rely on rain water supply. There is no flooding in the dry land cultivation. In upland cultivation scaffolding, seeds and even spread on dry land, before the rain fell.
Rice is a crop that requires treatment for his growth. Treatment may include fertilizing and pest control; fertilization in rice plants can use urea fertilizer, fertilizer Kcl, and poshpat. The fertilization procedure ideal for rice is to look at the condition of the soil and the plant itself. Soil conditions that must be considered is the acidity of the soil, while of the plant is to see how the growth of plants, in other words the growth should be in accordance with existing criteria.
Kawah Ijen (Ijen Crater), East Java, Indonesia
Ijen Crater is a nature reserve Ijen Park is located between Banyuwangi and Bondowoso District, East Java, Indonesia. This crater exactly located at the top of Mount Ijen which is one of a series of volcanoes in East Java such as Bromo, Semeru and Merapi.
This crater is a large lake with a bluish-green mist and smoke of the sulfur that is stunning. Another uniqueness of this crater has a level of acidity is very high with almost close to zero and the temperature of the water is 20° Celsius. In addition to elevation 2,799 m (9,183 ft), posis crater is located in the middle of the largest caldera on the island of Java. The caldera size about 20 miles. The crater size is about 960 meters x 600 meters with a depth of 200 meters. This crater is located at a depth of more than 300 meters below the caldera wall.
The best time to start hiking is in the early morning, around 3 or 4 AM. You will be just on time to watch beautiful sunrise peeping through the mountain tops. At 2 PM, the access to the crater is closed due to heavy white sulfuric smoke that makes hiking impossible.
Canon EOS 50D + EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
EXIF: 0.1 sec • f/14 • 12 mm • ISO 100
Exposure Mode + White Balance: Manual
Filters: Lee soft 1+3stop GND
Thanks everyone for your visit, comments, critiques, fave,invite..etc. I really appreciate it.
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today however we are northwest of Lettice’s flat, in the working-class London suburb of Harlesden where Edith, Lettice’s maid’s, parents live in a small, two storey brick terrace house which opens out directly onto the street. Edith’s father, George, works at the McVitie and Price biscuit factory in Harlesden as a Line Manager, and her mother, Ada, takes in laundry at home. Whilst far removed from the grandeur of Lettice’s Mayfair flat, the Harlesden terrace has always been a cosy and welcoming home for Edith and her brother, Bert.
Having recently met Mrs. McTavish, the grandmother of Frank Leadbetter, Edith’s young beau, Edith has now arranged for Frank to join her for a Sunday roast with her parents, so that they might finally meet. Wishing to make the right impression, Frank arrived on the doorstep of the Watsfords dressed in his Sunday best suit, and presented Ada with a bunch of beautiful yellow roses and George with a bottle of French red wine. Frank has not been the only one wishing to make a good impression, with Ada scrubbing her home from top to bottom in the days leading up to the visit.
The kitchen has always been the heart of Edith’s family home, and today it has a particularly special feel about it. Ada had pulled out one of her best table cloths which now adorns the round kitchen table, hiding its worn surface and the best blue and white china and gilded dinner service is being used today. Ada has even conceded to Edith’s constant reminders that she promised to use the pretty Price Washington ‘Ye Old Cottage’ teapot that Edith bought her.
The kitchen is filled with the rich smells of roasted ham and pumpkin, boiled potatoes and vegetables, gravy warming over the grate and the faint fruity aroma of one of Ada’s cherry tarts as it sits waiting to be served for dessert on the dresser’s pull out extension.
“It’s a pleasure to finally have you at our table on a Sunday after all this time, Frank.” Ada says welcomingly from her seat in the high backed Windsor chair in front of the kitchen range, smiling across the round kitchen table at their guest.
“It’s a great pleasure to be here and to meet you too Mrs. Watsford,” Frank answers, before quickly looking to his right and adding, “And of course you too, Mr. Watsford.”
“Yes,” adds George. “All we ever seem to hear from our Edith these days is ‘Frank and I did this’ or ‘Frank said that’, and we wondered when we were going to get to meet you.”
“Dad!” admonishes Edith hotly, her cheeks flushing with colour at her father’s direct remark.
Frank looks to his sweetheart and smiles at her, silently indicating that what her father said was fine with him. “I am sorry we haven’t met sooner, but I am a stickler for doing things properly.”
“Yes, so Edith told us.” Ada answers.
“So, she may have told you that I wanted her to meet my family first. Sadly, my parents aren’t alive any longer, but I still have my maternal grandmother, who had more than a hand in my upbringing. I needed to ease her into the idea that I have a sweetheart, you see. It has just been she and I since 1919. I didn’t want to upset our routine, so I slowly introduced the idea of Edith being my sweetheart to her before finally introducing them.”
“Edith tells us that the introduction to Mrs. Mc… Tavish, is it?” Ada begins querying. When Frank nods, she continues. “That her introduction to Mrs. McTavish went very well.”
“It did indeed. In fact, it went even better than I’d hoped.” Frank enthuses. “You must both be very proud of Edith.”
Edith blushes again and looks down into her napkin draped across her lap.
‘And now they’ve met,” Frank continues. “It means that we could meet.”
“Well,” Ada says kindly. “I think that’s very respectful of you, considering your grandmother’s feelings like that.”
“I’m sure Edith would do the same, were she in a similar position, Mrs. Watsford.” Frank replies with a slight blush of his own now gracing his usually pale cheeks.
“And thank you again for the lovely roses, Frank.” Ada adds, glancing at the bunch of fat yellow roses on the table that Frank presented to her upon his and Edith’s arrival at the Watsford family home.
“Oh, and the wine.” Edith points to the bottle of red wine also sitting on the table.
“I’m not really a wine drinker myself,” George remarks. “More of stout man, me.” He taps the reddish brown earthenware jug next to him comfortingly.
“It doesn’t matter, George.” Ada admonishes her husband. “It was very thoughtful of you, Frank. I’m sure you make your grandmother as proud as Edith makes us.” Yet even as she speaks, Ada looks distrustfully at the bottle of red wine with its fancy label decorated with garlands and writing in a foreign language. “And where did you find this wine, Frank?”
“I did make sure to ask Edith whether you were teetotal, Mrs. Watsford.” Frank assures Ada. “If you disapprove, I’ll take it away. I meant no disrespect.”
“Oh it’s not that, Frank. We just aren’t used to it is all. As my husband says, we don’t often have a cause to have wine in this house.”
“I don’t think we’ve ever had wine in the house.” George adds.
“Oh, when Mum was alive and used to make elderflower or blackberry wine, I always had a small demijohn*** of them on the dresser.” Ada corrects him. “Not that there was ever a great deal in the house.”
“I don’t remember that,” George chortles. “But then again,” he adds, raising his bushy eyebrows. “There are a good many things I don’t remember these days.”
“Well, I’m afraid this didn’t come from my Granny.” Frank apologises. “But she doesn’t make wine.”
“No, but she does make very pretty lace, Mum.” Edith turns to Frank. “So where did you get it from Frank?” she asks. “I don’t remember Mr. Willison being a wine merchant.”
“Well, that’s because he’s not. This is a bottle of French wine which comes from a chum of mine who runs a little Italian restaurant up the Islington****.” Frank looks at Edith and smiles. “I’ll take you there one day, Edith, for a very special dinner of home-made spaghetti.”
“I’d like that, Frank.” Edith beams.
“A French wine from an Italian restaurant?” George queries.
“Giuseppe, my chum, serves wine from different countries with his meals, and I asked him what might be best to have.” Frank explains. “And he sold me this bottle.”
Ada picks up her tumbler of wine, sniffing at its red liquified contents rather suspiciously before taking her first tentative sip. Swallowing the wine, she isn’t quite sure whether she likes it or not as it glides down her throat. She can taste the fruitiness of it, but it is matched by an acidity that surprises her. It doesn’t taste like the blackberry wine she remembers her mother making. “Once again, it’s very thoughtful of you to give us such a… treat.” Returning her tumbler to the table she discreetly pushes it away from her place at the table, hoping that Frank won’t notice or take offence.
“Mum has always said that good manners are the hallmark of a gentleman.” Edith adds with a smile and a nod towards er mother, knowing that Frank has made a good impression with her by the simple gesture of a gift.
“And so they are.” Ada nods.
“Yellow roses are the universal symbol of friendship.” Frank explains. “And I do sincerely hope that we will be friends, Mr. and Mrs. Watsford.” he adds hopefully, the statement rewarded by a kind smile from both of Edith’s parents.
“Where did you learn that from, Frank?” Ada asks.
“I came across an old book at the Caledonian Markets* Mrs. Watsford, called, ‘Floral Symbolica’** which lists the meaning of ever so many flowers.”
“That sounds very fancy.” George remarks. “Floral… floral sym… what?”
