The Roots of Valentine’s Flowers
A LOVE STORY IN BLOOM
Walk into any grocery store around February, and you can usually tell Valentine’s Day is getting close. Buckets of roses sit near the entrance, and people hover in front of the display while trying to decide whether a bouquet is enough or if they should add some chocolates and a balloon. Even if you don’t go all-in on the sentiment, you can’t help but get a little caught up in the Valentine’s season. If you’ve ever wondered where the tradition of giving flowers started, you have to look back long before Valentine’s Day was ever a thing. For thousands of years, various cultures around the globe have used flowers to mark all types of occasions. Ancient Egyptians used them in ceremonies and burials and adorned their war carts with them before heading into battle. The Greeks and
Romans brought flowering plants into their festivals and rituals and even linked certain blooms with their gods. Roses are the flowers most often associated with romance today. They were first cultivated in China around 5,000 years ago, but it was many years later in Europe that the connection between flowers and romance really bloomed. By the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, different flowers had associations that showed up in art and stories. The idea of a language of flowers took off during the Victorian era. In 1884, an artist and writer named Kate Greenaway even put together a dictionary that matched each flower with a feeling. If a person sent red roses, they were expressing love. White roses, on the
other hand, could represent respect or a new beginning. Violets, lilies, and dozens of other flowers had their own meanings. As time went on, florists and growers created an entire industry around the tradition of giving flowers. Improved greenhouses, railroads, and later airplanes made it possible to ship cut flowers long distances. That helped turn Valentine’s Day into the biggest flower holiday of the year, with Mother’s Day close behind. Today, there are thousands of retail florists nationwide, and sending flowers is as easy as clicking a few buttons in an app. But while the way we order them has changed, the sentiment is the same. A simple arrangement on the table connects us to a tradition that has been growing (quite literally!) for a very long time.
Take a Break
Mouthwatering Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients • 12 oz package vanilla wafers • 16 oz cream cheese, softened • 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 21 oz can cherry pie filling
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In two 24-cup miniature muffin pans, line each space with a paper liner. 3. Using a food processor or resealable plastic bag, crush vanilla wafers into a fine crumb. 4. Press 1/2 teaspoon of crumbs into each paper liner. 5. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 6. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top. 7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheesecakes are set. 8. Cool completely in the pan. 9. Top each mini cheesecake with about a teaspoon of cherry pie filling before serving. Enjoy!
DREAM EQUALITY FESTIVAL GROUNDHOG
HEARTS KING LINCOLN MUFFIN
PANCAKE RABBIT ROSES
Inspired by AllRecipes.com
ZIHMERLAW.COM | 3
UST ADMINISTRATION | ELDER LAW
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator