Brooklyn Smells
A Linden Blooms in Brooklyn
On June 19th my summer officially began. It took the calendar a couple days to catch up. But my summer begins with my first whiff of linden tree flowers and that happened on June 19th not the 21st. Linden’s extra special because it doesn’t announce itself like magnolias or cherry trees. It’s unassuming.
Most of the linden trees that I’ve seen in Brooklyn have wide, bright green leaves that shelter clusters of small, creamy yellow flowers that bloom in late spring. Unless you catch the honey-like scent on a breeze, you might be directly under one before you know it’s that kind of tree. I need to exercise my blog muscles, so I took pictures. Then thought, “How can I work this into the blog? What’s the connection between knitting and linden?”
Linden blooms in Brooklyn © Doris Pritchett
Not surprisingly, I’m not the only one to find the linden tree inspirational.
A little web research (and I do mean precious little) and I found lots of linden references. Now, I’ve finally learned the source of that mysterious cloud of linden scent that perfumes the air on the FDR Drive somewhere between the 42nd and 34th street exits on spring evenings. It’s 120 linden trees planted in Four Freedoms Park at the tip of Roosevelt Island, a small island with a long history lying midway between Manhattan and Queens in the East River. The trees were placed there in 2011 in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the Million Tree Campaign initiated in 2007.
Linden Trees in Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, NY © Paul Warchol
I was already familiar with tea made from linden flowers (sometimes called lime flowers or tilleul), though I can’t say its taste evoked the same enthusiasm as the smell of the flowers. It’s purported to be soothing and good for all kinds of ailments. However, knowing there was tea, I suspected there was wine. Sure enough, I soon found reference to linden blossom spirits.
“Summer Solstice” is a wine produced by the Ungrapeful Winery in Pennsylvania. Their website describes it as a “must try for tea lovers.” No doubt. Its main ingredient is Linden tea. If (I really mean when), I get a chance to taste it, I’ll report back. Or, you could always make your own. I found several recipes on the web for floral spirits. The Urban Huntress offers up a recipe for a linden cordial that seems the easiest to follow. No. I haven’t tried it. I’m not sure what harvesting flowers from a Brooklyn roadside tree would get me. But if you give it a go, please let us know how it turns out.
Finally, there were several yarns with colors named “Linden.” GGH’s Linova summer weight 74% cotton, 26% linen impressed me most and is currently available. (Ask me how I know.) The shade reminds me of the color of the underside of linden leaves.
According to Anne Mende, her “Linden” infinity scarf (available on Ravelry) “uses the light green leaves and seeds of a linden tree as inspiration.” I think I can see that, sort of. The pattern is written for a bulky wool yarn, but, with a bit of calculation, it could be transformed from a warm reminder of better times into a lightweight summer accessory using the GHH cotton instead. Just a thought.
Or, you could keep it simple: knit a washcloth and use linden scented soap . . . maybe while sipping a fresh batch of linden flower cordial.
Happy summer!
2 Responses
I remember the Linden being the very first tree i identified out of a field guide, when I was studying medicinal plants. I was leaning against this giant tree in Prospect Park that was split open towards the bottom as if it had been struck by lightning. It even had what looked like another tree growing from within that split. But what I remember most was those broad leaves and how one side was green and the other almost silver. I made it a point to visit that tree often, tracking it over the seasons to see how it changed. Such a beautiful and hardy tree! Though i haven’t seen it in a while, I still feel a special bond to this tree and to Lindens in general.
And not too long ago I kayaked past the tip of Roosevelt Island, and I’ve seen that park, but didn’t realize the trees were all Lindens. Next time I’m going that way I’ll make a plan to get a bit closer to check them out!
Happy Summer!
Don’t know if I’m ready to go by kayak! but it looks like a great place to knit. 🙂