This was the first time one my images was used on a front cover of a book, and it shares it with the names of some giants of the ethnobotanical world.
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Monday, 15 July 2013
INTRODUCTION
Hello folks my name is Farmer Dodds, I grow rare and interesting herbs and ethnobotanicals as a hobby, and over time I have started to amass an interesting collection of stuff, manly Papaver somniferum and cold hardy members of the Solanaceae family, along with other rare hardy ethnobotanicals, my stock has grown large enough over the years to allow me to share some with you.
Papaver somniferum [Opium poppy] (ex. Arghandab Valley north
of Kandahar)
I am always on the lookout for something new and exciting, and if interested enough, I would be happy to do a trade.
Please feel free to Google my name, as I have photographs and blogs all over the place.
Love
Farmer
'Photograph
of me at Glastonbury a few years ago'
Here is the Definition of the word Kykeon if anyone is interested:
Kykeon
Claviceps purpurea 'Ergot' growing on cultivated Hordeum
vulgare ‘Barley’
Definition
by
Joshua J. Mark
Kykeon (from the Greek “to mix, stir”) was a beverage of
water and barley (sometimes flavored with mint or thyme) popular among the
working, 'lower’ class of ancient Greece. In Homer’s Illiad it is described as
a mixture of water, barley, herbs and ground goat cheese (Book XI) and the
drink is also mentioned in the Odyssey Book X when the sorceress Circe uses it,
mixed with honey, to make her potion. Kykeon is most famous for its use in the
Rites of Demeter at the city of Eleusis where it was used by initiates to
experience the mystery of death and rebirth in the ritual which has come to be
known as The Eleusinian Mysteries. This mixture, however, differed
significantly from the common drink in that it had psychoactive properties,
most likely caused by the fungus Ergot on the barley gathered around Eleusis,
which allowed participants in the Mysteries to reach a fuller understanding of
their purpose in life and to shed their fear of death(as testimonials from
ancient writers who participated in the Mysteries attest). In the time of the
Roman Empire Kykeon was still a popular drink made from water, wine, honey and
barley with various herbs added to individual taste.
Mentha aquatica 'Water Mint'
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHTED TO ME FARMER DODDS, PLEASE ASK FOR PERMISSION BEFORE USING THEM, I HAVE AN EVER GROWING PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE, SO IF YOU NEED A IMAGE RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT, JUST ASK I MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU OUT.
I HAVE ANOTHER BLOG THAT IS DEDICATED TO BLOTTER ART, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CHECK IN OUT:
MY FLICKER PAGE: