Visiting the plants in all the corners of the yard, my focus on the moment lapses while regarding this tree.
I’m transported to South Africa for a moment — an expedition in late 2019. We’d make a habit of a sundowner during that trip. This involved finding ourselves outside at dusk with a gin and tonic, lingering long after the sun dipped below the horizon.
The tradition was not new…
In the early 18th century, it was discovered that quinine, an extract from the South American cinchona tree, was effective in treating and preventing malaria. Known among the indigenous population as the “fever tree” because its bark was able to stop chills and cure the sick, quinine was then distilled into a medicinal tonic water.
The Storied History of the Sundowner by Cory Ohlendorf
This reminds me, I need to pull together a gallery of that trip to South Africa.