Summertime is coming to a close. Truthfully, I’m not sorry to see it go as it’s been a hot one! While that means not much in the way of flowers to photograph, it does offer a subject matter redirect: fruits and veggies!
First, I’d like to point out, in the photo above I stumbled across a “Happy Accident”. It had rained prior to paying a visit to the gardens. Hence a pepper plant was covered with water droplets. Little did I know till I got home and put the photo up on the computer that I noticed my reflection in all the little water droplets. You probably need to zoom in on the photo to see this. Just thought I’d share cuz it’s kinda cool.
Ok, now onto our regularly scheduled program or post…
Let’s Hear it for the Harvest!
One may not intentionally seek out photographing fruits and veggies – that is unless they are a food photographer. But fruits and veggies can actually make for some interesting photos. They may not be as exciting as flowers, but they do still deserve a little time in the spotlight.
Several of the gardens I frequent to photograph flowers also have fruits and veggies growing in them too. It makes for quite a variety of nature as they grow alongside and often complement each other. The local Community Garden can actually be a treasure trove of photo ops. And watching these food delights take form and evolve over the summer can be pretty cool.
It definitely makes me miss having my own garden space to grow fresh food. There’s much to be said for your own harvest moments. It’s amazing how much food you can actually grow in a small space. And home grown carrots were by far the best I’ve ever eaten!
Grapes, Blackberries and Blushing Apples
Watching grapes come to their fruition as in this green grapes photo is like a little vineyard moment. Hanging on their vine as they slowly ripen to perfection. Where is the bread and cheese?!
A downside I’ve noticed to local grapevine leaves is: the invasive Japanese beetles love them. And once they munch their way through the leaves, they leave them literally looking like lace! Prolific pets they are 🙁
On an up note, as a graphic designer for years, I always loved looking at wine bottle labels. Some are so cool. I even had a design project in college where we had to design a wine bottle label – or several for that matter as I created a wine gift box!!
So I guess you could say these grapes also bring back visions of graphic exploration.
The blackberries in various stages of ripening was rather fascinating to see. Had no idea they underwent such an evolution going from red to their dark color. Admittedly I plucked and nibbled on quite a few of these yummy fruit bites. Blackberry plants can be quite prolific! But I have to shy away once the nasty yellow jackets and wasps show up. They seem to gravitate towards these ripening sweet little fruits.
These blushing apples were literally growing on the neighbors tree. I loved their rosy color! They were hanging over the fence so I was not invasive to their yard. This photo was actually taken a few years ago. The neighborhood had a bumper crop of apples. The thought of all the garden delights going to waste was unacceptable. So I walked around the neighborhood and proceeded to gather as many as I could – often asking homeowners if they minded. Which they did not. I made countless batches of homemade applesauce which is far better than anything you buy at the store. And the smell of cooking apples is divine!!
Artichokes and Tomatoes too!
Artichokes are basically a big thistle plant. They are easily recognizable with their big strange looking buds. Never figured I’d take a picture of one – but there it was and so I did. I’m a HUGE fan of artichokes. I love them in everything from salads to pasta dishes to frittatas. I believe my Italian heritage comes into play on this aspect of my palate and I’m ever so grateful!!
I’d be remiss if I did not give tomatoes some photo attention. These little cherry tomatoes were cute clustered so close together. I couldn’t resist. They were quite pretty with the morning sun reflecting off them.
Bees and Zucchini Flowers
A post would not be complete without giving some props to bees. I like to give recognition to these industrious little garden pollinators. They are such important contributors to the success of our food. We need them!!
In this photo below the bees are busy within this bright yellow zucchini flower. I thanked them for their work then left them to their own devices 🙂
