June 20, 2019 The Zip Slicer, John Bartram, Meriwether Lewis, Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, Benjamin Lincoln Robinson, Isabella Abbott, Alice Mackenzie Swaim, The Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs, the Chelsea Chop, and Coe Finch Austin

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Monologue

There is nothing that can beat eating fresh food from the garden.

It seems every meal around here has fresh basil and lettuce from the garden, along with little cherry tomatoes.

Today, I was at my favorite olive oil store, and they sell this little gizmo called the Zip Slicer.

You load it up with your cherry tomatoes or grapes, and then you slice them all in one quick motion.

It's fantastic. I think we've been eating Caprese salad with sliced cherry tomatoes around here about three times a week with the help of the Zip Slicer.

Botanical History On This Day

1757 John Bartram wrote to Philip Miller of the Chelsea Physic Garden, sharing his preference for hardy plants and garden varieties. His words are a glimpse into the practical philosophy of America’s first botanist.

1803 Thomas Jefferson wrote to Meriwether Lewis. His letter quietly set the stage for botanical discovery, prompting Lewis to seek training from botanist Benjamin Smith Barton before heading west.

1861 The scientist Frederick Gowland Hopkins was born. His work on “accessory food factors” laid the foundation for our modern understanding of vitamins.

1892 Benjamin Lincoln Robinson was appointed curator of Harvard’s Asa Gray Herbarium, beginning a tenure that rescued and expanded one of America’s most important botanical collections.

1919 Isabella Abbott, the first Native Hawaiian woman to earn a Ph.D. in science, was born. She became the world’s foremost authority on seaweeds and a passionate advocate for limu.

Unearthed Words

Green Summer by Alice Mackenzie Swaim captures the fleeting essence of the season. It's a poem in which clover fields, skylarks, and time itself seem to pause.

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener review of The Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs by John Hillier

Buy the book on Amazon: The Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs by John Hillier

Today's Botanic Spark

1831 The birth of Coe Finch Austin. His life reminds us that botanical passion often goes hand in hand with bravery, and that some collectors quite literally take the steep way down.

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And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.