Messages from the past

In the past was common to pass plants, of all kinds, on. To share them with others. They were a kind of message in a bottle.

People passed on sourdough starters, rewana starters, yeasts, kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi, miso, kombucha, pickles, and starter brine for bacon; along along with seeds, tubers, roots, divisions and the other 101 ways propagating plants. Often it was a point of pride that this particular bread was started by my cousin who got it from her grandmother who got it from – you get the picture. Plants can have a family lineage as well.

So it is with this cacti – peanut cactus we always called them. My sister gave to to me, I don’t know how she got the plants originally, but they came from our Bestemor, and legend has it that they came from the home of cacti, Denmark. I imagine there could be at least a fraction of truth in the story – biosecurity was more liberal in the 1950s than today. Bestemor had a collection of cacti and succulent plants that grew on the front deck of their house. I was always interested in their strange shapes, colours, and fine arsenal of spines.

I now have a small collection of succulents and these cacti, growing and flowering in in my conservatory at the front of my house. I don’t know who I’ll pass them on to – maybe I’ll be the last person to care. But in the meantime, the story remains alive.

PS: Echinopsis chamaecereus – the peanut cactus – is a native of Argentina.

Manifesto
04. Every day is an opportunity to cultivate the promise of the future.
14. Every day the ordinary can be the extraordinary.
21. Every day seek the support of others. You are not alone.

Fresh New Day