“Symbolica, Mr. Watsford.” Frank confirms.
“Frank’s a big reader, Dad.” Edith announces, attracting her father’s attention to common ground between the two of them.
“What else do you read then, Frank?” George asks with interest. “Besides books of flowers, that is.”
“I read lots of things, Mr. Watsford.” Frank replies proudly. “Anything to improve my mind.”
“Well, I wish you’d help improve Edith’s mind. She seems only to be interested in romance novels.” George teases his daughter cheekily.
“That’s not true, Dad!” Edith gasps, taking her father’s bait far too easily. “I read lots of different things, not just romance novels.”
“What do you like to read, Sir?” Frank asks helpfully in an effort to save his sweetheart further embarrassment and character assassination at her father’s hands.
“I probably don’t read things you’d like, Frank. I prefer to read for escapism. A good story that grabs me is what I like, like those Fu Manchu***** mystery books, or that new female mystery writer. What’s her name?” He clicks his fingers as he tries to recall her name. “Help me, will you Edith. The woman who wrote ‘The Secret Adversary’ and ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’.”
“Christie.” Frank pipes up.
“That’s it!” George sighs with relief. “Agatha Christie******. Thank you Frank. Do you read her books too?”
“No, I’m afraid I’m not much of a mystery reader myself, Mr. Watsford.”
“No, you don’t strike me as a murder mystery type, Frank.” George muses as he eyes the serious young man in his Sunday best suit up and down. “You seem to be a more studious type.” He shrugs. “Pity, she writes ripping good yarns.”
“And you’re a delivery lad I believe?” Ada asks, turning the subject more towards knowing more about Frank’s prospects as a potential suitor for her daughter.
“That’s right, Mrs. Watsford.” Frank replies proudly, sitting a little straighter in his seat at the table. “I work for Willison’s the Grocers in Mayfair, and I do deliveries around the neighbourhood.”
“But he’s doing more than just deliveries now, Dad.” Edith pipes up a little anxiously, seeing the creases in her father’s serious face.
“Yes!” Frank adds. “Mr. Willison has taken me under his wing so to speak and is teaching me about displaying goods in the window and the like.”
“It’s called visual merchandising.” Edith explains.
“Is it now?” Ada remarks, pursing her lips in distrust and raising her eyebrows. “Such fancy words. Our Edith is always coming home with fancy words from your neck of the woods these days.”
“Good for you, Lad!” George booms. “Mrs. Watsford here,” He glances beyond the bunch of yellow roses at his wife. “Is perhaps a little less at ease with the idea of bettering yourself than Edith and I are.”
“I wouldn’t say that, George.” Ada defends herself. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with a young man improving his lots in life.”
“But?” George asks, picking up on the silent second half of his wife’s statement.
“But I think that there is such a thing as aspiring too high. There is a class structure that has done us well for time long before I was born.”
“For some of us, Mrs. Watsford.” Frank pipes up.
Edith’s eyes grow wide as she realises that the conversation over Sunday luncheon is suddenly careening swiftly towards a topic that Frank feels very passionately about, but also one that rattles her mother. She worries that Frank’s enthusiasm might not be so well received by either of her parents. However, even as she thinks these thoughts, it is already too late as Frank opens his mouth and continues.
“Now is the time for the working man, and working woman too, to rise up and be better than the lot in life we’ve been dealt, Mrs. Watsford.”
Edith watches the almost imperceptible shifts in her mother’s features as they steels and harden.
“You may be happy with your place in life, but I for one want to do better. I don’t want to be a grocer’s boy forever. I want to do better, so that I can afford to give Edith a good home.”
“Do you plan to own your own grocer’s, lad?” George asks with an air of impossibility.
“Maybe, Mr. Watsford. I don’t see why I shouldn’t, or at least shouldn’t try. I have a lot of dreams you see, and ideas for the future.”
Ada takes a mouthful of ham, swallowing stiffly as she answers, “Yes, I’ve heard a great deal about your ideas from Edith, Frank.”
“I can assure you, Mrs. Watsford, that I am not a Communist.” Frank defends himself, having heard from Edith about her mother’s concerns. “I just want a better world for Edith, for me, for my children.”
“And that’s admirable, Frank.” Ada counters. “And I don’t disagree with you. Aspiring to a better life is good. I just think a little less radically than you do, and you’ll forgive me for saying this, but as a person who has had more years on this earth than you have, Frank, I don’t think my opinions are less valid, in spite of their lack of ambition for change.”
An uncomfortable silence falls over the table.
“Oh I’m sorry, Mrs. Watsford.” Frank says after a moment, dabbing the edge of is mouth with his napkin. “I didn’t mean to cause any offence. Edith tells me that when I get passionate about something, I talk before I think. I apologise for shooting off my mouth.”
“That’s alright lad.” George replies soothingly, covering over his wife’s stony silence. “It’s good to feel strongly and want change: a better future for yourself. Ada and I,” He places his bigger hand comfortingly and in a sign of solidarity over his wife’s as she still holds her fork, resting her wrist on the table. “Well, you’ll probably laugh at our old fashioned ideas, but we’ve made positive changes for ourselves and our children in our own, more quiet ways.”
“Sorry Mr. Watsford.” Frank sighs. “It’s not the first time my mouth has gotten me in trouble.”
“It’s alright, Frank.” Ada says quietly, releasing the handle of her fork and entwining her fingers with those of her husband. “I like you, in spite of the fact that you and I may not entirely agree with the way the world should be or how we go about making it a better place, but I just can’t help worrying about our Edith being with you and your revolutionary ideas.”
“Mum!” Edith gasps, raining her hands to her mouth.
“I’m sorry, Edith,” Ada says. “But I have to say my peace. I do worry about you. As a mother you do worry, about all your children.”
“I promise you that I won’t ever put Edith in harm’s way, Mrs. Watsford.” Frank swears earnestly.
“Not intentionally, I know, Frank, but what about unintentionally?” Ada says. “You’re a good lad, and I can see that by your thoughtfulness and your manners. You obviously treat Edith very well. However, the vehemence with which you spurn your new ideas around is frightening to me.” She looks at Edith seriously and continues earnestly. “You’re of age now, Edith love, and I can’t stop you from stepping out with Frank here. You can make your own decisions as to whether he is the right young man for you.”
“Oh he is, Mum! I promise you!” Edith pipes up, looking deep into her mother’s serious face.
“I suppose I’m just a bit like your granny was with our Edith, Frank. I need to get accustomed to you.” She looks at the plump yellow rose blooms. “George and I accept your offer of friendship, and we hope that you won’t feel too awkward after today to join us for Sunday tea again.”
“Oh I assure you Mrs. Watsford, I’d be delighted.”
“Good. But in extending the warm hand of friendship, I’d be obliged if you would perhaps temper your more modern and revolutionary ideas, whilst I get used to you, Frank.”
All four diners spend a few minutes quietly eating their dinner, with only the scrape of cutlery against crockery to break the silence.
As Edith chews her mouthful of boiled potato, she finds it hard to swallow, and when she finally does, she feels it slide down her throat and land heavily in the pit of her stomach. She glances across at Frank to her right, but he doesn’t look up from his plate as he puts a sliver of orange roast pumpkin in his mouth. She had warned Frank to try and curtail his passionate ideas before her parents, but realises now that to ask him to do so is to deny him one of the most important things in his life. She worries whether Frank and her mother will ever see eye-to-eye on things.
“So, enough about changing the world,” George says at length, breaking the silence. “What football team do you support then, young Frank?”
Edith smiles gratefully at her father, who winks at her over the rim of his glass as she takes a swig of ale.
“West Ham United, Sir.” Frank says proudly.
“Good lad!” George chortles. “See, he’s not all bad, Ada!”
“You must be as excited as me about West Ham playing Bolton at the inaugural Empire Stadium******* match that’s coming up then, Mr. Watsford.” Frank says, also smiling gratefully at George for being the peacemaker and easing the tension in the room.
“Oh we all are, lad!” agrees George. “Would that I could get tickets for the match, but being the opening of the stadium, tickets are hard to come by.”
“If they finish it in time.” Frank remarks. “There isn’t long to go now, and yet from what I’ve read, it’s nowhere near done yet.”
“Now, now, lad!” George admonishes Frank good naturedly, wagging his fork with a speared piece of cauliflower on it. “Have a bit of faith in British construction. That stadium is going to be the centrepiece of the British Empire Exhibition. No full blooded British man is going to let the Empire down by not competing it.”
“Yes, you’re quite right, Sir.” Frank agrees.
As the mood at the table lifts and shifts a little, Edith is suddenly heartened by the possibility that maybe Frank might win approval from both her parents in the end, if Frank can win her father over. Her father’s opinion matters a great deal to her mother. She slices her knife through another boiled potato on her plate and sighs quietly, knowing that whilst this first meeting of Frank and her parents was not all that she had hoped for, all is not lost and some bridges have been built.
