Soup to nuts

A minimalist ratatouille: and saucy enough to ladle over pasta, etc. Just those eggplants, onion, garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes (from a can).

I plucked this while walking this evening. Ginkgo. Alone of all its kind: neither gymnosperm nor angiosperm, it’s a living fossil. And being a survivor, it’s an excellent tree for our sidewalks. Actually, this species was thought extinct, but it was found preserved on monasteries and temple grounds in Asia. This is a female, from a mature specimen, since they only plant male trees now. The fruits tend to make a messy smear on the sidewalk, and people, presumably property owners, don’t like the smell. I find the odor akin to rotten parmesan, but considering some of the things I catch a whiff of in this town, it isn’t bad. The leaves are a beautiful yellow in the fall. Sometimes you can see old Chinese ladies harvesting the fruit for the nut. Good for something, I've forgotten what.