Raise a Glass to Repeal Day!

Say “prohibition” and lots of other interesting words immediately spring to mind. Speakeasy. Bootleg. Moonshine. Now add a new phrase to that list: Repeal Day.

PHOTO: a Post-Repeal Day truck sports a sign with the slogan, "Happy Days are Beer Again!"Repeal Day is December 5. Why that date? Because on December 5, 1933, Utah cast the ratifying vote to repeal Prohibition, bringing to an end more than 13 years of a national ban on the sale, manufacture, transportation — and consumption! — of alcohol.

Although the Eighteenth Amendment was intended to reduce crime and poverty by curbing all things alcohol, Prohibition didn’t quite turn out that way:

  • Speakeasies became more numerous than the saloons they replaced.
  • Average citizens became illegal “bathtub gin” distillers.
  • Violence and crime skyrocketed.
  • Gangsters found a foothold in society by transporting and selling liquor.

By the time the Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth (the only time in history that’s happened), citizens had realized that prohibiting alcohol also prohibited:

  • Toasting your son or daughter on his or her wedding day.
  • Pressing the grapes you tended all summer into the wine you served all winter.
  • The simple enjoyment of a cold beer on a hot day.

With that in mind, the folks at repealday.org decided to mark “a return to the rich traditions of craft fermentation and distillation, the legitimacy of the American bartender as a contributor to the culinary arts, and the responsible enjoyment of alcohol as a sacred social custom.”

PHOTO: Enjoy Holiday Cheers! on December 5.In the spirit of Repeal Day, we are hosting our first-ever Holiday Cheers! Seasonal Tasting event on December 5, from 6 to 8 p.m.  A who’s who of Chicago distillers, brewers, and winemakers will be there to offer tastings and teachings about the city’s burgeoning spirits scene.

Join us to raise a glass to the grapes and the grains and the hops that make it all possible.

 

PHOTO: A great book: The Homebrewer's Garden.Fun reading/resources at our Lenhardt Library:

The Encyclopedia of Chicago keeps you flipping from topic to topic, 100 Years of Brewing takes you back pre-Prohibition, and The Home Brewers Garden helps you plan next year’s garden.


©2012 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

The Three Sisters: Another Reason to Give Thanks

The story has been passed down through generations of Native American cultures:

There are three sister spirits who dwell among the fields and protect the crops.

Sister Corn, with hair of gold, stands tall as the guardian of the crop.

Sister Bean feeds the shallow roots of Sister Corn (beans draw nitrogen from the air into the soil), then reaches for the sun as she twines in a spiral up her sister’s sturdy stalk.

Sister Squash, the eldest of the three, stays close to the Earth, encircling her sisters protectively with her large, prickly leaves that shade the soil and hold in moisture. Planted together on a mound of Mother Earth’s nurturing soil, the sisters receive water from Father Sky, who arches above them.

Close-up of green corn still on stalk.

Beans growing in a Three Sisters garden.

squash_DSC2600

The Iroquois called the Sisters “De-o-ha-ko,” which translates to “life support,” not only because the plants rely on each other as they grow, but also because, eaten together, they provide a healthy, life-sustaining diet for humans. Corn is rich in carbohydrates and amino acids, beans are rich in lysine (an amino acid that corn doesn’t supply), and squash seeds provide protein and vitamins essential for growth and development. “De-o-ha-ko” recognizes that humans are one and the same with the plants they eat.

Resolve to plant the Three Sisters in your vegetable garden in 2013…and Happy Thanksgiving!


©2012 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

Green Thumbs at Work

What it takes to plant 26,000 tulip bulbs in the Crescent Garden in just 3 hours:

  • 4 dozen doughnuts
  • 2 boxes of coffee
  • 2 gallons of orange juice

And 20 dedicated volunteers and staff fueled by the above.

Bulb planting
By 11:00 a.m., 26,000 tulip bulbs were planted in the Crescent Garden last Thursday.

It’s time to plant bulbs for next spring, and the weather’s cooperating nicely. In your yard, plant tulip bulbs 6-8 inches deep in well-drained soil. Remember, bulbs will rot where there’s too much water from gutters, irrigation, or poor drainage. Plant plenty: tulips look wonderful in clusters, in drifts, and in vases all around the house next spring!

Horticulturist Benjamin Carroll has a great video on how to plant bulbs at home. Check it out (along with other planting information) here.

Three Gardens of Good…and Evil

You may think of the three greenhouses as warm and cozy places to visit on a chilly fall day, but look sharp! There are dark and chilling secrets among the plants you may see there…

In the Arid Greenhouse

PHOTO: Giant toad plant.
Carrion flower or giant toad plant (Stapelia gigantea pallida) smells about as attractive as you might guess from its name.

