October 21, 2019 Tropicals in Freezing Temps, Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Victor Lemoine, Alfred Nobel, Arturo Gómez-Pompa, Prayer for Autumn, A Way to Garden by Margaret Roach, Bagged Mulch Benefits, and the 1967 Flower Girl

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Botanical History On This Day

1772 Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet and founding figure of Romanticism, was born on this day. He was an artist who believed taxonomy itself could be poetry and gave us garden imagery as lush as friendship and as sheltering as trees.

1823 Victor Lemoine, the great French flower breeder, was born, leaving gardeners an inheritance of lilacs, peonies, and other floral marvels so refined they still perfume our borders more than a century later.

1833 Alfred Nobel, Swedish chemist and descendant of botanist Olof Rudbeck, was born. He later transformed personal regret into a lasting legacy of peace, science, and literature through the Nobel Prizes.

1934 Arturo Gómez-Pompa, Mexican botanist and rainforest conservationist, was born. He is remembered for his groundbreaking work on the flora of Mexico and the preservation of tropical ecosystems.

Unearthed Words

A prayer for autumn from Rainer Maria Rilke called “Lord, it is time.”, invokes ripeness, wind, shadow, and sweetness at the turning of the year:

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener's review of A Way to Garden by Margaret Roach

Buy the book on Amazon: A Way to Garden by Margaret Roach

Today's Botanic Spark

1967 On this day, during the March on the Pentagon, 17-year-old Jan Rose Kasmir stood before armed soldiers holding only a chrysanthemum—an image forever known as *Flower Power* and a reminder that even in the harshest seasons, gentleness can still bloom.

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Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta
1/3 cup dill pickle juice (from the pickle jar)
2 cups chopped baby dill pickles
1 block (8 oz) Colby Jack cheese, cubed small 1 small white onion, finely chopped

Creamy Dill Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup dill pickle juice (from the pickle jar)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried dill) 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Don't forget to add some salt to the boiling water before adding the pasta. I add about 1 teaspoon, give or take.

Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Add 1/3 cup of the pickle juice to the drained and rinsed pasta and let it sit while you prepare the rest.

(Move the pasta from the colander into a mixing bowl and then add the pickle juice) Chop the dill pickles, and cheese into small cubes/pieces. Finely chop the white onion.

Drain the pasta again that was sitting in the pickle juice. Add it to a large bowl along with the chopped pickles, cheese, and white onion.

In small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and pour over the pasta salad. Stir everything together to combine well. Salad can be eaten right away but I prefer it cold, and if you do too, then cover it and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours.

Notes:

I would recommend not making this too far ahead of time. For best results serve this salad within a few hours of making it. Either right away or after the refrigeration time. Leftovers do keep well in the fridge (are still delicious) but the dressing thickens up and it's not as "creamy" as when you first make it).

Use any dill pickles you want. I prefer the baby dills cause they are already small in shape so it's easier to chop them small.

For best taste and texture use the real, full-fat mayonnaise. I prefer Best Foods OR Hellman's brand. If you want some heat then add a pinch (or two) of cayenne pepper to the dressing.

Any cheese or pasta can be used in this recipe but after testing it out, rotini and Colby Jack cheese taste the best in this salad.