*The original Caledonian Market, renown for antiques, buried treasure and junk, was situated in in a wide cobblestoned area just off the Caledonian Road in Islington in 1921 when this story is set. Opened in 1855 by Prince Albert, and originally called the Metropolitan Meat Markets, it was supplementary to the Smithfield Meat Market. Arranged in a rectangle, the market was dominated by a forty six metre central clock tower. By the early Twentieth Century, with the diminishing trade in live animals, a bric-a-brac market developed and flourished there until after the Second World War when it moved to Bermondsey, south of the Thames, where it flourishes today. The Islington site was developed in 1967 into the Market Estate and an open green space called Caledonian Park. All that remains of the original Caledonian Markets is the wonderful Victorian clock tower.
**’Floral Symbolica; or, The Language and Sentiment of Flowers’ is a book written by John Ingram, published in London in 1870 by Frederick Warne and Co. who are perhaps best known for publishing the books of Beatrix Potter. ‘Flora Symbolica; or, The language and Sentiment of Flowers includes meanings of many species of flowers, both domestic and exotic, as well as floral poetry, original and selected. It contains a colour frontispiece and fifteen colour plates, printed in colours by Terry. John Henry Ingram (November the 16th, 1842 – February the 12th, 1916) was an English biographer and editor with a special interest in Edgar Allan Poe. Ingram was born at 29 City Road, Finsbury Square, Middlesex, and died at Brighton, England. His family lived at Stoke Newington, recollections of which appear in Poe's works. J. H. Ingram dedicated himself to the resurrection of Poe's reputation, maligned by the dubious memoirs of Rufus Wilmot Griswold; he published the first reliable biography of the author and a four-volume collection of his works.
***A demijohn originally referred to any glass vessel with a large body and small neck, enclosed in wickerwork. The word presumably comes from the French dame-jeanne, literally "Lady Jane", as a popular appellation; this word is first attested in France in the Seventeenth century. Demijohns are primarily used for transporting liquids, often water or chemicals. They are also used for in-home fermentation of beverages, often beer or wine.
****The Italian quarter of London, known commonly today as “Little Italy” is an Italian ethnic enclave in London. Little Italy’s core historical borders are usually placed at Clerkenwell Road, Farringdon Road and Rosebery Avenue - the Saffron Hill area of Clerkenwell. Clerkenwell spans Camden Borough and Islington Borough. Saffron Hill and St. Peter’s Italian Catholic Church fall within the Camden side. However, even though this was the traditional enclave for Italians, immigrants moved elsewhere in London, bleeding into areas like Islington and Soho where they established bars, cafes and restaurants which sold Italian cuisine and wines.
*****’The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu’ was a 1913 novel by prolific writer Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward under the non-deplume Sax Rohmer that portrayed Chinese as opium fiends, thugs, murders and villains. His supervillain Fu-Manchu proved so popular that he wrote a whole series of sequels featuring the odious character between 1914 ad 1917 and then again from 1933 until 1959. The image of "Orientals" invading Western nations became the foundation of Rohmer's commercial success, being able to sell twenty million copies of his books in his lifetime.
******By 1923 when this story is set, detective mystery fiction writer Agatha Christie had already written two successful novels, ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’ published by The Bodley Head in 1921, which introduced the world to her fictional detective Hercule Poirot, and ‘The Secret Adversary’ also published by The Bodley Head, in 1922, which introduced characters Tommy and Tuppence. In May of 1923, Agatha Christie would release her second novel featuring Hercule Poirot: ‘The Murder on the Links’ which would retail in London bookshops for seven shillings and sixpence.
*******Originally known as Empire Stadium, London’s Wembley Stadium was built to serve as the centerpiece of the British Empire Exhibition. It took a total of three hundred days to construct the stadium at a cost of £750,000. The stadium was completed on the 23rd of April 1923, only a few days before the first football match, between the Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United, was to take place at the stadium. This first match was the 1923 FA Cup final, which later became known as the White Horse final. The stadium's first turf was cut by King George V, and it was first opened to the public on 28 April 1923. Much of Humphry Repton's original Wembley Park landscape was transformed in 1922 and 1923 during preparations for the British Empire Exhibition. First known as the "British Empire Exhibition Stadium" or simply the "Empire Stadium", it was built by Sir Robert McAlpine for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924 (extended to 1925).
This cluttered, yet cheerful domestic scene is not all it seems to be at first glance, for it is made up of part of my 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures collection. Some pieces come from my own childhood. Other items I acquired as an adult through specialist online dealers and artists who specialise in 1:12 miniatures.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
On the table the roast ham dinner that really does look good enough to eat is made in England by hand from clay by former chef turned miniature artisan, Frances Knight. Her work is incredibly detailed and realistic, and she says that she draws her inspiration from her years as a chef and her imagination. The gravy boat of gravy is also Frances Knight’s work. The knife sitting alongside the ham comes from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniature Shop in the United Kingdom. The blue and white crockery on the table I have bought as individual from several online sellers on E-Bay. I imagine that whole sets were once sold, but now I can only find them piecemeal. The cutlery and the glasses (which are made from real glass) I bought as a teenager from a high street dollhouse suppliers. The pottery ale jug comes from Mick and Marie’s Miniatures in England. The glass of ale comes from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in the United Kingdom. The salt and pepper shakers come from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The 1:12 artisan bottle of Bordeaux, made by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire, is made from glass and the winery on the label is a real winery in France. The vase of yellow roses came from a 1:12 miniatures stockist on E-Bay. The tablecloth is actually a piece of an old worn sheet that was destined for the dustbin.
In the background you can see Ada’s dark Welsh dresser cluttered with household items. Like Ada’s table, the Windsor chair and the ladderback chair to the left of the photo, I have had the dresser since I was a child. The shelves of the dresser have different patterned crockery and silver pots on them which have come from different miniature stockists both in Australia and the United Kingdom. There are also some rather worn and beaten looking enamelled cannisters and a bread tin in the typical domestic Art Deco design and kitchen colours of the 1920s, cream and green. Aged on purpose, these artisan pieces I recently acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls’ House Shop in the the United Kingdom. There are also tins of various foods which would have been household staples in the 1920s when canning and preservation revolutinised domestic cookery. Amongst other foods on the dresser are a tin of Macfie’s Finest Black Treacle, two jars of P.C. Flett and Company jam, a tin of Heinz marinated apricots, a jar of Marmite, some Bisto gravy powder, some Ty-Phoo tea and a jar of S.P.C. peaches. All these items are 1:12 size artisan miniatures made by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire, except the jar of S.P.C. peaches which comes from Shepherds Miniatures in the United Kingdom. All of them have great attention to detail paid to their labels and the shapes of their jars and cans.
Robert Andrew Macfie sugar refiner was the first person to use the term term Golden Syrup in 1840, a product made by his factory, the Macfie sugar refinery, in Liverpool. He also produced black treacle.
P.C. Flett and Company was established in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands by Peter Copeland Flett. He had inherited a small family owned ironmongers in Albert Street Kirkwall, which he inherited from his maternal family. He had a shed in the back of the shop where he made ginger ale, lemonade, jams and preserves from local produce. By the 1920s they had an office in Liverpool, and travelling representatives selling jams and preserves around Great Britain. I am not sure when the business ceased trading.
The American based Heinz food processing company, famous for its Baked Beans, 57 varieties of soups and tinend spaghetti opened a factory in Harlesden in 1919, providing a great deal of employment for the locals who were not already employed at McVitie and Price.
Marmite is a food spread made from yeast extract which although considered remarkably English, was in fact invented by German scientist Justus von Liebig although it was originally made in the United Kingdom. It is a by-product of beer brewing and is currently produced by British company Unilever. The product is notable as a vegan source of B vitamins, including supplemental vitamin B. Marmite is a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, salty, powerful flavour. This distinctive taste is represented in the marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it." Such is its prominence in British popular culture that the product's name is often used as a metaphor for something that is an acquired taste or tends to polarise opinion.
In 1863, William Sumner published A Popular Treatise on Tea as a by-product of the first trade missions to China from London. In 1870, William and his son John Sumner founded a pharmacy/grocery business in Birmingham. William's grandson, John Sumner Jr. (born in 1856), took over the running of the business in the 1900s. Following comments from his sister on the calming effects of tea fannings, in 1903, John Jr. decided to create a new tea that he could sell in his shop. He set his own criteria for the new brand. The name had to be distinctive and unlike others, it had to be a name that would trip off the tongue and it had to be one that would be protected by registration. The name Typhoo comes from the Mandarin Chinese word for “doctor”. Typhoo began making tea bags in 1967. In 1978, production was moved from Birmingham to Moreton on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside. The Moreton site is also the location of Burton's Foods and Manor Bakeries factories. Typhoo has been owned since July 2021 by British private-equity firm Zetland Capital. It was previously owned by Apeejay Surrendra Group of India.
