Mochitsuki: My Holiday Tradition
Sticky, chewy, delicious! Mochi is an iconic and beloved food of Japan. There is a simplicity and beauty in one ingredient creating something so delicious. This simple food is one of the first things that come to mind when I
Celebrating the Harvest Around the World
Harvests are celebrated all around the world and here in the US many people celebrate the harvest through Thanksgiving. However, there are many other harvest festivities to discover. In China, and Taiwan people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This festival is
The Many Meanings of Mums
The chrysanthemum is a beautiful flower with so much meaning behind it. ‘Mums’ are often associated with the arrival of fall as they bloom during this season and are very popular. As we are currently enjoying the fall season, let’s
Sherman Library’s Mini Art Makeover
The interior of Sherman Library has had a mini makeover! If you have not visited recently, it is a good time to reacquaint yourself with the library’s art collection. Sherman Library is home to a charming collection of Early California Impressionism and plein-air painting, styles that originated in France, and later were adopted by Laguna’s art colony painters such as William Wendt, Edgar Payne, Frank Cuprien, Anna Hills, and others. While the core of the collection was purchased by Arnold Haskell in the 1970s, over the past 10 years more artwork has been generously donated to expand Sherman Library’s holdings.
Carnivorous Plants
Carnivorous plants have long fascinated plant enthusiasts, well before Charles Darwin published the first truly popular and widespread book ‘Insectivorous Plants’ discussing the known carnivorous species and their adaptations to growing in low-nutrient environments. Today, botanists are continuing to expand
Japanese American Farming in California: A Personal History
To mark Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, our Education Coordinator, Kiyoko Nakatsui, shares her family history and their multi-generational association with agriculture.
By the time I was born the farm was just a memory. Like many other Japanese American families mine started their American dream tilling the land. All of my grandparents’ families were farmers at some point. Prior to World War II Japanese Americans farmed up and down the west coast and some eventually returned to the land. On my mom’s side my grandma’s family farmed in Montana and my grandpa’s family in Orange County. On my dad’s side my grandma’s family farmed in Arcadia and my grandpa’s family in Stockton. Since my maternal grandmother’s family didn’t live on the coast they were able to stay on their farm even during the war. However, everyone else was forced to abandon their farms to be placed in internment camps.