ROT ROT ROT:  Though the star-shaped flowers of the toad plant look beautiful, they smell like rotten meat. (The scent attracts flies, which are the plant’s pollinators.) We warned you.

DEADLY SAP:  The milky sap of many plants in the euphorbia family irritates the skin and eyes…and is poisonous to humans and animals if ingested.

PHOTO: Peruvian apple cactus.
“Night owls” — bats, really — pollinate the peruvian apple (Cereus peruvanius).

THE BAT SIGNAL:  All cactus flowers last just one day—but the flowers of the Peruvian apple cactus only bloom one night, the better to attract its pollinator, a bat.

SHARP LEAVES:  Although cactus needles are nothing more than very skinny, narrow leaves, they are sharp enough to hurt. The tiny, hairlike needles can really get under your skin…ouch!

In the Tropical Greenhouse

PHOTO: Cocoa tree.
The fruit of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) give us our favorite dessert: chocolate!

CHOCOLATE AND FLIES:  Think about this as you’re eating your Halloween candy: tiny flies (called midges) are the pollinators for the cocoa tree. Therefore, every bit of chocolate you eat started with a fly…yum yum.

BANANA BLOOD?  When a leaf is trimmed off the banana plant, the sap that runs out is initially clear…but then it turns purplish-brown, leaving “blood” on the clothes of those who trim it. Is that a stain on your shirt?

KILLER BUGS:  When plant-eating bugs attack in the greenhouse, we release the appropriate bug-eating bugs. Although these mini-carnivores are mostly too small to be seen by humans…wait, do you hear munching?

In the Mediterranean Greenhouse

THE STRANGLER:  A rubber plant called the “Strangler Fig” has long, creeping roots that climb over other plants, tapping into that plant’s circulatory system and eventually smothering it. Most rubber plants are harmless…did you just see something move?

PHOTO: Deppea splendens.
The colorful and elegant Deppea splendens can be found in our greenhouses.

THE SPOOKIEST OF ALL:  By tearing down forests and destroying its natural habitat, humans have caused plants like Deppea splendens to become all but extinct. The only known survivors live in botanical gardens like this one.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Lions and tigers and plants, oh my!

Plant and animal costumes topped most of the award categories at Saturday’s fourth annual Spooky Pooch Parade! More than 300 four-legged competitors and an uncounted number of two-leggers streamed into the Garden on a beautiful, sunny fall day to show off their creativity, parade around the grounds, and engage in some extremely friendly (lots of tail wagging) competition in five categories.

Best Overall went to Nanuk, a husky/German shepherd/yellow lab mix whose owner “dressed” him in tiger stripes using all-natural, non-toxic hair spray (made for dogs!). Nanuk’s look was simple, sophisticated, and show-stopping (he was great about posing for pictures).

Best Horticultural Interpretation was awarded to Enzo, who was dressed as a rainforest, a costume much-appreciated by the garden-friendly crowd. The 3-year-old Italian waterdog’s owner fashioned a handmade cocofiber shell, then stitched on orchids and epiphytes (air plants) that bounced around as Enzo walked the parade.

“The Pumpkin Patch” was named Best Puppy, meaning Nino, a 7-month-old puppy AND his family (dad and daughter), who all wore farmer/vine/pumpkin costumes. Nino drew much attention for his unusual breed: he’s a Lagotto Romagnolo, an Italian truffle-hunting dog.

A 13-year-old Yorkie won Best Senior for an interpretation of the Cowardly Lion: turns out that the grandmother in the family made the costumes for both Kiwi the dog and her own 11-month old granddaughter, who also attended, dressed as a brave little lion.

Finally, Jessie and her owner took home the award for Best Combination Dog & Owner, outfitted as sheriffs. The prize acknowledges the dog and owner who look most alike—how fun is that!

Visit the web site to view pictures of all of the winners.

We all noticed how many truly creative and wonderfully handmade costumes there were this year—we think it’s proof that people love Halloween almost as much as they love their dogs. Here’s a gallery of a few favorites.

Also, don’t miss this video of our favorite highlights from Saturday’s Spooky Pooch Parade — to share with the kids and anyone you know still looking for a great costume idea!

Pirate DogFang Girl

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  • Dressed as a storm cloud, an English bulldog was followed by a corgi, dressed as a rainbow.
  • One of several hotdogs brought along his own human bottle of ketchup and human bottle of mustard.
  • One dog in a full-body shark costume and another as a sea turtle were trailed by their humans — dad in a full-body wet suit, goggles, and snorkel, and daughter as a squid.
  • Two dogs in suits: canine presidential contenders!