S.P.C. is an Australian brand that still exists to this day. In 1917 a group of fruit growers in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley decided to form a cooperative which they named the Shepperton Fruit Preserving Company. The company began operations in February 1918, canning pears, peaches and nectarines under the brand name of S.P.C. On the 31st of January 1918 the manager of the Shepparton Fruit Preserving Company announced that canning would begin on the following Tuesday and that the operation would require one hundred and fifty girls or women and thirty men. In the wake of the Great War, it was hoped that “the launch of this new industry must revive drooping energies” and improve the economic circumstances of the region. The company began to pay annual bonuses to grower-shareholders by 1929, and the plant was updated and expanded. The success of S.P.C. was inextricably linked with the progress of the town and the wider Goulburn Valley region. In 1936 the company packed twelve million cans and was the largest fruit cannery in the British empire. Through the Second World War the company boomed. The product range was expanded to include additional fruits, jam, baked beans and tinned spaghetti and production reached more than forty-three million cans a year in the 1970s. From financial difficulties caused by the 1980s recession, SPC returned once more to profitability, merging with Ardmona and buying rival company Henry Jones IXL. S.P.C. was acquired by Coca Cola Amatil in 2005 and in 2019 sold to a private equity group known as Shepparton Partners Collective.
Also on the dresser on the pull out drawer is a cherry tart made by Frances Knight. Next to it stands a cottage ware teapot. Made by French ceramicist and miniature artisan Valerie Casson, it has been decorated authentically and matches in perfect detail its life-size Price Washington ‘Ye Olde Cottage Teapot’ counterparts. The top part of the thatched roof and central chimney form the lid, just like the real thing. Valerie Casson is renown for her meticulously crafted and painted miniature ceramics.
The large kitchen range in the background is a 1:12 miniature replica of the coal fed Phoenix Kitchen Range. A mid-Victorian model, it has hinged opening doors, hanging bars above the stove and a little bass hot water tap (used in the days before plumbed hot water).
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Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the thirteenth century when viticulture was known to flourish in the Chianti Mountains around Florence. Discover the most celebrated region of Tuscany. The vineyards of this area produce one of the best wines in the world: Chianti Classico. This Wine represents a major source of wealth for the Chianti area, no wonder then that this product has been particularly looked after and protected, in order to distinguish its quality from other wine productions. This is why a rigid legislation has been introduced to regulate the production of Classic Chianti. The first limit obviously regards the geographical area where the grape must grow. But not only the vineyards must be cultivated in the prescribed area: the whole process of wine-making, storage and bottling must take place inside the protected zone. The grape variety from which Chianti is produced is Sangiovese. The alcoholic strength must not exceed 12 %. In addition to this, there are other requirements that must be followed, regarding the average amount of dry product (24 g/l); the acidity rate (4,5 g/l), the colour (intense ruby red), the smell (fruity, with nuances of wildflowers, berries, cherries or plums) and taste (harmonious, dry, strong and with respectable tannin).
We drive on the glorious wine roads of Tuscany. Grapes and olives require similar climatic and soil conditions and share coinciding harvest times, making them a natural pair in the fields.
Long-term agricultural biodiversity appeals to vineyard owners, who realize that economic and seasonal variables, as well as consumer taste, make production of more than one quality product a proactive approach. Additionally, olive groves protect vineyards against strong winds, acting as windbreaks. We visit the farms and cellars and ofcourse taste the great Chianti wine.
Denk je aan Toscana, dan zie je stadjes op heuveltoppen, wijngaarden omzoomd door cipressen zover het oog reikt. Liefhebbers weten dat je overal tussen die landerijen. wijnhuizen kunt vinden waar je ook nog eens kunt proeven... het idee alleen al doet je toch bijna het water in de mond lopen. Ook als je weer thuis bent en je neemt een slok van je meegebrachte wijn, ben je er in je gedachten weer helemaal: op dat zonovergoten terras in Castellina in Chianti of bij dat fantastische restaurant met die truffelgerechten in Monteriggioni. Zeg je wijn in Toscana, dan zeg je Chianti, een wijn die zich in de laatste 30 jaar tot Classico heeft ontwikkeld. Chianti is de bekendste en populairste van alle Italiaanse wijnen. De wijn wordt gemaakt van de alom aanwezige Sangiovese-druif, die graag veel zon heeft en goed bestand is tegen grote temperatuurschommelingen. De belangrijkste Chianti-zones worden gevormd door de streek Chianti Classico gelegen rond Castellina. Zoals met zoveel in Italia, is ook de wijnbouw begonnen in het zuiden, maar hebben de noorderlingen het later overgenomen. Na de Romeinse tijd kwam de zuidelijke wijnbouw in de versukkeling. De oudste ononderbroken wijntraditie. In de Renaissance kwam de productie weer helemaal terug en wel in...Toscana. Rijke handelaars en bankiers zoals de families Frescobaldi en Antinori namen druivenrassen mee uit Frankrijk en legden daarmee de basis voor het feit dat Toscana tegenwoordig de oudste onononderbroken wijntradities van Italië kent.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musbury_Tor
Musbury Tor is a flat topped hill overlooking Helmshore in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It separates Alden Valley to its south and Musbury Valley to the north. It is a very popular walking spot and the views from the top are magnificent. It is on farmland and is mainly sheep pasture. It is one of the tallest hills (338m) in the Rossendale valley and can be seen from much of Helmshore. A panoramic view from the top is shown in Chris Aspin, Derek Pilkington and John Simpson's book of Helmshore[1].
Geology
The underlying solid geology of the Rossendale fells is largely formed by the Lower Coal Measure comprising bedded sandstones, shales and mudstones. Rocks of the Millstone Grit series outcrop above the valley of the River Irwell and cap the hills. Musbury Tor is a perfect example of peneplanation leaving an almost isolated flat-topped hill where the harder Millstone Grit protects the softer underlying shales, leaving the distinctive sharp topography of edges and ledges characteristic of the uplands above the Irwell Valley.[2]
The other small scale topographic variations such as the undulating hummocky landforms are generally due to the former workings and stone quarries
History
Musbury was a township in the hundred of Blackburn. It was divided into three portions - Musbury Park; Musden Head (to the south), and the Trippet of Ogden (in the north). It was once the centre of the Earl of Lincoln's deer park, which was fenced by 1304, and stretches of the ditch enclosures still remain in the Alden and Musbury valleys.[4]
In 1894 Musbury ceased to be a township, and was transferred from Tottington parish to the borough of Haslingden.
World War II and after
"...to scan the skies for paratroops, four Home Guardsmen armed with one old rifle and six rounds of ammunition climbed each evening to the top of the Tor", says Chris Aspin in his memoirs. The guards apparently sheltered in a tiny hut, but they often "stumbled into bogs and old quarry workings". Chris Aspin also mentions American GIs practicing paratroop drops, and field exercises with live ammunition, before D-Day, setting up tents and a cookhouse by Great House on the Tor.[5]
In 1949 the Great House Experimental Farm in Helmshore was established by the Ministry of Agriculture on the flat top and southern slopes of Musbury Tor. Important experiments, including many on high-level grain planting and animal husbandry, and the effects of acidity in rain, were carried out. Great House Experimental Farm was closed in 1982, broken up and sold off to private farmers and others.
Mangrove forest roots at the Dos Palmas resort, Honda Bay. Global warming is creating rising acidity levels in sea water leading to the destruction of coral reefs throughout Asia. The reefs are the breeding grounds for the fish that feeds millions of people who live along the coasts. 22/04/2010, Puerto Princesa, The Philippines.
Taken from front steps of Basilica di Santa Croce, the main Franciscan church of Florence
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Croce,_Florence
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On left is Palazzo Cocchi-Serristori, built c1490 by architect Giuliano da Sangallo for Florentine jurist Antonio Cocchi, an associate of the Medici
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Cocchi-Serristori
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Big white tent houses annual festival devoted to organoleptic (aromatic), low-acidity extra virgin olive oil from Reggello, a Tuscan commune 22 miles from Florence
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggello
www.visitreggello-tuscany.com/tradizioni-ed-economia/olio...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organoleptic
www.iso.org/standard/85185.html
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Historic Centre of Florence UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Sigma 24-70mm 1:2.8 DG HSM EX
_DSC1352 Anx2 1200h Q90 f25
Ingredients: wheat flour, vegetable oil (rape, sunflower, palm), sugar, free-range egg, caster sugar, cream cheese, butter, fruit juice concentrate (lemon, orange), water, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, glucose-fructose syrup, vegetable fat (palm, palm kernel), raising agents (E450, E500), skimmed milk powder, 0.4% matcha powder, modified corn starch, glucose syrup, emulsifier (soy lecithins [E322], E471, E475, E470a, E422), starch (wheat, corn) maltodextrin, stabilizer (E420), food acid (E330), preservative (E224, E202, E200), salt, iodized salt, starter culture, dextrose, fructose syrup, raspberry, lemon zest, natural flavor, acidity regulator (E331), thickener (E410, E401, E415), coloring safflower concentrate, coloring agent (E141, E160a), lemon juice, vanilla marrow, natural flavor, vanilla flavor, caramel, natural vanilla flavor. Of which added sugars 25 g per 100 g.
