Open For Business
by Connie Handscomb
Title
Open For Business
Artist
Connie Handscomb
Medium
Photograph - Photography - Fine Art
Description
That beautiful moment when you're in a restaurant, and you see your food coming ... then it turns out that it's going to the table next to you ....
~ Unknown ... :)
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Botanical Name = Crocus [fr. Greek "Krokos"]
Family = Iridaceae
The crocus is old. On the island of Santorini, in the ruins of Akrotiri, wall paintings were found showing the harvest of crocus stamens that date back to c. 1600 BCE [the Bronze Age]. It is mentioned in the Song of Solomon from 3,000 years ago. Ancient Sanskrit used the letters KRK which became 'crocus' in Latin.
The crocuses are pale purple in colour from which saffron [fr. the Arabic za'faran]. It has been claimed that, ounce for ounce, saffron is more valuable than gold: 1 ounce of saffron requires 4,000 stigmas [or 75,000 blossoms - 225,000 stigmas, harvested by hand - to produce a single pound [.05kg]. It certainly was a valuable commodity when the Black Death swept across Europe in the 14th century, and its demand as a medicine depleted its supplies. Masks stuffed with medicinal spices, such as saffron, were worn during the plague, and as saffron became scarce, hostilities arose between countries resulting in The Saffron War of 1374.
While we know it best as a food flavor enhancer, saffron [fr Crocus sativus] was used during the Middle Ages in illuminated manuscripts as an imitation gold leaf, though rarely, due to its cost. And yes, it was used as a food flavoring then too .... by the rich families. Its flavour has been described as bittersweet: sweet, pungent, and earthy. The Romans used it to clear the air - the weathy ones stuffed their mattresses with rose petals and saffron. Alexander the Great is said to have had saffron baths to ease his wounds. Culpeper called it an 'herb of the sun, and of the Lion' as it was used to strengthen the heart [10 grains given as a medicine]. It has been used to aid digestion, reduce high blood pressure, and stimulate circulation.
The crocus plant has both male and female parts, which enables it to easily reproduce when in flower. Currently crops are grown in Kashmir, Spain and Afghanistan. Stigmas are hand picked, dried, and then ground.
While the Crocus sativus can be cultivated for its saffron, others such as the snow crocuses and spring flowering crocus (C. vernus) grow wild in many parts of the world, and are the earliest of spring flowers.
Sources:
100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names [Diana Wells]
Fifty Plants That Changed The Course Of History [Bill Laws]
Four Chefs, One Garden : Seasons Of West Coast Living [Roy]
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Elated I was to find a crocus that was not speckled with earth or splattered with mud (they grow so low to the ground, what our eyes do not see, the macro lens does).
The inner stamens of the crocus remind me of a fork, which is fitting, I guess, considering that this is where the meals are served.
Here, the crocus has opened the doors for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: the springtime bloom is open for business - chow down, and enjoy :)
Captured in natural light - uncropped - unedited... nature in all its splendour.
♥ Heartfelt Gratitude to FAA groups for featuring this image :
Macro Marvels
Global Flowers Photography
Uploaded
March 31st, 2017
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Viewed 347 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/24/2024 at 4:00 AM
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Comments (32)
Bijan Pirnia
FEMININE SOFTNESS, That's what this lovely image reminds me of. Crocus has a special place in my heart. It is the harbinger of Spring. Year after year, when I see the first crocus blooming around the third week of February in lower elevation (6000 feet or lower,) I know the worst of Winter is over : no more 26 below zero for overnight low.
Morris Finkelstein
Fabulous spring crocus with great colors, focus, textures, light, and composition, Connie! F/L
Glenn DiPaola
Beautifully done, as usual. Two minor shapes caught my eye. That wonderful little bit of curve in the upper right and the subtle, singular green in the opposite corner. Great details to place in the frame. L/F
Connie Handscomb replied:
Good eye, Glenn! I felt I had to leave them in to let the viewer know it was one of many ... if I took out the top right, the one chunky piece left would have looked too odd, unbalanced. Not the easiest flower to capture, being so close to the ground! I'm so grateful to you for your comments; thank you, best to you today!;))
KG Photography
So very beautiful... and Spring! Love this, Connie! :)) l/f/t
Connie Handscomb replied:
Thank you, KG! So difficult to capture springtime blooms this year ... too many rainy days!:))
Cheryl Rose
Gorgeous softness to this splendid purple beauty. Love the depth and flow of details on the petals. A fantastic, artistic POV in this macro, Connie! l/f/tw :))
Connie Handscomb replied:
Thank you, Cheryl! I wish they grew a little higher so I didn't have to bend so low! :)))
Linda Lees
It's hard to imagine that this pretty flower could produce something worth more than gold. Beautiful image and interesting description! L/F