Soon to invade a garden near me.
I need thyme for the cracks in my now-finished backyard patio, and since S & S Farm Market on Knickerbocker is a hell of a lot closer than Home Depot, I figured I’d give them a try. They did have plenty of nice plants, but I didn’t see any thyme. Since I needed mint, too, I grabbed three of their nice-looking specimens and went to the counter.
“Do you have any thyme plants?”
The Chinese woman behind the counter just stared, perplexed.
Then I thought to ask in Spanish: “Tomillo?”
“Oh, no we don’t have right now.”
I thanked her, paid, and walked out thinking “what the hell just happened here?”
Side note: I know even obscure herb names in Spanish because as a kid in Miami we used Badia brand spices, and they all had the name in English and Spanish on the bottle. I still have three Badia bottles left…even though I moved away from Miami almost 5 years ago. Should, uh, probably get rid of these. *cough*
Becky June 6th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Ha ha. I once stood looking at a wall of spices all in Spanish saying “Which one is cumin again?” for about five minutes. I also went to five places looking for horseradish for New Year’s bloody marys before the guy at Angel’s Fruit Shop finally just sadly shook his head and told me that I wouldn’t find it, “People here don’t want it.” (But last week it magically appeared at the Associated, just in time for pickled beets.)
Jeremy June 6th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Horseradish at the Associated!? GENTRIFICATION! gentrifier! j’accuse! *points accusatively*
z. June 6th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
You could also use chamomile if you can find it… I’ve heard it makes good ground cover.
Becky June 6th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
By next week they’ll have nothing but imitation chicken patties and Sabra!
Mary June 6th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Nice plants in bushwick? YES!! I can’t find a decent nursery around to save my soul. I wind up at home depot!
Matt June 6th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
oooh. Reminds me i need mint. It’s mojito time.
Thanks :)
Jeremy June 6th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Mary, don’t get TOO excited, the plants are nice but the selection is so-so. But they do have the basics and they are right here. The florist next door to the veggie market also has a few good plants out front.
Matt, check with me in about a month, if all goes well I should have a giant mint patch in my backyard. :-D
Mr. Kraayon June 6th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
you probably shouldn’t be using those spices anymore, Jeremy. As far as I know, spices are only good for a year.