Rainforest Alliance certified. For more information, see ra.org
Allergy information: contains egg, wheat gluten, lactose,
milk protein and soy. May contain other gluten-containing cereals, almond, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia nut, Brazil nut, pecan, pistachio and walnut.
♥ EXPLORE ♥ ......12-19-08..... Best Position #43
Many people flock to Yellowstone National Park to see the abundance of wildlife and the famous "Old Faithful" geyser. But it was Castle Geyser that caught my eye...
The following excerpt was taken from: www.yellowstone.net/geysers/geyser02.htm
Castle Geyser is a very old geyser. Estimates put the age of its 12 foot high cone at 5,000 to 15,000 years. It would take that long to build such a large cone. Even more remarkable is that Castle's cone sits on top of an even more massive sinter formation deposited by an even earlier spring. Castle is a cone-type geyser. Its interval is usually between 9 and 11 hours. Its maximum height is 60 to 90 feet.
About the colors associated with geysers, mudpots and hotsprings: www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/geothermal-features.html
Many of these geothermal features are very colorful. These colors are due to the substances found in the water, and the color is a very good indicator of what these substances are. If a spring has a red color to it, most likely it is caused by a large amount of iron. If it is yellow, it is probably due to the presence of sulfur (though the smell of rotten eggs pretty much guarantees it is sulfur). Pinks and whites are often caused by the presence of calcium.
Amazingly, not all of the colors are caused by minerals. Due to the extreme heat and high acidity of many hot springs, for a long time it was believed that life forms could not exist in them. Then it was discovered that microorganisms known as thermophiles (literally "heat loving") can live and actually thrive in this very hot water. If the water is blue or green in color, that gives a very good indication that microorganisms, such as algae, protozoa, and bacteria, make their home here.
#AbFav_The_COLOUR_GREEN_🍀
#AbFav_PHOTOSTORY
Not all from my garden, most from my travels.
All the plants had a name tag... except this one!
Hydrangea, the name, comes from the Greek words "hydro" or water, and "angeion," or vase = water vase, they prefer a lot of water.
A very ancient plant, found in fossils going back thousands of years.
In most species the flowers are white, but in some species (notably H. macrophylla), they are blue, red, pink, light purple, or dark purple.
In these species the colour is affected by the presence of aluminium ions which are available or tied up depending upon the soil’s pH content.
For H. macrophylla and H. serrata cultivars, the flower colour can be determined by the relative acidity of the soil: an acidic soil (pH below 7), will have available aluminium ions and typically produce flowers that are blue to purple, whereas an alkaline soil (pH above 7) will tie up aluminium ions and result in pink or red flowers.
I wish you all the very best and thank you for all your kind words, time, comments, likes and faves.
Very much appreciated. M, (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Hydrangea, blooms, green, leaves, flowers, garden, Nature, outdoors, colour, "conceptual art", design, studio, colour, black-background, square, "Nikon D7000", "Magda indigo"
"Mosel (German: [ˈmoːzl̩]) is one of 13 German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) for quality wines (Qualitätswein, formerly QbA and Prädikatswein), and takes its name from the Mosel River (French: Moselle; Luxembourgish: Musel). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.
The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the Calmont vineyard located on the Mosel and belonging to the village of Bremm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer Calmont. The Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, but Elbling and Müller-Thurgau also contribute to the production, among others.
In the past two decades red wine production, especially from the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), has increased in the Mosel and throughout the German vignoble and has become of increasing interest to the international wine community. Because of the northerly location of the Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, tending to lower alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than or in addition to "fruity" aromas. Its most common vineyard soil is derived in the main from various kinds of slate deposits, which tend to give the wines a transparent, mineralic aspect, that often exhibit great depth of flavor. In the current era of climate change much work has been done to improve and gain acceptance for completely dry ("Trocken") Rieslings in this region, so that most of the more famous makers have found acceptance for such wines, particularly in Europe." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
One of Mexico’s finest coffees, Oaxaca Pluma is grown on the southern slopes of the central mountains in the southern state of Oaxaca.
Coffee from the Oaxaca region is known for its light body as well as its light acidity. Oaxaca Pluma coffee is a market name, and is also sold as Mexican Oaxaca coffee.
Citra is a collection of farmers in Abruzzo who got together to form a winery. They make a variety of wines that are inexpensive yet enjoyable. This is screw capped. It has a deep garnet color. The nose has cherries, candied cherries, smoke and a bit of spice. On the palate, it's more cherries and sour cherries with some spice. Good acidity. Nice finish. An easy drinking wine that is priced well. Made to drink now. Will work well with pizza, pasta or burgers.
Colour
Transparent with some haziness.
Tasting notes
Orange and bitter orange peel smell, orange peel taste.
Beverage Innovation Director's Tip
With its orange blossom taste and its low acidity, MONIN Triple Sec Curaçao allows you to create recipes that a regular orange flavour can't as dairy base drink. I truly like to mix it in lattes with MONIN Dark Chocolate sauce.
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Please take your time... to View it large on black
Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the thirteenth century when viticulture was known to flourish in the Chianti Mountains around Florence. Discover the most celebrated region of Tuscany. The vineyards of this area produce one of the best wines in the world: Chianti Classico. This Wine represents a major source of wealth for the Chianti area, no wonder then that this product has been particularly looked after and protected, in order to distinguish its quality from other wine productions. This is why a rigid legislation has been introduced to regulate the production of Classic Chianti. The first limit obviously regards the geographical area where the grape must grow. But not only the vineyards must be cultivated in the prescribed area: the whole process of wine-making, storage and bottling must take place inside the protected zone. The grape variety from which Chianti is produced is Sangiovese. The alcoholic strength must not exceed 12 %. In addition to this, there are other requirements that must be followed, regarding the average amount of dry product (24 g/l); the acidity rate (4,5 g/l), the colour (intense ruby red), the smell (fruity, with nuances of wildflowers, berries, cherries or plums) and taste (harmonious, dry, strong and with respectable tannin).
We drive on the glorious wine roads of Tuscany. We visit the farms and cellars and of-course taste the great Chianti wine. Here we visit Casale dello Sparviero. Harmoniously set in the hills of Castellina in Chianti, in the Siena's Classico area, the estate is spread 380 hectares. The vineyards are set on the altitude of 250 metres and encircled by woods and self vegetation. The Casale dated back to XVI century. The building houses the wine cellars, where wine continues its precious evolution in large oak barrels for quality wine.
Denk je aan Toscana, dan zie je stadjes op heuveltoppen, wijngaarden omzoomd door cipressen zover het oog reikt. Liefhebbers weten dat je overal tussen die landerijen. wijnhuizen kunt vinden waar je ook nog eens kunt proeven... het idee alleen al doet je toch bijna het water in de mond lopen. Ook als je weer thuis bent en je neemt een slok van je meegebrachte wijn, ben je er in je gedachten weer helemaal: op dat zonovergoten terras in Castellina in Chianti of bij dat fantastische restaurant met die truffelgerechten in Monteriggioni. Zeg je wijn in Toscana, dan zeg je Chianti, een wijn die zich in de laatste 30 jaar tot Classico heeft ontwikkeld. Chianti is de bekendste en populairste van alle Italiaanse wijnen. De wijn wordt gemaakt van de alom aanwezige Sangiovese-druif, die graag veel zon heeft en goed bestand is tegen grote temperatuurschommelingen. De belangrijkste Chianti-zones worden gevormd door de streek Chianti Classico gelegen rond Castellina. Zoals met zoveel in Italia, is ook de wijnbouw begonnen in het zuiden, maar hebben de noorderlingen het later overgenomen. Na de Romeinse tijd kwam de zuidelijke wijnbouw in de versukkeling. De oudste ononderbroken wijntraditie. In de Renaissance kwam de productie weer helemaal terug en wel in...Toscana. Rijke handelaars en bankiers zoals de families Frescobaldi en Antinori namen druivenrassen mee uit Frankrijk en legden daarmee de basis voor het feit dat Toscana tegenwoordig de oudste onononderbroken wijntradities van Italië kent.
Hydrangeas
are popular garden shrubs with delicate heads of flowers in shades of pink, white or blue and pretty autumn colour and leaf shape. The mophead and lace-cap hydrangeas are most well-known for their ability to change colour in different soils.
