The Newtown Pentacle

Thursday photos from the before time.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Having grown up in Southeastern Brooklyn, my natural inclination in all things is to be a wise ass. Even if it means I’m going to piss off the listener, there’s absolutely zero chance that I can contain my urge to say something either off color, salacious, sarcastic, or just plain mean. The odds of me not complimenting the local green grocer by telling him “Hey, you gots a nice set a melons on you, bro” shortly after snapping the pic above are astronomically against.

For those of you reading this who are of the Hellenic persuasion, I’m seeking out the “nom de plume” for a species of melon commonly available in Crete – said cultivar resembles a small cantaloupe from the exterior, but internally looks like a honeydew. It’s a fragrant and juicy melon which doesn’t have much of shelf life, which is probably why I don’t see it on sale here in Astoria. Any idea what the thing is called? I’d like to have one at breakfast time, with some feta and eggs.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Adages abound about life, cherries, and pits. I haven’t had any cherries yet this year, for many reasons, and would like to have a pile of them with lunch. Pictured above are the fruits of Prunus Avium, or sweet cherries. Technically speaking, cherries are “drupes,” which indicates that the delicious red exocarp surrounds an inedible woody endocarp which carries the actual seed within.

As to why I haven’t had cherries this year, the most “handled” item at the fruit stand are cherries. The old ladies of Astoria need to touch each and every drupe when filling their plastic sacks. I’m trying to avoid eating things which a lot of random people touch due to the cooties plague.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

I use a lot of carrots when I’m cooking, which requires getting creative. There’s a giant resovoir of vitamins and other beneficial chemicals contained in these roots, and given a choice twixt the potato or the carrot I’ll always go for the latter. Potatoes are easier to cook, but carrots taste better and are actually better for you.

The modern carrot is actually fairly modern. Wild carrots are Persian in origin, and were described in many ancient texts dating back to Roman times. The modern orange colored domestic carrot seems to have been arrived at in 10th century Afghanistan, or at least that’s where the earliest evidence of them can be found. Carrots are also one of the few agricultural cultivars – unlike melons and cherries – which offer an entirely edible plant from root through stem, leaf, and seed.

Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, July 6th. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates as we move into April and beyond, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.

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Buy a book!

“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.