FOR MORE INFORMATIONS, PLEASE, FOLLOW THIS LINK:
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=122
THE MEANING & SYMBOLISM OF
First discovered in Japan, the name hydrangea comes from the Greek “hydor,” meaning water, and “angos,” meaning jar or vessel. This roughly translates to “water barrel,” referring to the hydrangea’s need for plenty of water and its cup-shaped flower. With its wooden stems and lacy, star-shaped flowers packed closely together in a pompom, the hydrangea’s color ranges from white to blue to pink and purple, determined by the acidity level of the soil.
There remains some debate over the hydrangea’s symbolism – with some connecting it to vanity and boastfulness (perhaps reflecting its abundance of petals and lavish, rounded shape) and others suggesting that a bouquet of hydrangea expresses the giver’s gratefulness for the recipient’s understanding. Still others suggest it represents anything that’s sincerely heartfelt. Despite this variation in flower meaning, there appears to be an overwhelming consensus that this 4th wedding anniversary flower possesses enduring grace and beauty.
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“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera…
they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
[Henry Cartier Bresson]
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Please don't use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
© All rights reserved
Macro Mondays • Coffee
Went to Burgers and Brew for dinner with Shawn, Andrea, Matt and Shannon. Had to get another one of the Ballast Point Limited Edition brews.Very tasty!
VICTORY AT SEA IMPERIAL PORTER WITH COFFEE AND VANILLA
A big porter crafted to weather any storm.
Our Victory at Sea Imperial Porter is a bold, smooth brew with just the right amount of sweetness. We infused this robust porter with vanilla and San Diego’s own Caffe Calabria coffee beans. The subtle roasted notes and minimal acidity of the cold brewed coffee, balances perfectly with the sweet caramel undertones of the malt, creating a winning combination for your palate.
Pale gold colour; tropical fruit aromas with melon, peach and orange blossom notes; dry, medium bodied, with great acidity and flavours of grapefruit, peach, green apple and pineapple; good length on the finish
... fresh Physalis in their husks. Both to eat and to photograph!
Physalis is characterised by the small orange fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk derived from the calyx.
The berry also goes by the names Golden Strawberry,Chinese Lantern and Cape gooseberry.
Not all Physalis species bear edible fruit. Select species are cultivated for their edible fruit, however; the typical Physalis fruit is similar to a firm tomato in texture, and like strawberries or pineapple in flavour, with a mild acidity.
Physalis fruit is a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron, calcium and trace amounts of B vitamins.
These fruits contain 18 kinds of amino acids.
These berries are also abundant in polysaccharides, compounds that may help fortify the immune system.
Yes, Nature creates its own jewellery.
A skeleton of Physalis, the small shrivelled fruit captured inside the fine lacy filigreed petals.
PHYSALIS alkekengi or Chinese Lantern Plant, they are native from southern Europe east across southern Asia to Japan.
Popular for the papery bright-orange lantern pods that develop around the ripening fruit, these are often cut and used for Thanksgiving and Halloween arrangements.
Plants are aggressive spreaders, and best kept out of the perennial border so they don't take over.
Also can be grown in tubs.
Small white flowers appear in midsummer, over a bushy mound of coarse green leaves.
Pods are green at first, but should be harvested as soon as the orange colour develops, the leaves stripped then stems hung upside down to dry in a warm dark room.
Thank you for your time and comments, greatly appreciated, M, (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
PHYSALIS, orange, fruit, "Magda Indigo", "black background", STUDIO, square, husk, skeleton, "Golden Strawberry", "Chinese Lantern", "Cape gooseberry", design, colour, "conceptual art", "Magda indigo"
I was enjoying this lovely one in the Stanley Park lower display gardens when a visitor from Argentina told me they call it Hortensia, and it turned out that Hydrangea is the Latin name for Hortensia (Hortensia means “of the garden”)
The flowers on a hydrangea shrub can change from blue to pink or from pink to blue from one season to the next depending on the acidity level of the soil. Adding organic materials such as coffee grounds, citrus peel or eggshells will increase acidity and turn hydrangea flowers blue, as described in an article on Gardenista. A popular pink hydrangea called Vanilla Strawberry has been named "Top Plant" by the American Nursery and Landscape Association.
The hybrid "Runaway Bride Snow White", bred by Ushio Sakazaki from Japan, was named Plant of the Year at the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Italian red wine (Dorgali, Sardinia)
Winemaking Process: With maceration for 15 days in truncated cone shape wooden fermenters at a controlled temperature of maximum 28 degrees c.
Refinement: French medium toasting barriques for 14 months.
Colour: Intense ruby red, with a violet nuance; very clear.
Bouquet: Intense; fresh and fragrant; you may feel pleasant notes of ripe red fruit, of jam and spices;
Taste: Dry, full body; you may feel a well balanced tannicity in perfect harmony with the fresh acidity; a taste of fruity and jam notes, with light vegetable nuances; the finish is persistent and clean.
Matching Guidelines and Serving Suggestion: Many dishes of regional cuisine; savoury first courses, grilled meat and roast, seasoned cheeses. Open the bottle at least 30 minutes before serving at 16 -18 degrees C.
MY BOTTLE bought in Dorgali:
Size 1,5 liters - regular
Credits Gambero Rosso 3 bicchieri rossi
Classification IGT
Year 2008
but you can find bottles of 0.75 liters here:
bellevy.com/buy-online-italian-wine/wine/red/red-wine-hor...
Please don't use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
© All rights reserved
Hit Explore. Mar 13.09. #317.
The flowers of Aphrodite, goddess of love and symbol of Athens.
Oh what a heavenly scent but you will find after a few seconds of scenting it you will lose the fragrance until you approach the flower again for another sniff. This is because the flower contains ionine which dulls the sense of smell for a short while. For this reason the flowers were strewn on floors of damp buildings in the past to mask the musty smell.
The flowers can also be used to test for acidity. An acid turns them red and alkalies turn them green.
Whilst grateful for single invites PLEASE, PLEASE< PLEASE, I really DO NOT WANT MULTIPLE ones. PLEASE no graphics, spinning or flashing comments. They stress my eyes.
"Köwerich an der Mosel is a local community in the Trier-Saarburg district in Rhineland-Palatinate. It belongs to the municipality of Schweich on the Roman Wine Route.
Köwerich is one of the towns in the Trier region whose documented history dates back to the early Middle Ages. Köwerich can refer to two documents from the years 704 and 710, about whose authenticity there is no doubt and whose Latin forms of the name in villa Cabriaco and in monte Cabracense are clearly identified as Köwerich.
The individual documents themselves are not preserved in the original, but are preserved in a 13th century manuscript made in the Echternach scriptorium - in short form, but with the most important information about the material content. Both documents from the years 704 and 710 relating to the town of Köwerich are closely related to the Echternach monastery, which was founded a few years earlier, and its founders, patrons and benefactors. The manuscript contains 240 copies of documents or excerpts from the 7th to 13th centuries and is known as the Golden Book of Echternach Abbey because of its valuable content - as Liber aureus Epternacencis . The Golden Book is now kept - after an adventurous odyssey triggered by the turmoil of the French Revolution - in the manuscript department of the research and university library in Friedenstein Castle in Gotha, Thuringia.
Köwerich also plays a certain role in Beethoven 's family history: Ludwig van Beethoven's mother was named Maria-Magdalena Keverich because one of her ancestors came from the place. The home of Beethoven's ancestors is located at St.-Kunibert-Platz No. 2.
Mosel (German: [ˈmoːzl̩]) is one of 13 German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) for quality wines (Qualitätswein, formerly QbA and Prädikatswein), and takes its name from the Mosel River (French: Moselle; Luxembourgish: Musel). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.
The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the Calmont vineyard located on the Mosel and belonging to the village of Bremm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer Calmont. The Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, but Elbling and Müller-Thurgau also contribute to the production, among others.
In the past two decades red wine production, especially from the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), has increased in the Mosel and throughout the German vignoble and has become of increasing interest to the international wine community. Because of the northerly location of the Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, tending to lower alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than or in addition to "fruity" aromas. Its most common vineyard soil is derived in the main from various kinds of slate deposits, which tend to give the wines a transparent, mineralic aspect, that often exhibit great depth of flavor. In the current era of climate change much work has been done to improve and gain acceptance for completely dry ("Trocken") Rieslings in this region, so that most of the more famous makers have found acceptance for such wines, particularly in Europe." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
I had the fortunate opportunity of being able to taste 3 very old wines recently. The first two, which were from 1970s had clearly not fared well- from the initial removal of the cork, it was clear that they had pretty much turned to vinegar. The third however, which was from a decade earlier, was a different matter. This wine was quite simply ......astounding. It was like opening a window on the past. The unique combination of conditions which came to make this purple-red liquid all those years ago- the sun scorched earth of that long, hot summer, the yeasts and sugars from the grapes and the acidity of the soil were all perfectly encapsulated. But it was more than just good wine. It was a living, breathing, organic thing.
And this is like print photography in many ways. I was at exhibition in London last week of Wim Wenders' polaroids and had exactly the same feeling. These weren't just a collection of bits and bytes on a screen- they had a physical presence. They had been touched and passed around. Each one was the first frame of their own unique movie stretching back over 40 years. They had life.
I wonder what will happen to our digitized images over the years. Places like Flickr are an incredible way of sharing our images with the world but I wonder if we shouldn't also give some thought to printing and archiving at least some of our favourites. Because when they're gone from our hard disks, they're gone forever.
This is Tuscany last autumn. An image I know I can't repeat. Does anyone have any printer ink?
Hverir è una delle zone geotermali più attive di tutta l'islanda. Conosciuta anche come Hverarönd, la regione è famosa per il colore ocra dei suoi paesaggi e, principalmente, per le numerose fumarole e le pozze di fango bollente che si distribuiscono lungo tutta la sua superficie.
La vegetazione è inesistente: il calore della terra, l’acidità nel suolo e i fumi velenosi rendono pressoché impossibile la vita.
Hverir is one of the most active geothermal areas in all of Iceland. Also known as Hverarönd, the region is famous for the ocher color of its landscapes and, mainly, for the numerous fumaroles and boiling mud pools that are distributed throughout its surface.
Vegetation is non-existent: the heat of the earth, the acidity in the soil and the poisonous fumes make life almost impossible.
IMG_4092m
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Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the thirteenth century when viticulture was known to flourish in the Chianti Mountains around Florence. Discover the most celebrated region of Tuscany. The vineyards of this area produce one of the best wines in the world: Chianti Classico. This Wine represents a major source of wealth for the Chianti area, no wonder then that this product has been particularly looked after and protected, in order to distinguish its quality from other wine productions. This is why a rigid legislation has been introduced to regulate the production of Classic Chianti. The first limit obviously regards the geographical area where the grape must grow. But not only the vineyards must be cultivated in the prescribed area: the whole process of wine-making, storage and bottling must take place inside the protected zone. The grape variety from which Chianti is produced is Sangiovese. The alcoholic strength must not exceed 12 %. In addition to this, there are other requirements that must be followed, regarding the average amount of dry product (24 g/l); the acidity rate (4,5 g/l), the colour (intense ruby red), the smell (fruity, with nuances of wildflowers, berries, cherries or plums) and taste (harmonious, dry, strong and with respectable tannin).
We drive on the glorious wine roads of Tuscany. Grapes and olives require similar climatic and soil conditions and share coinciding harvest times, making them a natural pair in the fields.
Long-term agricultural biodiversity appeals to vineyard owners, who realize that economic and seasonal variables, as well as consumer taste, make production of more than one quality product a proactive approach. Additionally, olive groves protect vineyards against strong winds, acting as windbreaks. We visit the farms and cellars and ofcourse taste the great Chianti wine.
Denk je aan Toscana, dan zie je stadjes op heuveltoppen, wijngaarden omzoomd door cipressen zover het oog reikt. Liefhebbers weten dat je overal tussen die landerijen. wijnhuizen kunt vinden waar je ook nog eens kunt proeven... het idee alleen al doet je toch bijna het water in de mond lopen. Ook als je weer thuis bent en je neemt een slok van je meegebrachte wijn, ben je er in je gedachten weer helemaal: op dat zonovergoten terras in Castellina in Chianti of bij dat fantastische restaurant met die truffelgerechten in Monteriggioni. Zeg je wijn in Toscana, dan zeg je Chianti, een wijn die zich in de laatste 30 jaar tot Classico heeft ontwikkeld. Chianti is de bekendste en populairste van alle Italiaanse wijnen. De wijn wordt gemaakt van de alom aanwezige Sangiovese-druif, die graag veel zon heeft en goed bestand is tegen grote temperatuurschommelingen. De belangrijkste Chianti-zones worden gevormd door de streek Chianti Classico gelegen rond Castellina. Zoals met zoveel in Italia, is ook de wijnbouw begonnen in het zuiden, maar hebben de noorderlingen het later overgenomen. Na de Romeinse tijd kwam de zuidelijke wijnbouw in de versukkeling. De oudste ononderbroken wijntraditie. In de Renaissance kwam de productie weer helemaal terug en wel in...Toscana. Rijke handelaars en bankiers zoals de families Frescobaldi en Antinori namen druivenrassen mee uit Frankrijk en legden daarmee de basis voor het feit dat Toscana tegenwoordig de oudste onononderbroken wijntradities van Italië kent.
"The curtain wall is the largely preserved city fortifications around the archbishop's part of Pfalzel. It was built by 1539 incorporating a medieval predecessor from the late 14th century, particularly the artillery wall with six roundels. The rampart wall (earth wall between two walls) with bastions protruding from the wall was probably built by Master Peter (builder of the Red Tower on Kaiserstrasse in Trier). The fortress was rendered unusable by the French in 1673/74. The fortification begins on the Moselle with Bastion 1, runs behind the houses east and north of Klosterstrasse, Scholasterei and Golostrasse, reinforced by Bastions 2 to 5, to the end bastion 6 behind Golostrasse 3 and 5 or Residenzstrasse 25. The moat area The outside along the rampart is now largely occupied by gardens and the cemetery. In 1961 a breakthrough was created between Bastion 5 and 6, and the system was repaired from 1970 to 1992.
Pfalzel is one of the 19 districts of the city of Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Pfalzel lies in the northeast of the city, west of the Moselle. It has around 3,450 inhabitants.
The Steigenberg in the Pfalzel district is 350 m high. The Wallenbach (Kyll) rises at its northeast foot.
Similar to the Ruwer district opposite, Pfalzel is located in the flood area of the Moselle. For several years now, a partially mobile flood protection system that can be installed quickly has protected houses on the Moselle up to a water level of over eleven meters. The massive protective gates on the Moselle cycle path cannot be overlooked.
Hardly any of Trier's previously independent districts can look back on a history as diverse as Pfalzel. The name goes back to the Latin word “palatiolum” (= little Palatinate) and was originally the name for a palatial castle complex from the 4th century, which was most likely closely related to the imperial court in Trier. Some of the walls of the complex that have been preserved to this day extend up to the second floor.
In the 7th century, a nunnery was founded in the building, which was de facto dissolved in 1016/17 by Archbishop Poppo von Babenberg and converted into a canon monastery. The monastery ring was supplemented with a gatehouse, cloister, chapels and farm buildings. Until the 16th century, the castle and monastery were surrounded by an impressive rampart wall that has been preserved to this day and was supplemented by a tithe barn, an Electoral Trier office building, a mint and a mill.
Under Archbishop Albero of Montreuil (1131–1152) work began on building a castle complex in the western part of the Palatiolum. A previous castle construction cannot be determined from the written sources. The Palatinate Castle repeatedly served as an alternative and “counter-residence” for the Archbishops of Trier when there were disputes with the municipality of Trier.
A civil farming settlement developed in the area around the castle, which, secured with its own defensive wall, gained town status in 1346.
During Electoral Trier times, the Pfalzel district comprised 54 towns around Trier. In French times, the canton of Pfalzel existed with several mairie.
In the Prussian period from 1815 onwards, Biewer and Ehrang, among others, belonged to the Pfalzel mayor's office. Biewer was separated in 1930 and incorporated into Trier, but Pfalzel initially remained independent.
On March 1, 1968, the two independent communities of Ehrang and Pfalzel were united to form one large community. Just a year later, however, on June 7, 1969, the municipality of Ehrang-Pfalzel was incorporated into the city of Trier. Since then, Pfalzel and Ehrang/Quint have been districts of the city of Trier.
Mosel (German: [ˈmoːzl̩]) is one of 13 German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) for quality wines (Qualitätswein, formerly QbA and Prädikatswein), and takes its name from the Mosel River (French: Moselle; Luxembourgish: Musel). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.
The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the Calmont vineyard located on the Mosel and belonging to the village of Bremm, and therefore referred to as Bremmer Calmont. The Mosel is mainly famous for its wines made from the Riesling grape, but Elbling and Müller-Thurgau also contribute to the production, among others.
In the past two decades red wine production, especially from the Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), has increased in the Mosel and throughout the German vignoble and has become of increasing interest to the international wine community. Because of the northerly location of the Mosel, the Riesling wines are often light, tending to lower alcohol, crisp and high in acidity, and often exhibit "flowery" rather than or in addition to "fruity" aromas. Its most common vineyard soil is derived in the main from various kinds of slate deposits, which tend to give the wines a transparent, mineralic aspect, that often exhibit great depth of flavor. In the current era of climate change much work has been done to improve and gain acceptance for completely dry ("Trocken") Rieslings in this region, so that most of the more famous makers have found acceptance for such wines, particularly in Europe." - info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
The English text follows the German
Prunus domestica oeconomica - Wohlriechender Spilling
Gehört zu den Ur-oder Primitivpflaumen. Eine der ältesten Obstsorten Europas.
Rundliche bis längliche gelbrote Früchte mit mirabellenartigem Geschmack. Gelten unter Kennern als Delikatesse. Sowohl roh als auch verarbeitet ein Genuss. Sehr lieblich im Geschmack, fast ganz ohne Säure. Fruchtfleisch goldgelb bis orange. Wie der Name schon sagt, duften die Früchte intensiv. Trägt jährlich sehr reich und reift im Juli. Diese uralte Obstsorte ist selbstfruchtbar und bestäubt auch andere Pflaumensorten.
Die vielen verschiedenen Vertreter (> 30) der Sippe Primitivpflaumen (PP) weisen eine sehr lange Blütezeit auf. Sie beginnt Ende Februar und endet Anfang Juni. Diese lange Zeit ist wichtiger geworden, da durch den Klimawandel die Obst- und die Rapsblüte enger aneinander gerückt sind.
Primitivpflaumen konnten bereits vor über 6.000 Jahren in menschlichen Siedlungen nachgewiesen werden. Sie haben sich in dieser Zeit kaum genetisch verändert.
Sie sind sehr resistent gegenüber den Pflaumenkrankheiten, stellen geringe Ansprüche an den Boden, sind leicht vermehrbar über Wurzelsprosse und bieten mit den sehr unterschiedlich ausgeprägten Früchten vielen Insekten, aber auch Kleinsäugern, eine wichtige zusätzliche Nahrungsquelle. Auch Blätter und Jungtriebe sind besonders bei vielen Käferarten eine beliebte Nahrungsquelle.
Noch vor einigen Jahrzehnten waren die PP zahlreich in den Hecken, Waldrändern und Knicks vertreten.
Im Zuge von Flurbereinigung und Modernisierung der Agrarwirtschaft reduzierten sich die Bestände erheblich.
Wer kennt noch die Namen wie zum Beispiel Kreeke, Kreete, Kricke, Spilling oder Wiechel?
Vertreter wie Kirschpflaume, Schlehe oder Mirabelle zählen ebenfalls zu den PP und sind wesentlich bekannter aber in der Natur auch seltener geworden. /
Prunus domestica oeconomica - Fragrant spilling plum
Belongs to the original or primitive plums. One of the oldest fruit varieties in Europe.
Roundish to elongated yellow-red fruits with a mirabelle plum-like flavour. Considered a delicacy by connoisseurs. A delight both raw and processed. Very sweet flavour, almost completely without acidity. Flesh golden yellow to orange in colour. As the name suggests, the fruits are intensely flavoured. It bears abundantly every year and ripens in July. This ancient fruit variety is self-fertile and also pollinates other plum varieties.
The many different representatives (> 30) of the primitive plum (PP) clan have a very long flowering period. It begins at the end of February and ends at the beginning of June. This long period has become more important as climate change has brought fruit and rape blossom closer together.
Primitive plums were found in human settlements over 6,000 years ago. They have hardly changed genetically during this time.
They are very resistant to plum diseases, have low demands on the soil, are easy to propagate via root shoots and offer many insects and small mammals an important additional source of food with their very differently shaped fruits. Leaves and young shoots are also a favourite food source, especially for many beetle species.
A few decades ago, PPs were still abundant in hedges, forest edges and hedgerows.
In the course of land consolidation and modernisation of agriculture, the populations were considerably reduced.
Who still recognises names such as Kreeke, Kreete, Kricke, Spilling or Wiechel?
Representatives such as cherry plum, blackthorn or mirabelle plum also belong to the PP and are much better known but have also become rarer in nature.
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A slice of lime in sparkling mineral water (Valser Limelite).
I'm pretty satisfied with this 2nd food shot, even if i had to fight almost an hour for the right flash setup...
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and beverages. Limes are grown all year round and are usually smaller and more sour than lemons.
In cooking, lime is valued both for the acidity of its juice and the floral aroma of its zest. It is a very common ingredient in authentic Mexican, Southwestern United States, Vietnamese and Thai dishes. It is also used for its pickling properties in ceviche. The use of dried limes (called black lime or loomi) as a flavouring is typical of Persian cuisine and Iraqi cuisine, as well as in Gulf-style baharat (a spice mixture that is also called kabsa or kebsa). Lime is an essential ingredient of any cuisine from India, and many varieties of pickles are made, e.g. sweetened lime pickle, salted pickle, and lime chutney.
Lime leaves are also an herb in South, East, and Southeast Asia.
Lime is frequently used to add flavour to cold and hot drinks, including water, tonic and other cocktails.
To prevent scurvy during the 19th century, British sailors were issued a daily allowance of citrus, such as lemon, and later switched to lime, which was not as effective at preventing scurvy but was easier to obtain on Britain's Caribbean colonies. It was later discovered that the greater effectiveness of lemons derived from the 4-fold higher quantities of vitamin C lemon juice contains compared to the West Indian limes used by the British.
Lime juice is the juice of limes (citrus). It may be squeezed from fresh limes, or purchased in bottles in both unsweetened and sweetened varieties. Lime juice is used to make limeade, and as an ingredient (typically as sour mix) in many cocktails.
Lime extracts and essential oils are frequently used in perfumes, cleaning products, and aromatherapy.
In India, the lime is used in Tantra for removing evil spirits. It is also combined with Indian chilis to make a protective charm to repel the evil eye. Furthermore, it was believed that hanging limes over sick people cured them of the illness by repelling evil spirits lurking inside the body.
When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light after lime juice contact, a reaction known as phytophotodermatitis can occur, which can cause darkening of the skin, swelling or blistering. The agent responsible for this is psoralen.
Lime contains 24 milligrams less vitamin C per 100 grams than the lemon.
[Source: Wikipedia]
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Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the thirteenth century when viticulture was known to flourish in the Chianti Mountains around Florence. Discover the most celebrated region of Tuscany. The vineyards of this area produce one of the best wines in the world: Chianti Classico. This Wine represents a major source of wealth for the Chianti area, no wonder then that this product has been particularly looked after and protected, in order to distinguish its quality from other wine productions. This is why a rigid legislation has been introduced to regulate the production of Classic Chianti. The first limit obviously regards the geographical area where the grape must grow. But not only the vineyards must be cultivated in the prescribed area: the whole process of wine-making, storage and bottling must take place inside the protected zone. The grape variety from which Chianti is produced is Sangiovese. The alcoholic strength must not exceed 12 %. In addition to this, there are other requirements that must be followed, regarding the average amount of dry product (24 g/l); the acidity rate (4,5 g/l), the colour (intense ruby red), the smell (fruity, with nuances of wildflowers, berries, cherries or plums) and taste (harmonious, dry, strong and with respectable tannin).
We drive on the glorious wine roads of Tuscany. We visit the farms and cellars and ofcourse taste the great Chianti wine.
Denk je aan Toscana, dan zie je stadjes op heuveltoppen, wijngaarden omzoomd door cipressen zover het oog reikt. Liefhebbers weten dat je overal tussen die landerijen. wijnhuizen kunt vinden waar je ook nog eens kunt proeven... het idee alleen al doet je toch bijna het water in de mond lopen. Ook als je weer thuis bent en je neemt een slok van je meegebrachte wijn, ben je er in je gedachten weer helemaal: op dat zonovergoten terras in Castellina in Chianti of bij dat fantastische restaurant met die truffelgerechten in Monteriggioni. Zeg je wijn in Toscana, dan zeg je Chianti, een wijn die zich in de laatste 30 jaar tot Classico heeft ontwikkeld. Chianti is de bekendste en populairste van alle Italiaanse wijnen. De wijn wordt gemaakt van de alom aanwezige Sangiovese-druif, die graag veel zon heeft en goed bestand is tegen grote temperatuurschommelingen. De belangrijkste Chianti-zones worden gevormd door de streek Chianti Classico gelegen rond Castellina. Zoals met zoveel in Italia, is ook de wijnbouw begonnen in het zuiden, maar hebben de noorderlingen het later overgenomen. Na de Romeinse tijd kwam de zuidelijke wijnbouw in de versukkeling. De oudste ononderbroken wijntraditie. In de Renaissance kwam de productie weer helemaal terug en wel in...Toscana. Rijke handelaars en bankiers zoals de families Frescobaldi en Antinori namen druivenrassen mee uit Frankrijk en legden daarmee de basis voor het feit dat Toscana tegenwoordig de oudste onononderbroken wijntradities van Italië kent.